The Topeka state journal., 1922-04-19
-FOUR DANCING FEET
wALfoN's VISIT TO A CAFE.
BY JANE PHELPS
Chapter 3.

/
wALfoN's VISIT TO A CAFE.
Chapter 3.
What shall we do tonight?" Ed
/ gar Walton said to his friend from
| the west whom he was entertaining
for a few days. THE theater again ?''
IF you don't mind. Walton. let's go
to that cafe, the Palace Garden. 10
like to see that dark haired girl dance
again.
| BE careful. Norris. Don't lose your
heart to one of that sort, even if she
/ is pretty. I hoped you and Gladys
Rhodes would
terrupted with laugh. "I thought
matchmaking was woman's preroga-
IAN right. But don't be foolish.
taken in by a cabaret girl
Aren't they decent. these cabaret
girl? Some Of them ?"
"Oh, 1 guess they are decent
enough, but they aren't the sort a fell
low marries. They're after the mon
"They can't live on air. poor
things!''
Careful, Tom. Pity is akin to love,
you know, to quote some immortal
! Norris pulled out his watch and
! looked at it. An eagerpess invested
his tone:
Don't go if you don't want to. Ed
gar. But 1 thought I would drop
/ around and watch her dance"
Walton assented readily enough to
accompany his friend. He was a
| pleasure-loving young man. and was
| really a bit amused that Tom Norris,
ranchman. should have been intrigued
with a. dancer in cheap cabaret. Ed
gar knew that Tom had been too busy
since he left college and taken over
the-care of an Inheritance left him by
a bachelor uncle. to see much of the
opposite sex. Then. too. his ranch
was miles from any town out west.
| Business had brought Norris to New
York. A call on Walton, who had
been in the same class in college. had
resulted in an invitation to remain a
| few days. share Walton's bachelor
| quarters, and incidentally do the
| town"
The Palace, Garden is not cafe OF
| the first order, so not too clean a
! waiter seated them, took their order
and left. The surroundings were not
attractive. The hot air of the room
heavy with smoke, devitalized with
fpungent perfumes of the women. al
| most strangIed them at first. They
| coughed, others in the room, newcom-
ers also, coughed intermittently. One
( had to get accustomed to the odors.
Edgar Walton leaned back and sur
pared to Norris, he saw nothing to
| stir his sluggish fancy. He had loved
| or, rather, thought he had loved
many girls. But his 1eves had been
| nlfrages, loves of night, that had
vanished when the morning sunlight
proved them but shadows. This in
terest Norris showed in a dancer
amused him, He thought the other
one, the blonde. bobbed haired, blue
eyed one, much more attractive.
The waiter brought the soft drinks
all they were allowed to dispense
and the food that would be untasted.
Men like Norris and Walton do not
dine in such places.
Once or twice some girl wearing too
much rouge tried to attract their at
tention, but received no encourage
ment-Walton too indolent, and Nor
ris too intent upon waiting for the
girl he had come to see to be intrigued
by another, especially the type who
made the cafes their rendezvous.
The men sat on the edge of the
oval that had been cleared for dane
ing, and where they had view of the
stairway used by the dancers. Wal
ton settled back in his chair smoking,
, but Norris leaned forward, arms
folded on the table, his eyes turned
toward the stairs.
Once he turned to see who it was
to whom Edgar was speaking
Hello, Buddyi" he heard. 1t wcs
a young lieutenant who had served in
the same company with Walton over
seas. For a moment Toms attention
was distracted as Edgar introduced
his friend, and all three talked of
where they had been since the armi-
stice.
''How's law practice coming on?"
the lieutenant asked Edgar.
MY shingle is out, had a few cases.
but it takes patience to get started in
any profession, I imagine"
Lucky fellow to have the cash that
makes patience possible" Edgar
Walton was the son of wealthy par
ents. one of the sort who. born with
silver spoon in his mouth, had yet not
been spoiled-too much.
Just then there was a buzzing, a
craning of necks- Tom Norris turned
away abruptly, his gazed focused upon
the dancers descending the stairs, led
by a slim fellow in evening clothes
and top hat.
Gertie Cummings was coming down
the stairs. looking so ethereally lovely
that 1t almost took away his breath
The hand he laid on Edgar's arm
trembled
(Tomorrow-Tom Norris is intrigued
with Gertie.)