WHICH MR JOHNSON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1775, 30 August 1884, Page 2

WHICH MR JOHNSON.

A Conundrum Which 'Agitated a Colored Masquerade Party. a'h™"? early hoar in the m orning, and All night had the casement jessamines Btirred • To the dancers dancing in tune. This masquerade was.'the event ;of the season. It had been long heralded and anxiously expected. Great preparations had been made for it. The colored aristocracy of Third and Fourth' avenues, State, Polk, Harrison, and Clark-streets, was represented with its "Tk beauty'and chivalry. Wo one was admitted except with mask and costume, and tickets were $1 50c each, so it may.be supposed' the assemblage was reasonably exclusive. About sixty couple were \ resent, and all came promptly at 8 o'clock in order to have as much fun as possible out of the event.. The orchestra was a good one, and consisted of six the first and second violins, bass viol, tromboiM harmonica, and bones. When they struck up the march of- the " Charleston Blues," the effect .upon the, assemblage was electrical, and Miss Angeline Lee confided to her partner, that- ■ " Dat ar music has done set my soul } to wandering already. I wishdey'd - gittcbizness," .;....:,, •"' After playing four or five verses of that stirring ballad, which got ••every' heel to rocking in the room, .the orchestra stopped,''and Williams stepped tip on the platform and addressed the audience. "Ladies an' gemlen," he said, "I don' sposeyou all wants to hear no"speech from me, or no one else on de present 'casion. We all have done met for 'nuther and 'tirely different purphoitse den lissening ter speeches. An'even if Had de time T couldn't" spatiate sufficiently too keep yer from ' practising de steps like young Moiser ■!■ ,in de corner over thah. To 'void all unpleasan complications I, as mastah of : ceremonies fur de obening, call tip all ' gemlen an' ladies ta form-on fur deft gran'march." ■ w. • When the march began it was seen ■ M t that many very handsome costumes.'» * , were present, while there was a pre- ■ ' ponderance of fhe grotesque and « t comic. _ After the march, dancing began in earnest, and was kept up as if they had not another night' to live, [ About midnight a dancer who wore, a , '* Brother Jonothan" costume, and had distinguished himself during the evening by bis wonderful leaps and contortions, had the bad luck to lose his mask, and it was revealed to the astonished eyes of those near him that he wa3 a white man. ; . There was an excited rush for the I intruder, and he was quickly surrounded by a threatening crowd, while a horrified murmur of " A white man" ran through the room. "What you doin'heah, man Tasked a burly fellow costumed as Eomeo. " Doan' yu know you has 'suited dis gadderin', hey?" "I was invited to come,"replied the A culprit, nearly scared to death. " Who inwited you ?" asked Eomeo, * threateningly, ■ ' • '■' ■' '•Yes,dat'sifc. Who dar'd ter'suit de ladies dat way 1" chipped in a ■-■'"'' persod dressed to represent a Polk •"-•'' street dude. . "Who dar'd," was the mutter all around, "to inwite permiskous pussons to dis heah dance f " Mr Johnson," replied the intruder plucking up a little courage as be' thought of the justice of his cause. _ "Johnson! VV'ntJohnston 1 Whah is Johnston 1 Less see 'bout dis," said Eomeo. "Johnston!" exclaimed the dude. "Dat black cus always doin' something he no business ter do." "Johnson!" repeated one of the ladies in a sky blue dress, plentifully trimmed with gilt stars " Jestink ub de cheek ob dat Johnson-inviting low w'ite trash *mong ladies and'ft gentlemen," w " His imperdence is 'miff to make a- "\ spectable pusson ignoh him," exclaimed ' a rather overfed Juliet, About this time the music ceased and the members of the orchestra climbed down to see what the trouble was, and a dozen or two hands were thrust in pockets were razors were concealed. "W'ch Johnson?" asked a tallun- • mainly figure, dressed in a poke bonnet and hoop skirts to represent Jeff Davis. " Dar's two or free Johnsons, man." " Was it Johnson de calsominah f inquired Romeo, with a threatening gesture. " Johnson de barbah f asked another. '_' Here he comes now," said the white man, in a tone of intense relief, as alarge powerful man with a makeup like John L. Sullivan elbowed his way. through the crowd. . "Oh, Billstickah Johnson," said - several, " Dat's all right." "Who dat wants me?" inquired Johnson, doubling up a fist that looked like a boiled ham. . "Anybody beer.; pesterin'you, Billy?" he asked of his white friond. ... "WhyMistah Johnson, dat vou?"' A smirked the ladies, who had "been H anxiously waiting to see the " white trash" thrown out. " Ef dis gentleman's a fren' of yonrn we's glad to know him," said Eomeo, "He is a fren'," said Johnson "an' any brack niggah dat—" The remainder of his threat was lost in a rush of friends who crowded up to shake hands with the best amateur colored pugilist of the city. Then " Billsticker" Johnson, with a nod to his white friend Billy, walked off with the two belles of the ball on his arms, while the master of ceremonies climbed on a chair and said, "Takepodnahsfoh decowtillion and predah foh trubble I"—Chicago InterOcean,