The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-01-30
A Fortune For
a Dance
Spirited Bidding For a Partner
at a Charity Ball
By HENRIETTA DEERINc

by FfENfUEl a DEEk11NG
| G~~~sS>~~---~S>>~S~ ~-~.0~~~~.>~~~.~>--~S
! During the first half Of the nine
| teenth century. when the patriarchal
or plantation system existed In the
southern states, there were three dis
inct classes-the planters, the poor
whites and the negro slaves. 1t is
questionable If the negro's condition
was not preferable to that Of the poor
white.
Colonel Richard Runlet Of Virginia
was kind to his slaves, and both he and
all his family were greatly interested
In charity.
A neighboring planter, Oliver Des
borough, having had bad luck fol-
several years in succession with his
tobacco crop, found himself In pecuni
airy difficulties Colonel Runlet assist
ed him, and when Desborough was
sold out under foreclosure Of mort
gage the colonel bought his plantation
and his negroes, paying for them q
higher price than he was compelled
to pay. But when he discovered that
there was a love affair between Des-
bOrough's only son, Lawrence, and his
own daughter, Constance. he gave the
| young girl to understand that no union
could take place between the two
families on account of the Desbor-
oughs' impoverished condition.
| Constance was but seventeen and
Lawrence twenty. She was too young
to defy her father, and her lover had
little on which to live, to say moth
ing of taking care OF a wife. Besides
he was an ambitious young man and
scorned the idea Of remaining in re-
gion where the wealth was inherited
not made, and where he must inevi
tably be always considered poor
white" 1t nearly broke his and the
girls hearts to part, but part they did
he going north to carve out career.
Lawrence Desborough disappeared
from the south In the middle Of the
century. Out of the wreck OF the fam
lily fortune his father gave him $1,000
saying: my boy, you are young and
strong and smart. Use this money to
advantage, and some day when you
have succeeded come back here and
buy back the plantation and those ne
groes who may not have left it." Law,
renee babe his parents goodby, and II
was long while before he saw his
home again.
Colonel Runlet was one Of the few
planters who emerged from the war
with their plantations intact, though a
number Of his slaves had drifted else
where The majority. however, re.
mained to work for him for what he
could afford to give them. The old
plantation life had passed away, and
even the colonel, though better OF than
most of his neighbors, found it difficult
| to maintain himself His former gifts
| to charity could not be continued, but
the women OF his family worked for
| the benefit of the poor In those ways
to which their sex is peculiarly adapt
ed, getting up fairs and amusements
for the purpose Of raising money. Con
stance, now twenty-seven years old
| and very attractive, was foremost in
all such efforts and was worshiped
not only by those whom she assisted
but by those who worked with her.
During the winter after the close OF
the war there was so much misery not
only among the lower classes, but
among many who lived in af1uence,
that Constance asked her fathers per-
mission to give masked ball for char
fly. He consented at once, and every
preparation was made to give eclat to
the occasion. Since the work to be
done was far beyond Constance's sin
gle powers she invited a number of
her friends to become her assistants.
The staff was divided into committees,
one of which was to search for unique
customs which might be introduced
at the ball.
Among the recommendations. made
by this committee was one that one OF
the members had read of In Spanish
book. In Granada there was or had
been custom at balls given for the
purpose of raising money wherein the
privilege of the first dance with any
lady WAS sold to the man who would
pay the highest price for 1t. The com
mittee arranged that those ladies who
would permit the privilege Of this
dance with them to be sold should be
auctioned Off before the dancing be.
gan. About dozen prominent young
ladies consented, among them the host
ess, Constance Runlet.
The costumes were OF home manu-
fscture. for there was no money with
which to buy them. But such labor
tends to make the object for which IT
Ia undertaken the more enjoyable
Antebellum wardrobes were ransacked.
and every available bit of flnery that
had been slowed away in the south's
halcyon period was brought out to be
turned into dresses for queens, prin-
cesses and other historical characters
for the women, and kings and noble
men for the men. When the influx Of
guests had ceased there was flourish
by the orchestra dmprovised negro mu
siciansl. and the throng made its way
to the dancing hall. where the auction
for partners was to take place. Colo
mel Runlet's house was one Of those
colonial Virginia mansions In which q
ballroom was indispensable. In this
case the whole Of the top story was
devoted to it. At one end was q dais
on which stood the auctioneer. The
ladies' whose partnership for the open.
ing danxe was to be auctioned mingled
with the crowd
The committee had desired to make q
FIRST sale Of the hand Of Constance
Runlet, but Constance would only con
sent that her turn should be the last
instead Of first. This was considered
mistake by the committee. for they
believed that much Of the money to be
devoted to the purpose would have
been spent, and since Constance was
considered the prize Of the evening Il
they began with her they thought they
could excite bidding that would draw
forth goodly sum.
Every young man of that region Of
the slightest means had been invited
and all were present. There were nc
northerners. for this was too near tt
the war to admit of determination witt
the enemy. but every southern man Of
responsibility within fifty miles, ricf
or poor, had assembled. some of then
suitors for one of the young ladies t.
be auctioned. not only for the dance
| but in marriage
When the hand Of Constance was
put up some one started it at $50. A
man dressed as Mephistopheles made
a second bid of hundred dollars. A
third person offered hundred and