St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-11-12

erai, an admiral, ana a high omcia
OF the civil government there tina
night.
AS seated myself at the favor
table. little Tom Macon, Of the artil
1ery. rushed up. "My! Mrs. Crane
you do look stunning tonight! 70,
simply have got to come md dance
Don't sit here, come and join ou1
gtddy circle. I'm awfully sorry
engaged my partner so long before
hand!"
Tommy was nice boy, and, IL hat
bsen married only five years earlier
might have been my son. Such out
spoken admiration on his part wal
rather a surprise.
But, Tommy" said. "Ill dance, OF
course, II I'm needed, but l have nc
partner, besides came to give out f.
vors."
"There are plenty of dowagers here
to- do that" he said.
The high official was approaching. ]
knew him Slightly. He was a very POM
pous person, and I had always found
him rather hard to talk to.
Il have been told by these young
people," he said, with a wave of his
hand toward group of cotillion mana
gers, that am expected to renew my
youth tonight. have not danced the
german for many years. May l have
tile pleasure of dancing it with the
belle OF the ball?"
If by that sounding title you mean
myself" answered, immensely fiat
tered, Il shall be most happy" and
we took our seats in two empty chairs
IL: the cotillion circle, just as the music
began for the first figure.
The high official danced abominably,
but did not find him hard to
talk to that evening. He was not at
all the kind of man l had supposed
HIM to be. He was jocose-indeed,
and he whispered stilted
in my ear all the time we
sat together.
must confess that this time was
rather limited, for was constantly on
the floor. This was surprise had
always enjoyed a good dance, and was
rather a favorite chaperon with the
young people; but such attention as l
this evening had been unpre-
cedented for years. I was past my
first youth, and there were many young
and pretty girls present; but I noted it
with establishment, I was the belle of
The ball.
Before the evening was half over I
vas laden down with favors. Young
naval ensigns, whom I scarcely knew
BY sight, gave me paper hats and JAP
anese toys, and then bore me of in the
waltz with an unmistakable air of tri-
lmph. Naughty officers OF the divis-
ON staff, who always wore such pre-
xCupied air when I met them on the
1nneta, that almost hesitated to bow
Ind disturb their weighty cogitations,
anne to me with offerings Of fans and
wooden shoes. The general and the
ldmiral lowered about my chair until
he high official became quite grumpy.
When Tom came in later in the even
ne, he stood watching me with sur
rise which / could not help but feel
vas unflattering.
At the conclusion of the cotillion, my
'artner escorted me to the dressing
DOM door, where he expressed the |
7ish to wait upon" me soon Che never |
nade calls). He babe me good-by with |
n almost fatuous smile as he pressed !
may, squeezed my hand.
We'll, old lady, you've done pretty |
'ell," said Tom as he edged into
be victoria with me and my favors.
The children will think that Santa |
'laus is abroad in the land. There's
rough stuff here to trim good-sized
Il really had delightful time
sid. "Why, Tom, felt quite as
used to as girl at our dances at
ONE. DO you remember that summer
where We first metz"
Remember! I should think so!
hat was nearly twenty years ago.
callow second-lieutenant, fresh
ON West Point, and you a slender
tile girl in pink frock! You were
wfully pretty then, but" and here
" husband went on to say something
,olish, which was quite unusual for
i'm; for, happy as we were, with us
lose things were more often UNDER
pod than mentioned.
AS I was preparing for my needed
pose that night, l took OFF my rings
! usual to lock them away in my
wel-case. and dropped one, which
lied off into some dark corner.
oked for it moment, but being very
eepy and seeing that only the little
Oonstone ring was missing, post
med the search until morning.
EN- informed Fortuna of the loss.
lie told me later that, after looking
oroughly, she had been unable to
ID the ring. was almost sure. that
had rolled underneath the wash
and, but when we moved that piece
furniture and it was not there, l
smissed the thing from my mind,
the article was really Of no intrin-
: value.
That evening as my carriage stopped
the bandstand on the Luneta, and
I exchanged greetings with my
ends, I saw many of my partners ,
the previous evening. A few Of
EN- stopped for q word or two, butt
my Of them passed on with merely
bow. was rather amused to see
1t staff officer who had nearly shed
ITS the evening before, when . pre-
JUS engagement had prevented my