Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-05-20

was herself of strict religious practice, |
and imagine it had taken somewhat |
of fnesse to get her consent to these |
festivities. 1t was called sometimes
the diplomats ball. At least there
was diplomacy back of 1t. 1t was
mere accident which set this celebra-
ton upon the very evening of the bat
tie of Palo Alto, May s. 1916.
BY ten O'Clock there were many in
the great room which had been made
ready for the dancing, and rather a
brave company it might have been
called. We had at least the splendor
OF the foreign diplomats uniforms for
our background. and to this we added
the bravest of our attire, each one in
his own individual fashion, 1 fear
Thus my friend Jack cambridge was
wholly respondent in a new waist
coat of his own devising, and an even
Ing coat which almost swept the floor
as he executed the evolutions of his
western style of dancing. Other gen
tlemen were, perhaps, more grave and
sta1d- We had with us at least one
man, old in government service, who
dared the silk stockings and knee
breeches OF an earlier generation Yet
another wore the white powdered
queue, which might have been more
suited for his grandfather The young
or men of the day wore their hair
long, in fashion quite different. yet
this did not detract from the distinc-
ton of some of the faces which one
Iaight have seen among them-some
of them to sleep all too soon upturned
to the moon in another and yet more
bitter war, aftermath of this with
Mexico. The tall stock was still in
a hnf fIn n
| shirts gave something of formal and
! oid-fashioned touch to the assembly.
Such as they were, in their somewhat
varied but not uninteresting attire, the
best of Washington were present. In
vitation was wholly by card. Some
said that Mrs. Polk wrote these invi-
tat1ons in her own hand though this
we may be permitted to doubt.
Whatever might have been said as
to the democratic appearance of our
gentlemen in Washington, our women
were always our great reliance, and
| these at least never failed to meet the
| approval of the most sneering of our
foreign visitors. Thus we had pres
ent that night, as 1 remember, two
| young girls both later to become
| famous in Washington society; tall
| and slender young Terese Chalfant.
| later to become Mrs Pugh of Ohio,
and to receive at the hands of Den
marks minister, who knelt before
her at later public ball, that jew
eIed clasp which his wife had babe
him present to the most beautiful
woman he found in America. Here
also was Miss Harriet Williams of
| Georgetown, later to become the sec
ond wife of that Baron Bodisco of
| Gcfo yIO ho6 n6 hi
eminent with us since the year 1885
a tall, robust, blonde lady she later
grew to be. Browns hotel, home of
many of our statesmen and their Ia
| dies turned out full complement
! Mr.. Clay was there, smiling, though
| fear none too happy. Mr.. Edward
! Everett, as 1T CHANGED, was with us
at that time. We had Sam Houston
| of Texas, who would not, until he ap-
peared upon the floor, relinquish the
striped blanket which distinguished
him-though a splendid figure of
man he appeared when he paced
forth in evening dress, a part of which
| was a waistcoat embroidered in such
fancy as might have delighted the eye
of his erstwhile Indian wife had she
been there to see it. Here and there,
scattered about the floor, there might
figures of America at that time, men
from north and south and east and
west, and from many other nations be-
side our own
Under Mrs. Folks social admfnistra-
ton, we did not waltz, but our ball
| began with stately march, really
grand procession, in its way distinctly
Interesting, in scarlet and gold and
blue and silks, and all the lowered
circumstance of brocades and laces of
our ladies' And after our march we
had our own polite Virginia reel; mer-
ry as any dance, yet stately too
was late in arriving that night, for
it must be remembered that this was
but my second day in town, and had
had small chance to take my chiefs
advice, and to make myself present
able for an occasion such as this was
fresh from my tailor, and very new
made when l entered the ROOM
came just in time to see what was
glad to see; that is to say, the keep
ing of John Calhoun's promise to
Helena Won Ritz
1t was not to be denied that there
had been talk regarding this lady.
and that Calhoun knew 1T, though not
from me- Much of It was idle talk,
biased largely upon her mysterious life.
Beyond that, woman beautiful as
she has many enemies among her sex
There were dark glances for her that