Evening star., 1913-12-30

sleep on it every night. see? The doctor
/ says what cures consumption is air. II
you don't get air. Nancy, youH De deao
| in two years"
| Sudden tears of hope rose to Nance's
| eyes You're a good boy she said
softly.
| Mccartney hastened on with snEh. ;ah
| brogue born of his emotion and his Irisn
| childhood. Tenth avenue ain %
worse. Nance me girl. there's chance
| to be dacint Everywhere II you nun. &c
| IL. It's fine and hearty you'll be NanIv
/ O'Shaughnessy, by MKT June, ana :
be havin' the fine rise in me pay anu
| yol--"
| Here the waltz began again. tendells'
alluringly. Nance,s shoulders stralsh'
ed. her cheeks turned pink
He stopped and watched the girl iieI
f,fips parted. Her body swayed in unison
with the music. Mccartney saw uie
| spieler coming toward them and SaVase
iy he pulled Nance to her feet ana sway
ed her into the DANCE.
1t was maddening to dance with Nance.
It was like holding the embodied soui "
lyric music in ones arms to lit ABOUT tne
hall with her Her slender body was al
| a-tngle with melody. .s.,.
| The spieler, who had found ii oiiiie
| to eject poor Name Ryan. had solved his
problem of protecting his patrons. drunk
or sober. by dancing with Name hliheeIi;
| At the end of the waltz. Mccartney anu
| Nance stopping near her. Name 'ui ~
her tongue on Nance. \ shlggerlhsS x rlUn ,,D,"-,,
| surrounded them at once Then, through
| the crowd, a little boy edged MS way ~
/ Name, Ryan's side. He was dirty anu
! thin and impudent. but immeasufapis
| forlorn and childish. He grasped Maine
skirt.
Come on. NAV" he piped. va got 10
| beat 1t out of this
| The woman, at the sound OF the 'shriii
| little voice. jumped.
Here" cried the child. steauS Sel
! self on my shoulder, Clear ontta the
way YOU huncF:o' rubbernecks' he salo
.'Yous kids will be UP for yous next
| The crowd laughed and made way. bu,
! Nance stood rigid. Mccartney whispered
! in her ear. -,
How'd YOU like to have a kid look like
/ that and do that for you?
| Nance looked at him helplessly tie
!, took Nance by the arm and began 10 leao
/ her down the stairs, Halfway down the
| violin and piano began a two-step.a Nance
! stiffened and stopped. but Mccartney
pulled at her beseechingly-
/ She reiterated 10 all of the red-headed
| mans arguments that as long as the
dance made her feel like heaven ana
forget her troubles she was justified in
dancing He was asking her. she said.
| to give up her one joy in life. But sne
promised that since her room dld have us
single window on the fire escape sne
would pull her mattress out there and
/ sleep there fine nights for a month. and
| with that he had TO be content Feeling
as if he were leaving wi4lfui, helpless
child to its fate. Mccartney went home
4 at midnight.
| Nance went straight to her room at the
top of the house. Without giving her
| self time to think. she pulled the mat
! tress off her cot. bundled it out on the
fire escape and lay her tired body down,
| face to the open sky. The sky was an
unknown quantity to mis- sum-bred girl.
i'rh9 street lights hide the stars. She
| seldom if ever knew when there was u
| moon.
! So tonight she gazed on the iridescent
| beauty above her with all the JOY OF DIS
covery The cleanliness, the purity, the
orderIness of the unspeakable vistas
above caught her.
1t takes long time to destroy the
sweet wholesomcness Of an Irish girl
| But the spieler was an adept in his
trade Me: came to the academy for
the, sole sake of dancing with hrisl
| Nance. She was Il most valuable asset
The night after her first meeting with
Mccartney the spieler pu. his arm about
l.herl the moment she entered the hall and
drew her into the dance.
The spieler looked across into the girls
half-closcd tender eyes. Fatally we'll h,
| knew that the dance breaks down al
fnorfnal barriers His not here AT
! unpleasant task She was so sweet, sc
loveble, was Nance,
| Nance" breathed the spieler: Nance
I.does -you. love ale?. I've been ,iovn' yoJ
all these months. Tell me that you do.
+ That night she danced danced. danced
THE spieler went down the stairs Will
her when the hall closed. He had never
| dared TO do this before. In the street
| he took her arm.
1 si:4set's~take a ,walk.2.r he said,., ss-S.
n For moment Nance allowed him tt
lead her, unheeding any thing but tht
dreaded exhaustion that always followed
the dance. As they turned into a dark
ened side street she inadvertently glanced
at the.sky The evening star>w there
The girl caught her breath. and turned OF
the Spieler-
What YOU hanging round ME for?" she
cried. Has girl got to be tagged b.
man all the time?' Then she fled
leaving the Spieler open-mouthed.;
During the succeeding weeks Nanct
drove herself relentlessly. By. day the
death fear harried her. By night tn,
still beauty of the stars wrung her hear
with longings for freedom. for deel
silence. for days and nights better thar
she had known. The hours in the acad
eIny were her only contented ones now
Nightly she danced with feverish aban
don that hourly strengthened the hold OF
the spieler on her. He had become t.