The Washington herald., 1922-04-13
Continued from Yesterday.
Tea Dancing.

Tea Duuciue.
All dav Monday, and especially
during that hungry hour when she
went without her lunch, Jane
thought of Harry. 1t had been a
long time since she had met such
a jolly. good-lookinG young man.
She anticipated tea-dancing at the
Bltmore. She wondered whether ne
would admire her new gray dress.
She wondered whether she ought
not to have new slippers too. but
instantly put the idea out of her
head. She couldn't afford it.
After all. she was only a poor
stenographer. Was il foolishNto DC
come interested in a young mil
Honaire?
But Lane liked to think about
Harry. There was something about
him that stirred her imagination.
Perhaps he had omitted a great deal
in that evening of confidence when
he told her about his college days
tba, brief discipline in the war. and
afterwards the wild fling OF dissi-
nation in Paris and New YORK.
I2ut lane believed. as she had told
his father. that the boy was not
bad-only reckless because he had
NO one to care, and too much money
to spendt
Tan. tap. tap. went James type
vriter-but her mind was far away
from Insurance policies. The IN
surance business was rather gloomy
She had often thought. always an
ticipatinr the death of people! TINS
dav Jane did not care to anticipate
or even think of death; she was
inst beginning to feel-lifei
rane stopped shortly before 3:SO.
Sto was faint and exhausted from
S,,.r,.iDc. with her work. and when
She looked in the mirror OF tine
.irIs' dressing room where sne nSu
zone to change into her new frocK'
She wondered whether gray was ho'
= had color for one with such
paIIid complexion.
Iapa never used rouge. but TO-DAY
.hs yyished that she could erase
snr,e of the deathliness from her
r,ce So she borrowed frivolous
,a,itv from the switchboard oper-
.tor and applied the cosmetics ven
turOus1y.
The Affect was strange. Jane was
NOT satisfied. although the girl ue-
cIared that she looked-beautiful.
TRY putting some black on your
-.veIasbes That brings out the
snap of the eye" the girl suggested
lane protested in alarm.
"Oh, no. I really couldn't
look lust like an actress or one OF
those painted girls at the Mldnigh'
..lIidni=ht Frolic:" the girl
uocked We'll. guess you're not
as slow as you look. little gray
mousse
Jane did not answer. She Simply
washed the rouge and powder on
The flush of INDIGNATION brought n
new color to her face which the
sophisticated young lady accepted
as the blush of guilt. She laughed
again.
"Iidnisht FroIic. Some parties
I'm there. No one but a rich man
could take you-Bet it was the
bossI No wonder he let's YOU get
off early afternoons. and you get
all dressed up to go. Lord knows
where"
With this parting slur. the switch
board operator, who was a weak
looking blond. with highly polished
nails and deeply marcelled hair,
left the room, pausin= at the door
to look back and snicker-
Little gray mouse, Too good to
use a little rouge-or anything
Jane stamped her foot in silent
wrath after the girl was gone.
How horrible the world was!
Everyone wanting to think the
worst.
As she approached the Biltmore
where she was to keep her first
engagement with Harry Roberts
Jane felt that a new chapter in
her life had begun.
In the hotel lobby Jane noticed
time. diverting her attention to a
tweed hats stuck with gay quills
thanking the corridors. They stared
at Jane boldly. Jane was Iembar-
rassed. She did not come to tea
often enough to know that these
same girls lounged about hotel lob
bies every afternoon after school
They were blase at fifteen. With
too short dresses and over-curled
bobbed hair. these tired little flap
pers were too bored to do anything