“THE FOURTH/ 
165 
us alight, “ presuming the ladies had come to the dance.” Be- 
ing informed of their mistake, they were very civil, apologized, 
and expressed their regrets. “ They had hoped the ladies were 
coming to the ball.” We thanked them, but were on our way 
to . They bowed and withdrew, apparently rather disap- 
pointed at the loss of a whole carriage full of merry-makers, 
whom they had come out to receive with so much alacrity. 
Dancing was going on ^-igorously within ; the dry, ear-piercing 
scrape of a miserable violin was heard playing Zip Coon, accom- 
panied by a shrill boyish voice, half screaming, half singing out 
his orders : “ Gents, forward !” — “ Ladies, same !” — “ Alla-maine 
left !” — “ Sachay all !” — “ Swing to your partners !” — “ Fling 
yom* ladies opposyte !” — “ Prummena-a-de awl !” The direc- 
tions were obeyed with great energy and alacrity ; for the scrap- 
ing on the floor equalled the scraping on the violin, and the 
house fairly shook with the general movement. 
Half an hour more, over a familiar road, brought us to the vil- 
lage, which we entered just as the sun set. 
Wednesday, Ath. — Warm and pleasant. The sun, as usual on 
this day, ushered in by great firing of cannon, and ringing of bells, 
and hoisting of flags. Many people in the village from the country, 
all in holyday trim. PubUc holydays, once in a while, are very 
pleasant ; it does one good to see everybody looking their clean- 
est and gayest. It is really a cheerful spectacle to watch the 
family parties in wagon-loads coming into the village at such 
times ; old and young, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and ba- 
bies. Certainly we Americans are very partial to gatherings of 
all sorts ; such an occasion is never thrown away upon our good 
folk. 
