Evening star., 1921-07-31

ixaid his sister "In fact. I'll be sur
Eerised If she remembers to send the
ear for u.s." - =
b But as ii happened. Jeanette sent
taken homeward. Mrs. Troup led
shim up to his room and left him
|, there. "JeaHnette..s dressing. they
ttell me-" she said. Hurry and dress
yourself. SO as to see her minute
before she gets too busy dancing.
hlt's late"
n In spite of her INSTRUCTION. he was
too nervous to dress quickly. he con-
.tinued to prepare himself for a state
appearance. until a strange event up
set him.
There were a few thin squeaks
and low blasts Of warning-small
noises incomprehensible to him. and
seemingly distant--when suddenly
burst forth the most outrageous up
roar he had ever heard. and he
thought ii just outside his door.
When 1t happened. he was standing
with his right foot elevated to pene-
trate the orifice of that deg of his
.rousers. but the shock of sound
overturned him; his foot became en-
tangled and he fell upon the floor.
Lying there. helpless he heard a
silver husky voice, sweet as bells even
when 1t screamed. as it had to scream
|anow to make itself heard. mo. no:
don't want The Maiden's Dream!
Stop it; dam it," And the outrage
became silence. unanimously broken
by only the silvery voice which was
Itself now windstinguishable.
Fingers tapped >on his door. DO
hurry. Charles DEAR" Mrs. Troup said.
"Jeannette's arguing with the musi-
clans. but she might have moment
or two to see you now. People are
just beginning to come.
with whom?' he asked hoarsely.
with whom what? I don't under
stand" his sister inquired, shouting
through the closed door.
You said she's arguing. With
whom"
THE musicians. They began to play
The Maiden's Dream but she wants
something livelier."
"Livelier?"
Il must rum" Mrs. Troup shouted.
do hurry, Charles"
Charles rose, completed his toilet
and stepped outside his door.
LIE found himself upon a gallery
which looked down upon a broad
| hall fioored in wood now darkly lus-
| trous with wax. He had a confused
! great tropical flowers in haphazard
clusters and f1aring again, in their
unfamiliar colors. from the rejecting
darkness of the polished floor: such
dresses as he had never seen; and
| f1esh-tints, too. of ivory and rose
And from these clusters and from the
short-coated men among them the
shouting voices rose to him in such
uproarious garbling chorus that 1t in.
creased his timidity.
| Suddenly he jumped The crash tina,
startled him came from directly be-
meath the part Of the gallery where
he stood. The he~Wusicians" had JUS
launched the dance music. The
clusters of tropical flowers were agi'
coats seized upon them, and the,
seized upon the short black coats
something indescribable began.
The dance music did not throb-tht
nervous. gentleman in the. gallery re
membered dance music that throbbed
dance music that tinkled merrily
dance music that swan. dance music
that sang, and sometimes sang sadly
and perhaps too sweetly. Of romantic
love-but this was Incredible. 1t bea
I upon his brain with bludgeons ant
black kjacks. rose in hideous upheaval:
of sound. fell into chaos, sQuawked IL
convulsions. seemed about to die. 81
that eighty pairs Of shoes and slipper.
| were heard in husky whispers against
/! the waxed floor; then this music leap.
Led to life again more ferociously than
| ever.
Once in his boyhood the gallery
listener had been taken through a
slaughterhouse: and this was what
came back to him now. As the pigs
are forced. crowding against one
! another. through the chute. their
feet pounding the thunderous floor.
they scream horror with their ut
most lungs: and the dumfounded
gentleman recalled these mortal