River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-09-18

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that if Pet breathed a single strain OF
music out of his arms l didn't see it.
! l knew that gone expression on his
face and it made me feel so lonesome
that / was more gracious to the judge
than was exactly safe. He dances just
as magnificently as he exists in life.
and it is kind of ceremonial to do it
with him. The boys all wore white
| fiannels and most of the men, but the
| Judge was as formally dressed as he
would have been in midwinter. and
wondered if Alfred could be half as
| distinguished to look at. | suppose my
eyes must have been telling on me
about how grand l thought he was
| looking because newell, | was rather
relieved when one of the boys took me
out of his arms for a good, long, swing
| ing twOstep.
And how l did enjoy it all, every
single minute of it! My heart beat
time to the music as if it would never
tire of doing so. Miss Chester and
exchanged little laughs and scraps of
conversation In between times, and |
fell deeper and deeper in love with
| her. Every pound | have melted and
! frozen and starved off me has brought
me nearer to her. and I just can't
| think about how | am going to hurt
her in a few days now. | put the
| thought from me and so let myself
swing out into thoughtlessness with
one of the boys. And after that
really didn't know with whom l was
dancing, l began to get so intoxicated
| with it all.
/ never heard musicians play better
or get more of the spirit of dance in
| their music than those did tonight.
Tney had just given us the most lovely
swinging things, one after another,
| when suddenly they all stopped. and
the leader drew his bow across his
violin. Never in all my life have
ever heard anything like the call of
that waltz from that gypsy's strings.
1t laughed you signal, and you felt
yourself follow the first strain.
| Just then somebody happened to
take me from whomever l was with,
and / caught step and glided off the
universe. The strongest arms that /
| had felt that evening-or ever-held
me, and l didn't have to look up to
see who it was. l don't know why
knew, but l did. I wasn't clasped so
| very close to him or left to float by
myself an inch. 1 was just a part Of
him like the arms themselves or the
hand that mine nodded into. And
I,S1 AInA 3n md
cajoled and Knocked and rocked and
sobbed and throbbed l laid my cheek
! against his coat sleeve and gave my
self away, didn't care to whom.
| Again that strange sense Of some
wonderful eternal good came to me,
and l found myself humming Billy's
little "soul to keep prayer against
the doctors sleeve to the tune of that
magic waltz. l had never danced with
him before, of course, but | felt as If
I had been doing it always, and
melted in his arms as that baby had
wilted to his mother out in the cabin
few hours earlier, and / don't see
how such happiness as that could stop.
But with a soft, entreating wall the
music came to an end, and there the
doctor was. smiling down into my
face with his whimsical, friendly
smile that woke me up all over.
Somebody has stolen a rose from
the Carter garden and brought it to
She dance" he said with laugh that
was for me alone
NO" flashed back, "a string bean"
I1a%V .EP Il,
the judge, while the doctor disappear
ed through the door, and I heard the
| chug Of his car as it whirled away.
He had just stopped in for second TO
see the fun, and God had given me that
gypsy waltz with him because he knew
l needed something like that in my
life to keep for always.
This has been a happy night, in
which betrothed myself to Alfred,
! though he doesn't know it yet. | am
going to take it as a sign that life for
US is going to be brilliant and gay and
full Of laughter and love-
! l haven't had Billy in my arms to-
! day, and | don't know how / shall
ever get myself to sleep if let myself
lh1Ah oDOOb ~ Ills SICCp pA"'SS OAA AAS
| breast aches. 1t is a comfort to think
that the great big God understands the
womenfolk that he makes even if they
don't understand themselves.
| Most parties are just punches OF self
! ish people who go off in the corners and
! have good times all by themselves. but
in Hillsboro. Tenn, it is not that way.
| Everybody that is not invited helps
the hostess get ready and have nice
things for the others. and sometimes
think they really have the best time of
ALL
! This morning Aunt Bette came up
my front steps before breakfast with
! large basketful of things for my din
ner. and | wondered what | would
have collected to be served to those
people by the time all my neighbors
had made their prize contributions. 1t
took Aunt Bette and Judy half hour
to unPack their things and set them in
the refrigerator and on the pantry
shelves. One was a plump fruit cake
that had been keeping company in
tight box with sponge soaked in
sherry for ever since New Years. 1t