Gunnison news-champion., 1921-03-11

1t was Monday evening in Baldwin
and the last day Of February. Ths
time was ripe and the weather wal
just right for the long-advcrtiset
grand ball given by the Community
Poker and Dice club.
A large crowd was expected and BY
seven o'clock the available stable
room for the horses and oxen was al
taken Still the crowd kept com.
ing until Main ST. was SO lined with
sicighs and dog teams that the pedes-
trians were forced TO tramp thru al
ieys and dark cross-cuts in order
to pach the auditorium.
At nine o'clock, the time for dane
ing to commence, the seven-piece or
chcstra, composed Of n mouth harp,
Jews harp. either, accordion. banjo
bag pipe, and ukulale struck up the
old-fashioned tune OF "Silvcr Threads
Among the Cold" and the spacious
dance floor swayed to the slow and
monotonous treading Of numerous
feet during the grand march.
Bright indeed were the prospects of
wonderful time, and every person.
old and young. for radius of many
mile was there. Such an affair as
grand ball is Iongingly and eagerly
looked forward to by all of the set
tiers and backwoods people; so death
or serious illness alone could prevent
any person in the locality from at
tending on the important occasion
The floor was crowded until an
other couple corld not be squeezed in
to the vast, slowly moving mass. All
were having the time Of their lives;
each and every one was heart and
soul in the fray, and an army Of
soldiers could hardly have diverted
the attention Of this multitude of
pleasure seekers and clog dancers
from the music Of the symphony ORCH
estra. Such splendid quality of music
was never before delivered from any
orchestra. Tunes and time were such
that waltz, a two-step. or fox-trot,
Virginia reel or jig could be danced at
any time, or all at the same time to
any tune, such as, "Overthere," "Old
Black joe" ''My Darling Nellie Grey"
or Mount Vernon Belle"
From the position of the wall
flowers could be seen the many like
nesses and differences Of the dancers.
Some were engaged in duadrille and
reel; some were. solemnly waltzing;
some were jigging. while still others
were ''hoeing down" the latest jazz in
such manner that the old-fashioned
clog dance flashed into ones mind.
With only a few exceptions, the
crowd came dressed up in their best
Sunday clothes, which were homespun,
a priceless material in present-day
markets. Everyone must look his
best and dress the best he could, for
six or eight masters of the art of
dancing and floor walking keenly OBJ
served the crowd without missing n
single detail. From the ranks Of the
ladies these masters picked the "Belle
of the Ball" She must be well dress
ed, have a neat and trim figure, be q
good mixer socially and last but not
least, she must dance divinely any
set, from the one-step on up. A
prize is always given for this charact-
er, SO fur-lined bath-tub was the
emblem of honor on this occasion.
The clock struck ten-thirty, and
some Of those with strong stomachs
and weak constitutions began to clam
or for food and rest, so the boarding
and lodging committee decided
to serve lunch, which consisted of
cold tea and after-dinner mints, and
was greatly enjoyed and possibly ap-
preciated by the great mass Of hung
ry people, who voiced their thanks
between gulps. The only difficulty
being the insufficient seating capacity
Of the building, SO that over half the
crowd was forced to line the corridors
and hall ways and be served standing
up.
After luncheon, the floors were
cleared and dancing again cemmenced.
The floor was left entirely TO tho half
crowns, - the old men and women
were tired Of struggling, 80 amused
themselves playing hide and seek,
and run. sheep, run" up and down
the hall and cloak rooms, while the
children sat sewing and mending or
lounging in the middle Of the floor,
smoking and discussing the import
ant topics Of the day.
Just before supper 'Miss Margaret"
gave : brief talk ON dairy cows and
dancing, in which she proved to the