Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1913-06-06

turn I made In the dance. sweeping my
nine feet Of tail behind me, excited the
laughter not only OF those In the set
with me. but every one In the room.
The antics Of the others to get out Of
the way Of my tail feathers we're alone
enough to set the whole company into
a babel Of hfnriV. One couple after
another stopped dancing to look at me
till at last the set l was with was the
only n remaining on the floor, the
others forming a ring around Us to
laugh at me. I made n break to get
away, but Sue caught me by the tail
and held me long enough for others to
interfere and put me back In my place.
And so I was forced 10 make n spec
tacle OF myself for the others till the
end OF the dance. Sue endeavored to
keep me steady by an occasional pres
sure Of the hand or some other method
OF coddling me. But my modification
and anger were gradually getting the
better OF me, and, though I concealed
II, l was vowlng vengeance on hor. It
occurred to me that no girl would thus
demean a man she felt any love for
and that she had taken this means OF
showing her contempt for me.
BY the time ] had finished this FIRST.
dance / was ready to leave the room,
take or my bird costume and go away
In anger. l think / should have done
so had not Dan Wilson, an intimate
man friend Of mine, told me that but
one course remained to me-to carry
out the joke as though l enjoyed It.
no give way to anger would only make
the matter worse. l saw the sense OF
this advice and resolved to act upon It.
Having taken this resolution, l did
the best 1 could to play my part, and
1t might have been after all quite a
successful plot on the part OF Sue and
her abettors had not her recklessness
spoiled 1t all. l gradually recovered
my equanimity so far as to dlssemble
with her and conceal the bitterness I
felt against her for leading me into
such a trap. Possibly this encouraged
her to go further. Having borrowed
q match from the box of one OF the
men, she lighted the tissue paper on
the tip end Of my tail.
Very young persons are not overbur
dened with common sense, and as the
little fame quickly spread It greatly
amused the company. Feeling a
warmth. / turned my head and, see
ing the Game, my body, In an effort to
put out the fire. giving a swish that
famed It into a cOnfagration.
The laughter Of the lockers on sud
denly gave way to anxiety, and sew
.roI v,,,, VVr.hn1 % uau oaafuNonnn
But by this time the flames had ac-
Quired considerable Roadway, and the
task was a difficult one. My tail
feathers were all alame and those on
my back were being ignited. A thrill
of horror passed Over those standing
about me. The women. in their 1imsy
costumes. drew back. while the men
pushed forward toward me. One, who
was dressed as an Indian. took a blan.
ket from his shoulders and wrapped 1t
about me, while the others kept pluck
ing the burning tail feathers. This
saved me from death, but not from
burning. My back and my legs were
seriously scorched. l was led out Of
the hall, and | remember seeing
among the throng of horror stricken
faces that OF Sue Gwinne, the very
picture Of remOrse and despair.
The incident finished the ball before
It had well begun. / was told after
ward hat a fow persons remained
and attempted to carry on the dances,
but the fact hat l was known to have
been badly burned took the spirit out
of the affair, and before midnight all
was dark which should have been a
brilliantly Illuminated scene OF gayety.
It was a month before [ left my
room. confess acted very badly to-
ward the perpetrators OF what though
intended for an innocent joke, very
nearly became a frightful tragedy. Sue
sent ME word Of her distress and beg
ged that she might be permitted to
do something for me. But. believing
that her action toward me had beer In.
tended to be contemptuous, | did no;
find II In my heart to forgive her. |
showed my spleen by making no reply
to her massage. She sent others Ia
intercede for her, but I was adamant
II was not the burns that restrained my
forgiveness, but the fact that my love
-GO 4 NOh1AnGANh udA UlNn aHhAnNAs
Finally my chum Dan Wilson, whose
opinions had great weight with me
told me, that while Sues act was tO be
considered as foolish and reprehensi
BILE in the extreme, the whole afeiT
had been conceived In a spirit OF mis-
chief, and had no bearing whatever
on her feelings toward me, unless II
might be construed to indicate that
she was favOrably Inclined toward me
He represented that the poor girl was
suffering intensely IN consequence OF
her net and my treatment Of her was
little short OF cruel.
So 1 wrote Sue that had come e
the conclusion she had meant neither
harm nor d%lsrespect IN providing me
with a bird OF paradise suit and nrinl
the tail feathers, and begged that she
would not distress herself further
about IL. especially since my wound.