The story of my life ; or, The sunshine and shadow of seventy years / by Mary A. Livermore ... with hitherto unrecorded incidents and recollections of three years' experience as an army nurse in the great Civil War, and reminiscences of twenty-five years' experiences on the lecture platform ... to which is added six of her most popular lectures ... with portraits and one hundred and twenty engravings from designs by eminent artists ...

PREPARATIONS FOR THE BALL.

225

Senate. We girls are going to have new dresses from Richmond, and the boys are to have new suits; and an awful
stylish dressmaker 's coming here with a seamstress, for a
month." And she jumped on a chair, and waved her handkerchief, while the boys hurrahed and shouted, and Jenny
hugged herself in a frenzy of delight. The house rang with
the noise, Laura alone not joining in the gratulations.
"I hope Ma'll let me stay at home, for I can't go!" she
almost groaned.
She had become painfully sensitive concerning her plainness, and would have hidden herself from the eyes of all
but her own family, if she had been permitted.
The noise in the music-room caught the ear of Mr.
Henderson, always on the qui vive for pleasurable occasions,
and he walked in among us. He stood smiling at the noisy
group of children, who had been so quiet for a week that
they had become surcharged with animal spirits, that were
now effervescing in song and laughter and aimless waltzing
about the room. As soon as he perceived me he advanced
with extended hands and welcoming eyes. " It is delightful
to see you again among these children," he said, " for it
indicates that you are improving. But you must not take
them in hand just now, until they have let off steam sufficiently to be safe. They are in a very dangerous condition
at present. By the time Von Luttner is done with them
this evening, they will be glad to be quiet."
Professor Von Luttner had repaired'the damage to his
toilet made by his fifteen-miles ride on horseback, and
stood ready to begin the lessons of the day. But seeing
that his pupils were not yet ready for work, he seated
himself at the piano, and played a brilliant waltz which set
the children's feet in motion, and away they went, whirling
dizzily up and down, until my head fairly spun. The waltz