nd on the shinin' water fur ahead a boat stood out vivid.
Its white sail shone, the young man at the helm with uplifted head wuz
wavin' a greetin', the girl in the other end of the boat looked like a
picture in her broad hat and white wrap, and beyend 'em and all round
'em, wuz little boats, and fur ahead a big steamer.

Anon it wuz turned sideways, and a dark mysterious craft wuz seen
sailin' by mysteriously, one of the big lake vessels goin' I know not
where. Anon a dazzlin' flash swep' right across us, bringin' Faith and
me and my pardner out into almost blindin' relief, his bald head
shinin' in the foreground, his cravat gleamin' almost blindin'ly, and
with music and bright light shinin' from the cabin winders, and decks
loaded with gay passengers, the Search Light Steamer swep' up to the
wharf.

The ball had not yet arrove at its hite when we entered the festivious
hall, so we readily found seats in a commogious corner. On one side on
me wuz my pardner, on the off side sot Faith in her serene beauty. In
front of me and on each side the gay crowd of dancers.

Pretty young girls arrayed in every color of the rain-bow. Handsome
young men, ditto homely ones, little children as pretty as posies with
their white dresses and white silk stockin's and slippers dancin' as
gayly as any of the rest, all on 'em big and little, graceful and
awkward, swingin', turnin', glidin' along, swingin', turnin', all
keepin' time to the sweet swayin' tones of the music, music that
seemed sometimes to bear my soul off some distance away and swing it
round and dance with it a spell, and then whirl it back agin to the
Present and Josiah. It wuz a queer time, but very riz up and enjoyable
in spite of some little sharp twinges that come anon or oftener, which
might have been conscience, but which I tried to lay off onto
rumatiz.

Two wimmen wuz talkin' near us, sez one of 'em, "There he goes agin,
see him prancin' round." And she motioned to a young chap I'd noticed
who seemed to be the most indefatigable dancer in the hull lot, and
his face wuz determined lookin', as if his hull life depended on
gallopin' round the room, and as if he never wuz goin' to stop.

"See him," sez the woman, "that young man's father and grand-father
would have swooned away if they'd thought that any of their kin would
dance."

"Wuz they so good?" sez the other woman.

"No," wuz the reply, "they had all sorts of narrowness, sins and
coniptions, but they though