Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11

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FSS9}NS\.TNNsx JNN' though woman's
va II E& age was not also to
Altf 'ESstA be measured by how
SAYN HA'a' she feels. that is. by
iR /-IiN the amount Of expe-
Is ~ rlcnce she has gone
through. One might
mink. forsooth. that in this end of the
century women had lives of the same in
experience that they did In what another
popular saying calls the good old DAYS
The age Of society women-I mean the
feeiins AGES TO be gauged by the stage
IN the pastime Of dancing which they have
reached Every woman dances but II "a
the way she does it that Is worthy of no.
Wee The young girl at her first ball is a
matter Of so much poeticaI and sentimental
enthusiasm that her ways are known to
al men, How she plumes herself for dsys
beforehand. how in anticipation her tiny
~hite-shoi foot taps the floor how waltz
tunes run through her head how her
breath comes short as a foreshadowing of
the way he will pant after ceaseless dane
ing This is the first age. A girl to act
thus does not need to be young In years,
but IN experience.
she may make her debut at sixteen or
fifteen, like the little French damseI or.
enc may not come out until she has En-
ished her college course, say at twenty
tHo or three. oGt the prospect of her first
DaII Will always affect her IN Just that
way And what IS it that makes her heart
peat 50. which makes her treInble with ex-
citenent? Is II the prospect of a good
moor, or good music. or even of q good
partner, or a.! these combined? Not at all:
II IS the prospect OF dancing 1t may be on
a carpet. the strains OF the waltz may be
terky and discordant, her partner may be
but an animated lay figure but she viii be
dancing, and that is all she wants simply
the motion she would whirl around with
sHother girl or with a chair to the strains
or 1ewsharp rather than sit stiff. 1t Is
not or long duration, this age; 1t passes
quickly and life's first happy illusions go
With IT.
An Awkard Partner.
Then comes the second phase. it is one
step. onward. to disenchantmert Her part
neT must be good; the first time that a
girls heart Sinks ct the sight of a man
whom she knows has faculty of treadng
on her satin-shod toes. and getting out of
step and who is coming toward her with
evident designs upon her card, when for
the first time she says hesitatingly but
with courage born of despair. "Oh.
Mr. Smith. L am SO tired and hot:
let's sit this out on the stairs that time
she may know marks her entrance upon
the second age. She will sit 1t out on the
stairs, and talk the gayest OF nonsense to
this supernumerary she Will let him fan
her and will cast bright and dangerous
glance5 over the waving bit of gduze bu.
in spite Of herself she Will answer amiss
tome of his sweetest remarks, will even not
hear them perhaps and her foot viii tap
in time to the music, her eyes Will stray
wistfuly to the scene in the ball room aud
she Will watch the smoothly gliding couples
lonsingly. She wishes that Jack or Tom
or DICK had had this number with her, she
don't care which, one Is good as an
other. Then the thought comes over ner
that perhaps it were wisest to dance this
out after all.
Il am rested now. Mr. Smith. thanks to
fanniug-EnI1 IN ia uaIl-
waltz makes my feet ache"
50 II does, and they start off; but the poor
girl finds that II the music made her feet
ache, Mr. Smiths CITATIONS make them
sting, rUffle her temper and pull down her
hair The next time she will be wiser and
know that 1t is not better TO have waltzed
amiss than never 10 have waltzed at ALL
The next time Mr.. Smith or another like
him looms upon the horizon her mind Will
be made up. she will sit ii out valiantly
even IL she does long 20 have the dear
charIneT" away and tother enc in his place
This goes on for time. then she does not
remark enthusiastically that the floor is
just splendid. she comes. suddenly, to a
Ie3lizaIion OF the fact that all floors are not
splendid, that some are simply wretched.
1t never dawRed on her before that such
might be the case. Till now, they have all
been the same. delightful to move overNe-
CARELESS CT whether she glided. whether her
feet stuck on Jumps of wax or whether
there We're spots entirely free from wax
OF any sort
the
With the knowledge that the floors are not
all good comes the feeling that n bad floor
spoils good partner. she gets irritated If
she cannot slide On ice. and yet it must
rot be too slippery. She becomes critical
then Over-critcal then she stops some
evening in the midst of Il whirl and says,
with ill-concealed disgust, that there is no
pleasure in humping along over such boards.
mot even with you. Dick" with look
which takes all the sting out of her words.
OF course, the floor is bad IL makes no
difference with whom she dances, 1t will be
bad all the same; she sits out few more
dances with the proud consciousness that
she needn't unless she wants to, and then
walks langUi1ly over to mamma and an
nOuuccs that she wants to go home, for
there is positively no pleasure in this sort
of thing" Mamma looks surprised, but
gives in, as she always will. and the maiden
goes to the carriage railing against fate
that must thus spoil her fun. She is getting
on. she is in the third age.
Then in the fourth age Of woman the
music must be good; If she is we'll on in it
she Will be satisfied with only the compost
tiCns Of certain musicians, but in the first
stages she merely requires what is played
TO be we'll played, to be dreamy in PLACES,
so that she may dOZe laZily on her partners
arm. lulled TO forgetfulness of earth by the
strains. the movement and the hum OF
voices, and IL must swell at certain bars,
swell strong and passionately TIL one feels
the orientaIs Joy in dancing. The music
she finds absolutely necessary TO her COM
fort or discomfort: she can put with
bad floor perhaps, or even poor partner, II
the music is very. very good. because the
yeriest stick must be moved to better dane
ing BIZ the music that thrills each vein.
She forgets that there are those who have
90 little of that divire gift in their souls
that they can get out of time and tune to
any waltz. But sad experience teaches her
even this and then 1t is that she has en-
tered upon the fifth age. BY this time she
is faarfully particular. She Is apt TO look
and act as if she were comforting great
favor in giving one of her dances. Her
cheeks may. be as pink and white, her smile
NAV he IS gay, her laughter may sound as
N has always sounded. but down In the
depths Of her eyes. which are oftener shad-
ed by dropping lids than of yore, deep In
thoec ewes YOU may surprise now and then
a lurking glance OF disenchantment or
weGrineSS-
DiSiIIusiOn Comes.
Size has found out that life is not made
TO dance away. but that she is incapable
of doing anything else, and so far, she
would not give it up If she could; With al
most shame she feels that she ciings still
70 the haDpIeSt OF vices. But to indulge