The San Francisco call., 1910-06-05

expected it would be-" I remarked.
The police commission have pro-
hibited the turkey trot and the back
ward step, returned my escort You
see they are doing that two step In
half measure-slow time. Do you see
the heavy set fellow he continued,
dancing with the girl In the splashy
red hat? He's a steerer. That is, he )
employed by one of the principal hotels
as house detective or something of
that sort. When one of the guests, a
stranger, perhaps. goes to him and says
I want to do the line tonight, he steers
him over here to one of these girls and
the girl divvies up with the steerer.
Another thing, you see that red faced
man at the door?'
"The one who showed us our seats?'
I asked.
Yes. Well. he's from Chicago. He
draws his salary because he knows all
the eastern chorus girls. When a
musical comedy comes to town he
makes it a point to invite all the girls
down here. They are nicely enter
tanned and made to feel at home.
Naturally they make the place their
headquarters while they're here and, of
course, that all draws the men,
At the conclusion of the twostep a
spieler came out on the little stage and
announced in stentorian tones that
Madame Pougere, the famous French
singer, would now favor us with a song
and dance.
The madame is, or, I should say, has
been famous woman. This is not
her first visit to San Francisco Several
years ago she filled an engagement at
the Orpheun.
The proprietor passed our way while
she was dancing, and with his hand on
my escorts shoulder, asked us how we
liked her. He seemed proud of her per-
formance.
why. I thought she was singing at
cafe in Powell street" said l. "I saw
her billed there
"She was, but after the second night
she was canned and I sent for her and
engaged her Oh yes, they took her
back" he continued. but she had to
cut her act, and when she finished there
she came up here.
The lady is a trif1e lively for our
western taste. but she seems at last to
have found her proper environment
She is a big, coarse, handsome woman.
and her posturing and dancing made I'D
in suggestiveness all that the purely
amateur twostep had lacked For an
encore she came down and danced up
and down the floor between the rows of
young men who lined the space set
apart for dancing. With a little red
CrOcneteu SnaWl around her bare
shoulders madame was one of the dane
ers in the next twostep, and she fnally
Joined the group in the corner that
contained the seaside millionaire.
Meanwhile the girls interested me.
funny little byplay had been going on
near me.
At the table next to us was a groun
of men tourists out seeing the sights
One of them was from Chicago and he
couldn't forget it. not for moment
His conversation was freely interlarded
with 1t. He persuaded one of the en-
tertainers to sing him a song about
Chicago, in which he enthusiastically
Joined.
couple of girls at the table Just in
front of these men, not more than IS
or 10. pretty but painted to the limit.
were trying in various little ways to
attract their attention. They had no
difficulty in doing so, but apparently it
was not the sort of attention they
wanted, because the men seemed to he
making fun at them In a quiet way.
and finally when one of the girls looked
around in rather a marked fashion one
of the men made sighting remark.
The girls face Redeemed instantly. al
though she did not Immediately look
away. and presently, when the proprie-
tor passed and stopped to speak with
her, she seemed to be telling him her
little tale of woe. He put his arm