The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-05-23
The Girl Who
Refused to Dance
With Me
By THOMAS R. DEAN
Vixen / was ~ little boy 1 used to

Vixen l was IL little boy I used to
hear q great deal about the family's
"halcyon days. as we called them. My
father had been both wealthy and
prominent. but first his wealth disap-
peared. and then he died. My mother
was anxious to maintain something OF
our social standing. but found it very
difficult to do so on her very limited
income. Nevertheless she was deter
mined to bring us up as ladies and gen
tlemen. and about the only way to re-
fine and polish us. outside Of home in
fluence, was to send us to a dancing
school.
The scholars were divided into sets.
and there was one set. the children of
rich parents, many of whom came to
the lessons in carriages. attended by
their maids. They did not mingle with
the other scholars. who came to con
slider them as something above them
selves. too line and beautiful to touch.
But l. having often heard my. mother
say that We had associated ex-
cept with the hest. say no reason why
should take IN inferior position.
There was n very pretty little girl
among this exclusive set whom ! wor-
SHIPPED from Il distance. 1t vas the
rule Of the sr%hool-not enforced-that
any girl must dance with any boy who
asked her. One afternoon. when the
object Of my boyish admiration hap
pened to bp left without a partner. I
went up to her and made the bow
which was considered an invitation to
dance. She sat perfectly still. In 9th
er words. she declined my invitation.
This was the first rejection I had
ever experienced. and it pierced me to
the heart. But l have since had rea-
son to consider it a blessing. for 1t
opened my eyes to the fact that there
was q position for me to win in the
world. and l. resolved to win 1t. The
day will come. l said to myself. when
l shall live the life my father and
mother led in their younger days. !
must be successful. and to he success.
full I must think and act for myself.
l grew up separate aud apart from
this little girl. but for a time ! kept
track Of her. learned that her father
had made a large fortune out Of a pat.
ent medicine. Since my own father
had been u prominent professional
man l felt the injustice of this child
of a patent medicine proprietor snub-
bling the son of Il lawyer and states
man. Nevertheless when l saw her
rolling about beside her mother in a
landau driven by a liveried servant
felt that she had the advantage of me
and I renewed my vow that the ad-
vantage should one day be blotted out.
When I was seventeen I had earned
and saved enough money to keep me a
year in college. and after that taught
night school and won scholarships to
carry me through. Upon graduation /
studied law and settled in a small but
rapidly growing place where there vas
no great competition and soon sprang
into a fine practice.
had reached a point where there
was no difficulty in resuming the So
cial position my family had occupied
in the ''halcyon days." and. being still
comparatively young and a wealthy
bachelor, ! was somewhat courted by
the girls ! met In society. Most Of
them intent on winning for them
selves an establishment before the hey.
day of youth passed from them. But
knew their tricks and their manners
and had no uAe for them.
Instead Of seeking a.partner. for life
to spend my money In "a luxurious life
I Was making love to my :stenogra-
1,her. She was " woman nearly my
age and a very intelligent and patient
person. whose appearance denoted that
she had seen better days. Neverthe-
less there was that which drew me to
her. though l could not tell exactly
what 1t vas One day I asked her
something about herself. She told me
that she had been born in the same
city that I was born in and that her
father had lost In speculation q large
fortune he had made In a patent medi-
cine.
What need to 80 further: As I look
ed into her face ] saw what l had not
seen befOre-traces Of the features Of
the little girl who had a score Of years
before refused to dance with me. And
here she was. passing into spinster.
hood. dependent, upon a pitiful salary
that I paid her for doing my drudgery.
The day Of vengeance had come. and
l resolved to quar- the cup Of its
dregs. But I kept my counsel. Not a
word did | speak to call up in her
memory the boy she had snubbed.
And this was my revenge. doubled
her SALARY. She was much a%stonished.
Then l told her that she was working
too hard and employed an assistant for
her. Her establishment was increased
to wonder.
One. afternoon 4 kept her taking my
dictation till all others bad left the Of
fee. then said to her:
.Didsyou not attend Mr.. BIS dancing
school at r. when you were q little
girl?'. s
II did" 5 ii
..snr M, romomhor rnf,,sin0 ~ dance