The Red Cloud chief., 1911-05-18

was herself of strict religious practice,
and | imagine IT had taken somewhat
of finesse to get her consent to these
festivities. 1t was called sometimes
the diplomats ball At least there
was diplomacy back OF It. It was
mere accident which set this celebra-
tion upon the very evening of the bat.
tie of Palo Alto, May s, 1876.
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, | fear.
Thus my friend Jack cambridge was
wholly resplendent in a new waist
coat of his own dcvising. 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
staid. 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
| llight have seen among them-some
of them to sleep all too soon upturned
| 10 the moon In another and yet more
| bitter war. aftermath of this with
Mexico. The tall stock was still in
evidence at that time, and the ruffled
shirts gave something of formal and
! old-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-
tations in her own hand, though this
we may be permitted to doubt.
Whatever might have been said as
10 the democratic appearance OF our
gentlemen In Washington, our women
| NtiC Jul blcdt ltiitnSt, anu
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 l 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 a later public ball, that jew
eled clasp which his wife had bade
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
Russia who had represented his gov
ernment with us since the year 1898
tall, robust, blonde lady she later
grew TO be. Browns hotel. home OF
many OF our statesmen and their la
, dies, turned out a full complement
Mr.. Clay was there. smiling, though
fear none too happy. Mr.. Edward
Everett. as 1t chanced, 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 part of which
!, was a waistcoat embroidered in sucl
: fancy as might have delighted the ey'
= of his erstwhile Indian wife had sh'
been there to see it. Here and there
scattered about the floor, there Nigh
have been seen many of the public
{ figures of America at that time, mel
y from north and south and east ant
J. west, and from many other nations be
y side our own.
y, Under Mrs. Polks social administra
:. ton, we did not waltz, but our bal
a began with a stately march. really
" grand procession, in its way distinctl
. interesting, In scarlet and gold an
! blue and silks, and all the fiowere
- circumstance OF brocades and laces G
% our ladies. And after our march W
! had our own polite Virginia reel, mel
a ry as any dance, yet stately too.
~ was late in arriving that night, 70
4. but my second day in town, and ha
"a had small chance to take my chief
II advice, and to make myself presen
m able for an occasion such as this. wa
1t fresh from my tailor. and very nev
"a made when | entered the room.
e came just in time to see what wa
,r glad to see; that is to say, the keel
II. ing of John Calhoun's promise
I'd Helena Won Ritz.
IN 1t was not to be denied that theI
had been talk regarding this lad
at and that Calhoun knew 1t, though NJ
n from me, Much of It was idle tai
d. based largely upon her mysterious lif
st. Beyond that, woman beautiful {
IT, she has many enemies among her Sc
In There were dark glances for her th'
as night, do not deny, before Mr. Ca
1t, houn changed them. For. howev'
n John Calhoun was rated by his en-