The Mask of the Red Death - Graham's Magazine, May 1842 — reading text

the river almost impassable from the accumulating nated by these simple lamps, which afterwards be- ice. The young ladies belonging to this party were came valuable as revolutionary relics. They have certainly valuable acquisitions to the company, as ever since been taken care of, in the military store- they were handsome, sprightly, beautifully drest, and house belonging to West Point. excellent dancers. I particularly recollect one of At this memorable ball whose courtesies were em- them—a tall, fair, fine-looking girl, attired in white blematic of the national feeling, and which was intend- satin with an upper dress of transparent pink zephyr, edto assist in strengthening the bonds of alliance be- the skirt and sleeves looped up with small white tween the regal government of France and the first roses. Her figure was set off to great advantage by congress of America, the ladies of many of our con- an extremely well-fittin’s boddice of pale pink satin, tinental officers were present: having travelled to laced in front with white silk cord and tassels—and West Point for the purpose—and in the dance that a spray of white roses looked out among the plats commenced the festivities of the evening, the lady that were enwreathed at the back of her finely-formed of Genera] Knox led off as the partner of Washing- head. This young lady and her friends seemed to ton. In all probability the commander-in-chief, with enter con amore into the enjoyment of the scene and his fine figure and always graceful deportment, was the dance. But their pleasure was dearly purchased. in early life an excellent dancer, according to the As they had made arrangements to return home that. fashion of those times. night, after twelve o’clock, when the ball was over,. Undoubtedly the intelligence of this complimentary they could not be persuaded to remain at West. entertainment was received with pleasure by Louis Point till the following day. They embarked with: the Sixteenth and his beautiful Antoinette. Little the gentlemen who belonged to their party. At day- did these unfortunate sovereigns surmise that those of light their boat was descried in the middle of the their own subjects who participated in the festivities river. It was completely blocked up by the ice that of that night, would return to France so imbued had gathered round it, and in this manner they had with republican principles as to lend their aid in passed the cold and dreary remainder of the night overturning the throne ;—that throne whose founda- whose first part had afforded them so much enjoy- tion had already been undermined by the crimes and ment. A boat was immediately sent out from West vices of the two preceding monarchs. Few were Point to their rescue, and the ladies were found be- the years that intervened between the emanci- numbed with cold, and indeed nearly dead. The pation of America, and that tremendous period when ice was cut away with axes brought for the purpose, the brilliant court of Versailles was swept away by they were released from their perilous condition, and the hands of an infuriated people; its ‘‘ princes and with much difficulty the passage to the other side of lords” either flying into exile or perishing on the the river was finally achieved. After the ladies scaffold. And, idolized as they had been at the com- had recovered from the effects of so many hours se mencement of their eventful reign, the son of St. vere suffering, they were said to have declared that Louis and the daughter of the Caesars were relent- they would willingly go through a repetition of the lessly consigned to a dreary captivity terminated by same for the sake of another such ball. a bloody death. My compassion was much excited by a contre-tems ‘* How short, how gay, how bright the smile that happened to certain fair young strangers from That cheered their morning ray ; New York, whom I found in the dressing-room at How dark, how cold, how loud the storm the close of one of the summer balls annually given That raging closed their day !” by the cadets about the last of August, on the eve of The dauphin, whose birth was thus honored in the the day in which they break up their encampment, far-off land which his royal father was assisting in and return to their usual residence in the barracks. her contest for liberty, died, happily for himself, in The above-mentioned young ladies had come up from early childhood ; thus, escaping the miseries that were the city that evening, in consequence of invitations heaped upon the unfortunate boy who succeeded him. sent down to them a week before. By some unac- The West Point balls seem to have peculiar countable oversight either of themselves or of the  292 GRAHAM’S MAGAZINE. gentlemen that escorted them, the trunks or boxes I have before alluded to the West Point Band, containing their ball-room paraphernalia, instead of which must always be classed among the most being landed on the wharf at West Point had been agreeable recollections connected with that place; left on board the steam-boat, and had gone up to Al- particularly by those who were familiar with its ex- bany. As it was a rainy evening, these young ladies cellence when Willis was the instructor in military (four or five in number) had embarked in their very music. He was an Irishman, and had belonged to worst dresses, which they considered quite good the lord lieutenant’s band at Dublin Castle. His own enough for the crowd and damp and heat of the exquisite performance on the Kent bugle can never ladies’ cabin, in whose uncomfortable precincts the be forgotten by any one who has been so fortunate bad weather would compel them to seclude them- as to hear it; and he taught all the members of the selves during their voyage of three or four hours. West Point Band to play on their respective instru- They did not discover that their baggage was miss- ments in the most admirable manner. One of them, ing till after their arrival at the dressing-room, sup- named Ford, excelled on the octave flute. Some- posing that the trunks were coming after them up- times when, on a moonlight summer evening, they stairs. Here they had remained the whole evening, were playing under the beautiful elms that are clus- and all they knew of the ball and its anticipated tered in front of the mess house, and delighting us pleasures was the sound of the music from below with a charming composition called the Nightingale, as it imperfectly reached them; the shaking of the Ford would ascend one of the trees, and seated windows as the floor vibrated under the feet of the amidst its branches, perform solo on his flute those dancers ; and a glance at the dresses of the ladies as passages that imitated the warbling of the bird. they came up when the ball was over, to mufile Occasionally a distinguished vocalist came to themselves in their shawls and calashes. None West Point for the purpose of having a concert; of the distressed damsels had sufficient courage to and these concerts were always well attended. On go down to the ball-room in their dishabille, and sit one of the concert nights, Willis accompanied Keene there as spectators: though much importuned to do (a celebrated singer of that time) in the fine martial so by their unlucky beaux. I give this little anec- air of the Last Bugle—a beautiful song beginning, dote as an admonition to my youthful readers to take especial care that their baggage does not give them ‘< When the muffled drum sounds the last march of the the slip when they are travelling to a ball. brave.’? The cadets are remarkably clever at getting up fancy-balls, and in dressing and sustaining whatever As eaeh verse finished with, ‘‘ When he hears the characters they then assume. Thecorps being com- last bugle,’’ Willis sounded the bugle in a manner posed of miscellaneous young gentlemen from every which seemed almost a foretaste of the music of an- section of the Union, each is aw fait to the peculiar other world. ‘‘ When he hears the last bugle’’—is characteristics of the common people that he has seen again repeated, and the bugle accompaniment is in his native place—and they represent them with lower and still sweeter. But at the concluding much truth andhumor. There will be, for instance, a words, ‘*‘ When he hears the last bugle he’ll stand to hunter from the far west; a Yankee pedlar with his his arms’’—the loud, exulting and melodious tones tins and other ‘notions ;’’ an assortment of Tuck- of the noble instrument came out in all their fulness ahoes, Buckeyes, Hooshers, Wolverines, &c.; and of sound, with an effect that elicited the most rap- also a good proportion of Indians. turous applause, and which words cannot describe At one of these fancy-balls the squeak of a bad nor imagination conceive. fife (or perhaps of a good fife badly played on) and How much is the beauty of music assisted by the the tuck of an ill-braced drum, was heard ascending beauty of poetry. Shame on selfish composers and the stair-case followed by an irregular tramp of feet conceited performers who, “ wishing all the interest and the chatter of many voices. The door (which to centre in themselves,” assert that the words of a had been recently closed) was now thrown open song are of no consequence, and that if good, they with a bang, and a militia company, personated by only divert the attention of the hearers from the a number of the choicest cadets, came marching in, music—Milton thought otherwise when (himself a with a step that set all time and tune at defiance; fine musician) he speaks of the double charms of some trudging, some ambling, and some striding. ‘‘ music married to immortal verse.’”’ As well might They were headed by a captain who, compared to we say that it was a disadvantage for a handsome Uncle Sam’s officers, certainly wore his regimentals woman to possess a fine figure, lest it should render ‘‘ with a difference.”” Having ‘‘ marshalled his clan,”’ the beauty of her face less conspicuous. whom he arranged with a picturesque intermixture Music affords additional delight when, it accom- of tall and short, and in a line partaking of the ser- panies the recollection of some interesting fact; or pentine, he put them through their exercise in a of some fanciful and vivid allusion connected with manner so laughably bad as could