Evening star., 1914-11-15

all know that 1t was the fault of the
| floor"
| After George had pinned himself up
| and gone home in taXicab, the OBJ
| server went back to the dancing floor
| and found it as lively as ever. In
Vulnerable parties had supplanted the
| parties of the early afternoon. Dignity
| was lent to the scene by a number of
| those coats which button over the
| wishbone and have practically no gum
| wales at all.
This time the Observer took a seat
next to tired young man. who was
drinking something out of tall glass.
He seemed to need it.
| This dancing" volunteered the OBJ
server. sympatheticaily. "is certainly
cumming up the constitutions of some
of Americas leading citizens
| Don't talk to me about dancing,
said the tired young man. He lifted
his glass and gulped frantically.
"Why do you sorrow in this grandi-
ose way?" asked the Observer finally.
Because" replied the young man.
taking another gulp, 81 happen to be
the professional dancer of the JOINT .
Joint" exclaimed the Observer IN
| startled tones ~
what else would you call it?" in
ouired the teacher sadly. Here is a
place where all kinds of dances go
The Observer lifted his hand dramati-
| cally.
you are not insinuating against the
| modern dance?" he asked.
| Certainly not" replied the young
man simply. Il make my living at
| it,
! ewes was that look If eagerness. One
might guess anything after looking at
| those eyes. And one might feel sure
that whatever his guess was it would
/ be wrong. The young man took a
final sip from his glass 1t was a
gargantuan sip. Pantegruel would
, have stood aside, astonished, had she
| seen that sip.
II oughtn't to do it," declared the
teacher in a pessimistic voice. ''Danc-
ing is running my nerves , A..
| What do you charge! asked the
| possibly have something to do with the
young mans nerves
"Charge" exclaimed the. other bit
terly. II am popular young man.
Consequently 1 flop around this floor
| with any old thing that wants to
! dance
The expression of his face was strain
ed. His eyes were eager and his mouth
had that peculiar tense look
| Just then a woman of matronly ap-
| pearance waddled past The young
man addressed her. The tense look
became more pronounced. She smiled
and a moment later the dance began.
X
Turning his head, the Observer be-
came interested in the terpsichorean
efforts of a very young and very tfmid
couple who were evidently desirou
OF
see that they had just learned it. Any
one could see they had just learned
it. In the dancing academy they had
gone through it beautifully while the
phonograph droned sympathetcally
But there was no one in the dancing
academy who was liable to run them
down and trample them.
Also they weren't at all sure tnat the
niece which the orchestra was piayiHE :
was adaptable to the rhymlc heeos oi
their new dance. ,d
Finally they became despera +hay
plunged At an appropriate moment tney
began to sway back and forth ike Two
| uncertain mice and glided ultimately INTO
the opening step. They did well untll tnes
came to the part where they danced III. III.
| dependently Then lot of dancers got
in between them and they lost each other.
| In their respective places. far, far away
| from each other. they gazed despairihsly
| across the oil ncauS. Al tHe emu VI
the dance they approached each other
! walking now.
| Il think" said the young man softly
| that we had better stick to the old
dances"
| yes" agreed the girl, they are SO
much more dignitied anyhow"
| For one dance they waited to get their
nerve back. When they resumed their ef-
, forts they went into clnci that only a
police squad could have put asurder.
| Watching their faces, the Observer
| followed their conversation.
| Ibid / make that turn right? the girl
would ask, as the furrow Oh her brows
| deepened
| II think the fault was mine the young
man would reply, and his jaw muscles
| would tighten as he resolved not to make
! the blunder again.
| 'Oh, DEAR the girl would murmur. Il
dipped too soon again"
| Never mind,'' the young man would
reply soothingly, 81 got out of STEP
| Until he watched these dances the OBJ
server had cherished illusions concerning
i the dance. He had read of light laughter
| and bubbling repartee which f1oated back
and forth among the gay and festive trot-
| ters. He rcalled seeing somewhere an
item aboot brilliant lights half hidden by
long lashes. of intimate glances and fleet
ing looks and he had assumed that a