Evening star., 1922-07-02
Crash bang, The grand quadrille


continued.
And continued too. the grace ful
hum,-ba Back and forth, and
change and turn with noble leg.
with a theatrical arm, with leaps and
skips and steps of solo jigs. he
led his quartet. Crash-bang, With
courtly swagger he takes the grand
mother by the finger tips. at arms
length. They advance, bow as at
Versailles and back off. the hump
back with jig steps and hourishes.
He invents steps All stand still while
he does cavalier seul. He swings the
ancient lady. kneels before her as
she gasps. leaps up and cracks his
heels together. bows and leads her
forth again--crash- bang,
Bravo! bravo" they cry.
*+
THE dancing hump-back was the
hero of the bandstand by the
central markets. Like the quadrille,
he stood for something more than
himself.
Girls everywhere. You see them
best beneath the shade trees of the
greater places. where the munich
rality sets up it's gayest bandstands
The government pays an allowance
for musicians-47O orchestras for
Paris only.
The ward mayors send their bills
in (as it were. to the federal govern
ment: Dance music for the peo-
pie. SO much"
Crash bang! In the hot afternoon.
the cafes sidewalk chairs and tables
overflow across the street. No We
hicles can circulate. But around the
dancing. the rudest street boys. leave
clear space for the girls of Paris in
their ballroom. Cool and self-pos-
sessed. they stand like rich mems
daughters at costly function. See
the unknown young men eye them.
What lottery, What romance!
Every girl knows that her fate may
take new turn on this sweltering
afternoon of the French Fourth.
1t is like a vast nhasquerade-in
their own faces. Unknown youths
from every part Of Paris! Unknown
girls, who come in bevies, laughing.
careless and yet tense, alert for the
adventure that can come but once a
year.
Every girl stands on her merits.
please. Later, they may tell each
other what their daily lives are.
The sun is setting. The household
ers are Illuminating. The municipal
ity lights it's endless lines and fes-
toons of colored bulbs. At the band
stand of the Place St. Ferdinand it is
another kind OF romance. 1t is almost
Neuilly the Elegant, but most of the
residents know each other by sight.
And, see, young men of some posi-
tion have admired girls for six
months. yet could not make acquaint-
ance. Now, at the republics dancing.
mutual friends will surely intervene.
Hop! After a few fashionable fox
trots Gust to show they know IT'D
modern stuff is quite discarded for
the polka. waltz, mazurka, as around
the Central Markets. The big beard
ed doctor polkas with the florists
daughter. the post Offices cashier
with the salesgirl of the Mere de
Famille.' the proud autogarager
with his bony wife and the jewelers.
son with his pretty cousin from Nam
terre.
WATCH the clerks Of the electric
light plant be presented to the
pretty stenographers who board at
the "Amicitia" co-operative-and a
delightful place it is, for any girl to
i've! Monsieur Durand, who owns an
apartment house, is dancing with his
pale child. She hopes that the red
headed law student will come up and
say to her father: What a healthy
mingling of the classes"'
Then he will ask her for the
mazurka.
Who are the three elegant ladies
who bear themselves like countesses
at a village fair? Their husbands are
officials Of banks and a reconstruction
corporation. They have rich fats in
the Rue ST. Ferdinand. And their
husbands laugh: "Yes, dance. OF
course"
The horid man with the white
beard is the ward deputy. Do