we meet a medley of ball goers and givers, each indulging his or her
favourite style of dancing--from the old fashioned "three-step" waltz
preferred by the elders, to the breathless "German," the simple _deux
temps_, and the graceful "Boston" dance, peculiar as yet to Americans
and Canadians. The band was composed of trained musicians who had
belonged to various regiments, and, on receiving their discharge,
remained in Canada. The hall was well lighted, the floor in good
condition, and we enjoyed taking a turn upon it, as well as watching the
Scotch reels, country dances, and Red River jigs performed by the others.

It was a gay and amusing scene, but the heavy winter dresses--many of
them short walking costumes--worn by the Manitoban belles, looked less
pretty than the light materials, bright colours, and floating trains of
an ordinary ball-room. The absence of carriages and cabs, and the
intensity of the cold, compelled ladies to adopt this sombre attire. The
mercury averaged from ten to twenty degrees below zero, frequently going
as low as thirty-three, and occasionally into the forties; yet the air is
so dry and still, that I felt the cold less when it was thirty-three
degrees below zero in Winnipeg than when only five degrees below in
Ottawa, and did not require any additional wraps.

On New Year's Day the now old-fashioned custom of gentlemen calling was
kept up, and we had many visitors, among them the American Consul, Mr.
Taylor, known in the Consulate as "Saskatchewan Taylor," from his
interest in the North-West and anxiety upon all occasions to bring its
capabilities before the public. He came in the evening, and, following
the American style, remained more than an hour, so that we were able to
get beyond the conventional topics of health and weather, and found him
very pleasant and entertaining.