Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-25

nUkuOGE
haunted. and many people believed 1t to be
true. What was largely responsible for this
belief was the fact that as soon as q dwelling
became vacant the boys Of the neighborhood
began trying out their bean-shooters to see
which one could pop out the largest number of
wtndowpanes, and soon they were all out, and
then some one started the report that the
house was haunted and it was hard to get a
tenant who did not believe in Spooks, for in
one respect, at least, houses like people
when they lose their good reputation it is
hard to recover it.
DUT witches or no witches Spooks or no
- spooks, Halloween has for many years givea
the people-especially the younger ones-a
great amount OF pleasure, attending masquerade
dances and parties given by the many organi-
nations of the city around SO years ago, I'm cele-
bration OF this popular occasion.
Louis Bartes, at 800 street northwest, and
l.. Monkey, 608 Tenth street. were then the
popular coStumers where we bought our false
faces and whatever went with them, and
Louis G. Marini, Flora c. Dennison later
Flora G. Dyer; James G. Gill Pistorio g. Proctor
and George T. Sheldon were of the dancing
teachers who usually had a big night on Oc-
tober 81
Once in while a party would hire an
omnibus from one of the big livery stables here
ana take trip into the nearby country for a
dance. Or course, the roads were not as good
then as they are now, and sometimes they
were stuck in the mud and had to walk home
but when love is young all the world seems
gay, and who minded such thing as a long
walk with his best girl?
An idea of what one of these trims some
times meant. is told in a clipping from the
Washington Chronicle of 1871 given the
writer recently by Mrs. Frank E. Middleton.
who was, prior to her marriage Miss Ella
King Clark The item reads:
RURAL MASQUERADE
nc PEAKING of this sort OF entertainment
we have to record . most charming and
successful affair at the country residence of
Mr.. Clarke, on the Bladensburg road. About
80 merry masqueraders started from Mr. Frank
Mlddietons. in Michler place, taking an om-
nibuS full of life and agog for fun The
dresses OF the ladies were all elegant and in
excellent taste; but we may be pardoned it,
among all OF the lovely ladies present, we
nd1vidualize prettiest q very few Miss
Hoge represented Tambourine Girl and GER
talnly never appeared to better advantage
Miss Roache was Pocahontas and we felt sure
from various signs that there was present a
John Smith whose life she may not have saved
but whose heart she had certainly taken. Mrs
Middleton was the Girl of the Period But
the trump card Of the evening was Miss Moves
who rs Queen of Clubs, all triumphant, swept
before her the King, Queen and Knave of
Hearts and held them captive. When women
admire women there must be more than or
OF Clubs possessed both in an eminent degree
The ladies, with their fancy dresses, were hid
under waterproofs, while the gentlemen made
very complicated business of it by wearing
part OF their everyday wear with the masque-
rade dresses in which they were to appear
The effect was really funny making some of
the gentlemen look as if they had got hastily
out OF bed and put on only their boots and pea
jackets One was reminded of the Arab Ross
Browne met in the desert, who had nothing
a hnl I'd bat %Hn1A
about under with all the composed dignity of
. United States Senator
But alas for the vanity of human wishes!
The company did not take into consideration
the public improvements and the fact that
Stx-hofSe omnibus could about as we'll be driven
into heaven as out to Mrs Clarke's with 30
people in it. After leaving the corporation line
the omnibus encountered heavy sea of mud
and tossed and pitched in a most frightful
manner. Sometimes the straw was on TOP
sometimes the cushions and occasionally the
passengers. The embraces were promscuous,
the screams continuous and some profane Ian
guage broke out and then when a male
maSquerader's head came in contact with the
roof of the stage.
"\A/HEN about three mixes out. which they
made in heavy headwind the lee
ward lead-horse broke his jib-boom, commonly
called the single-tree and, swinging around,
fell athwart the larboard wheel horse bringing
up the vehicle suddenly that the passengers
were all made seasick. The tackling was re-
paired well as the foul weather would per-
init and the stage proceeded until ran into
. mud bank of unknown depth where it stuck
fast. All hopes of extricating the vehicle died
out in the endeavor and after brief consulta-
ton it resolved that each gallant should
take q lady in his arms and wade ashore. This
all very well for the ablebodied young men,
who rather liked it. but for the weakly, under
sized naSnueraderS IL was decidedly trying