The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-03-24


to custom. two livery stable carriages.
called hacks" were engaged to con-
vey all the couples to and from the ho-
tel.
Everything in life is relative, and to
young people who often went to even
less pretentious entertainments this
affair was rather impressive In its ele-
gance. Lamps shone everywhere, and
punches of candles blaZed and sput-
tered In hooks hung about with ever
greens. The girls were becomingly at
tired in light evening gowns. and many
of them were good looking, refined and
graceful. All were soft spoken and
easy In their manners and either wore
or carried flowers. The evening suits
OF the young men were well in evil
dence and more noticeable to the wear.
ers themselves than they would have
been to a spectator used to convention
al style Of dress They could be seen
in all stages Of inadaptability to fig
ures too large or too small, and even
after the dance began there were sew
eral swaps and a due amount of con-
graduation on the improvement from
the appreciative fair sex. The young
lady accompanying each young man
had pinned a small bouquet on his
lapel. so that it would have been i'm
possible to tell whether a man had
natural taste for flowers or was the
willing victim to taste higher than
his own.
Rayburn Miller and Alan sat smok-
ing and talking in the room of the
latter till half past 8 o'clock, and then
they went down. AS a general rule.
young men were expected to escort
ladies to dances when the young men
went at all, but Alan was often ex-
cused from so doing on account of liv-
ing in the country. and Miller had
broken down every precedent in that
respect and never invited girl to go
with him. He atoned for this short
coming by contributing most literally
to every entertainment given by the
young people, even when he was out
of town. He used to say he liked to
Craze and nibble at such things and
feel free to go to bed or business at
will.
AS the two friends entered the big
parlor Alan espied the girl about whom
he had been thinking all day. She was
seated In one Of the deep, lace cur
tained windows behind the piano.
Frank Hillhouse was just presenting
to her faultlessly artired travelling
salesman. At inns Juncture one of the
LIT
his lapel called Miller away to ask his
advice about some details and Alan
turned out of the parlor into the wide
corridor which ran through the house
He did this in obedience to another
unwritten law governing Darley's So
cial ntercourse-that 1t would be i'm
polite for resident gentleman to in
had just been introduced to lady. So
he went down to the ground floor and
strolled into the office. 1t was full Of
tobacco smoke and throng of men,
some of whom were from the country
and others from the town drawn to
the hotel by the festivities. From the
Office door opened into a bar and
billiard room, whence came the click
ing of ivory balls and the grounding
Of cues. Another door led into the
large dining room. which had been
cleared of its tables that 1t might be
used for dancing. There were saving
of fiddles. the twanging of guitars. the
Jingle of tambourines and the groan-
ing of a bass viol. The musicians,
black and yellow. occupied chairs on
one of the tables, which had been
placed against the wall. and one OF
the floor managers was engaged In
whiting paraffin candles over the
floor and rubbing II in with his feet.
Seeing what he was doing some OF