The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-31

and throw muddy snowballa - ~ ~
at inoffensiye peddlers and
heckled the policemen and 1~saass ssaf ~ ~
"sassed' her elders and
skipped piece of clothesne on the congested
sidewalks just Ike tho other children OF the soied
She went TO school. where she learned TO talk
nngrsmmatlcnl English, chew gum, hate her teach
and all other persons and symbols associated
with discipline restraint: whore she learned
how to lie and fight and cheat and become a typical
adopted daughter Of the United States as she ia
turned out in a million copes from about the same
cast down whore the social riffran wallows and
blooms
When Sablnn reached that stage where her
mother began to slap her for spooning with the
boys In the dark Railways, and for staying out ar.
ter nine, and for talking 20 the taxi drivers wife
downstairs against express forbiddance IT was time
for her to go to work Her skirts were heightened
little and she taken to varuish factory
where she was given job, nusnber, a timecard
and Ss week,
1t would have been n safe bet that sabina was
set to remain number until she had stained her
hands and probably her soul in the varnish plant
until and maybe even after greasy rouEhneck
with hlthy hngernails had married her at a ginny
ceremony, and thereafter she would live out and
night out and swear out the Of her predestined
existence between raising dsordery children In her
own image, battling with a malodorous and soggy
husband growing old and satternly and hard
boiled and
And 1T would have drifted, most likely, had
1t not happened that an unforeseen and apparently
lnconseQuenttal event had NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
night at shabby theatre the tenement where
Sabina and her semiSavage flock lived. Sablna
had been 20 a few Saturday night dances. and her
natural gracefulness and developing charms had
marked her as a "spieler" that could not be buried
IN the hubbub ana mass confusion of many.
WneneVer Sabina danced In the cheap party dreBs
her mother had made she singled Out.
Especially when she danced with Tony Bartell0
did she make all the other varnishstrainers and
a IN oil rlu lnalI Yoata
Tony was a trifle sgnatty and had his hair ra-
EoTed round on the back of his neck and clipped
above his ears like poodle. But he had sliding
feet and a powerful hold and was a hooting en-
thusiast, therefore he eXcelled the mob and was
regarded az the logical partner for Sabina, the
dancing sensation Of the precinct,
The amateur night to be cmaSed with
a grand dancing contest for couples, the prize to
be $40, the decision to be by popular applause,
There was good deal of campaigning In ad.
vance. Residents of the sums haven't much
faith in essential justice, and haven't much
for 1t, either. They learn early what mapeuverinB
means, In politics especially. And the dancing
contest was approached with organized rival
eliques ana caQues pledged to applaud for GER
tain pairs, merit notwithstanding, Tony had some
following, but Sabtna was entirely lacking in pre-
arranged support depending entirely ON the un-
attached elements who might sincerely warm to
her work-of course, there would be some OF those,
too, not every one in the whole house who came
would come instructed"
The grotesque performers did their stuff
AFTER the other. each taking himself and herself
with deadly seriousness and wild, remote clutch
at the chance that destiny might come out of
heaven and call The applause more sympa-
thetic and facetious than grateful Every one was
waiting for the grand dancing contest that would
bring forth real talent and real combat.
The first couple naturally rode to fall. The
management had o. smattering idea of which ones
were In the running and which were the buffers.
SO the obvious lame ducks were sent skiddng and
stumbling 10 the slaughter, and tine gang watched
with impatence for the real contestants. The third
couple began to get some important recognition;
the fourth took ovation; the fifth salvos; the
sixth a welcome and getaway that might have
satisfied a conquering general; the seyenth-snd
80 on
Sabina and Tony were ninth. The clatter on
entrance not solid as IL had been for some
of those with more personal partsans, but the
strangers began To lean forward and get inter-
ested the lithe fire-cyed flapper with the limbs
of a race horse and the lines of an antelope bent
and swayed TO the insidious rhythm of the rag
time orchestration; Tony, the expert, dwindled
into partner sight-he only the letthand
accompaniment, Jhe canvas of the animated
masterpiece Several times the "hand" broke
loose In the progress of the dance, and at the
finish -Pandemoniuml
There were two more couples, who did nohy,
and then the voting Every one sat tense The
pairs were brought forth in order Of their appear
RnCe The openers got scant and scattered tattoos
from their relations and immediate neighbors and
the few who always favor the licked underdogs.
Then IL began to work up, The banded claquers
bent to ii as their came on, The manager
had to raise his hand many a time to stop the
noise and then It ceased reluctantly, though the
claPpers knew they would get another chance, for
when the applause called off Il meant that
the objects thereof would appear again in the
gradual elimination until only two couples would
stand on the stage.
Sabna and Tony were graufyingly hailed and
were temporarily out Of danger. but the first
yolley for katey Phelon and Mike Kramer was so
formidable, though Katey couldn't dance in the