Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-06

that something would occur to elevate his
peninsula. which was only discernable at
low tide and was known as Mayo's Point.
The Midnight Meeting.
In those days the stately gentlemen farm
ers and their comedy wives, and the young
er men and women. gave frequent cotillions
or dances and the participants trod the pro-
vincial minuet or executed dignified round
dances In vogue In those days until the
early cock gave notice that day was break
ing. Dancing in the country was popular
then and the young man who could not
"trip the light fantastic was a back num-
Der, as we would express 1t now. Farmer
Mayo was worldly man, a great admirer
of pretty women and an expert dancer. In
fact, he was looked upoT, by his neighbors
as sort of king of TerpsIchore and he at
tended nearly all the dances for. miles
around.
Now. as the legend gees, Farmer Mayo
was down at the riverside one moonlight
night regretfully surveying his waste lands
on and near the point, when suddenly there
was rustling In the bushes and he was
confronted by a tall, digni1ed- looking
stranger, attired in fun dress suit includ-
ing an old-fashioned swalo tail coat with
brass buttons. After making a most grace
full salaam the newcomer entered at once
into a most agreeable conversation. He
sympathized with Mayo upon the fact that
at high tide the waters of the Potomac
his farm, and remarked how nice Ii would
be If the peninsula were bluff instead Of
a swamp.
Yes" remarked Mayo 81 would almost
give my soul If 1t was"
Not so bad that" replied the fluent
stranger. Teach me the art of dancing to-
night and before noon Mayo's Point will
rear its head high above the river"
Who are you who can perform such a
miracls?" asked the astorished farmer
Il am Satan. do not want your soul. for
by being a good dancer can gain many
thousand souls without much effort by thus
gaining entry into good society. You are
an expert at the terpsichprean art. Nearly
all young men and women dance. Teach
me how, that may enter their society with
greater ease and your river front will make
you wealthy"
Teaching Satan to Dance.
A compact was entered INTO and there un-
der the moonlight, with the waving tree
shadows chasing each other into obscurity.
the tall 1.-THE Satan and graceful Farmer
Mayo spent the remaining hours OF the
night, tie latter as instructor, the former
as an ept pupil.
The stately figure of the minuet blended
into an cld-fashioned reel or waltz, and the
foliage fairly rustled with expectancy while
the cotill.ons merged into queer figures of
the mazurka as our great grandfathers used
10 dance II. Ibis COutitlutQ uuul gray
streaks In the east told OF the approach of
day, when his satanic majesty suddenly
took his departure, leaving Farmer Mayo
alone upon the brink of the river. The old
folks down that way say when Satan dis
appeared there was a great f1utter in the
surrounding bushes as mI'riads of his imps
took their flight with their fearful master.
They naj been silent spectators of the weird
moonlight scene.
Tradition also says that on the following
day Mayo's Point had been raised from the
river bed and was as 1t Is today, about
twelve feet high On his death bed some
months later, Mayo told Of how he taught
the devil to dance and from that day to this
the little promontory on the Potomac has
borne the sobripuet. Dancing Point.
This Is the legend az 1t was related by
Capt. Blake and as 1t is recited and believed
by the sUperstitious boatmen and farm
hands Of the locality In which Satan Is re-
l,sted to have earned the fantastic art of
dancing The Snarled willow IL said to
mark the exact spot where man and devil
played cancing master and pupil.