Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-27
Evening Star 5
Daily Story
DANCING FEET
MARTHA neutrality-suspicious..


paper Syndicate
"Good mornlng!" came over tho
wire so shrilly. Lester knew the
speaker was angry or in trouble.
Commonly one meant the other
when Edith Norrys let herself go,
!, trouble came of it. She had tenn
per, but kept it SO wonderfully in
hand it took something real to upset
her. Therefore Lester stood tingling
through the half-minute before she
spoke again.
DO you-happen--to know-one
Baldwin," she asked, the gaps
between words showing how she was
lighting with herself.
Il know two Baldwins-Dab and
Pony. Which is it you're out to
scalp?" Lester answered.
lie caught a gasp-then: 1.-TWO!
Impossible! There isn't loathsome-
ness in the world to make two.
Come over right away, and let
me convince you'll feel like saying
4 things no lady-lilSe telephone ought
to carry"
Lester ran seven-eights of the
mile between, but sauntered up to
the back piazza as though life held
no such thing as haste. But breath
and color so betrayed him Edith
set the electric fan spinning before
she told her troubles.
It's about Merrilee, of course she
began. "Why did Fate curse her
with that name. besides giving her
feet that dance in spite of her?'
II am not Fate Lester said. re-
sentfully, as though she accused him.
his eyes the while twinkling under
downcast lids.
Edith made a face at him Nor
much of anything else, l fear" she
said with a little toss. "Merrilee
went to the street fair yesterday
let her. Her people We're all going,
and was so wild over it it seemed
cruel to keep her at home"
Right Lester intefjected.
She ran on unheedingly. Il thought
it was so safe-her mother and three
big brothers, to say nothing of the
rest.
but the chilluns,' as she calls
them, took all the eyes Nam had to
spare from the wonders of town-the
boys got to pitching horseshoes.
and eating watermelon against each
other. Merrilee says she lost herself
'mongst so many folks--that Baldwin
-thing-found her-then what do you
think happened?"
Tell me- Riddles bore me-" Lester
said. grinning
Edith glared at him Took her
Into the public dance tent" she said.
by and by all the rest stopped to
watch her-then her shoes hurt her
he made her slip them off and dance
there before all that crowd, in just
her petticoat--her Slip rather, one I'd
given her-pale blue lawn. Then he
threw money at her. silver dollar.
That started all the rest-she was
pelted with it--dimes, quarters, one
gold piece even"
Good for Ponyi 1t must have been
Pony; Dab is the tight-wad," Lester
interrupted laughing.
Again Edith glared. Wait. The
worst is to come" she said. 1.-THE
man who flung the gold is an out
sider-came with one of the 'attrac-
tions' those foolish town folk will
bring in for the fair. He got at
iMerrilee; got at her people, too. The
result is they are ready to murder me
because I won't let the child go on
with this-wretch-as an added at
traction to his side show Think!
She's only sixteeeni can keep her
two years longer--tili she's eighteen,
thanks to goodness. ! hesitated to
have her bound to me legally. Now
I'm ever so glad of having had it
DONE
Better let her CO." Lester began.
straight to destruction" Edith
Jared.
He shook his head. saying: mo.
To the fulfi'lment of her destiny
Here's her chance. To us it looks
smirched. even hazardous-but it
may never come again. She's a hui
man orchid. one of the curious vivid
flowers that break out occasionally
from the poor white stein. Already
you've made her so unlike her own
hn,o .Y,I1a
she'll be unhappier the longer you
keep her. Think what it will amean
to get clean away from them. Can
You imagine even the tawdriest stage
career, worse than going back to
them. and marrying Al Jenny. He is
madden about her than ever, old
rough-and,tough that he is - I won
der he hasn't shot us before this for
Interfering to save her at fourteen,
from the altar. Marry she will--let
her have a chance of choice. AS to
the risk-I know life on several sides
she won't risk more as dancer
than she will right here In this Ar
cadian environment, when she leaves
you, unified for her own sort, and
unwelcome among the other Sorts
'sShe need not leave me. IL want
to have her taught" Edith began.
Lester smiled. "She can learn to
dance little better than she does,
untaught.'' he said. "But not much
You know, I've found you almost cry
ing over her stupidity, and the poor
thing, dead beat, with trying to learn
for your sake Nature gave her beauty
and dancing feet-and stopped. Don't
make her gifts of no avail. / don't
say accept the mans offer right off
the bat-but consider 1t a leading
II WILL" Edith said slowly. ''Mer-
rilee shall have her chance. But don't |
ask me not to hate that Baldwin !
thing"
Times whirligig does, indeed, bring
? strange revenges. Two years later |
Mrs. Joseph Lester, born Norrys, sat |
beside her husband, leaning forward |
over the box front, intent to miss no |
rhythm nor cadence of the dancer |
who held big audience spellbound |
Merry Morn che called herself-she |
was slim and 1.-THE as a young hick- |
DRY, with something Of savage grace |
still unsubdued in her motions |
otherwise, she was light, color, music, |
poetry-she had taken the stage byl
storm in the six months since her |
,.rst appearance. Managers fought |
over her As for the golden youth |
that haunts stage doors, IL would |
have shod her twinklng feet in dia- |
monds. or whisked her away in gold |
eli airships. If only she had said yea |
Since she said nothing. neither yea |
nor nay. only passed them by with a |
gentle wondering smile. they could |
only stand at gaze and in wait This /
to the early despair of press agents. |
Later they came to understand that |
there was exploitation in purity that |