Evening star., 1922-06-16

over the rail.
81 suppose one cannot dance with
ont partners" returned Franconi
absently.
We continued to watch the dane
ers I knew enough of these young
fellows, merely by their looks, to see
that most of them were essential
replicas of one type. Certainly most
of them could have qualified as So
cfal gansters. without scruples.
without visible means of support.
without character or credit. but not
without a certain vicious kind of
ambition.
They seemed to have an unlim-
tied capacity for dancing, freak
foods, Joy rides and clothes. clothes
were to them what jimmy is 10
a burglar. Their English coats were
they bent and swayed wlthou!
bursting. Smart clothes and smart
manners such as they affected were
very fascinating to some women.
who are they all. do you sup
pose" l aueried. .
turned M Kennedy. wall street fel-
lows whose pocketbooks have been
thinned by dull times on the tS-
change; actors out of engagements
law clerks, some of them even COL
Iege students. They seem to be a
new class. l don't think OF any
other way they could pick up iiv-
ing more easily than by this polite
parasitism None of them have any
money. They don't get anything
from the owner of the cabaret, OF
course. except perhaps the right 10
sign checks for a limited amount
in the hope that they may attract
new business. It's grafuns' pute
and simple. The women are their
dupes; they pay the bilis.-and even
now and then something for private
lessons in dancing in a studio.
Franconi was dividing his atten-
ton between what Kennedy was
saying and watching Gloria and her
partner. who seemed to be a leader
of the type 1 have just described
tall and spare as must be the sue
cessful dancing men of today.
There's fellow named Du
Mond." he put in.
who is he?" asked Craig. as
though we had never heard OF him
ITO borrow one of your Amerl-
canisms." returned Franconi, II
think he's the man who puts the
tang in tango. From what l hear
though, / think he borrows the foX
from fox-trot and plucks the feath-
ers from the lame duck.
Kennedy smiled, but Immediately
became Interested in a tall blond
girl who had been talking to Du
Mond just before the dancing be-
gan. 1 noticed that she was not
dancing, but stood in the back
ground most of the time giving a
subtle look of appraisal to the men
who sat at tables and the girls who
oil oil NnW Qnd then she
would move from one table to an
other with that easy, graceful glide
which showed she had been dancer
from girlhood. Always after such
an excursion we saw other couples
who had been watching in lonely
chance to join the throng.
who is that woman?" asked:
Il believe her name is Bernice H, e
Bentley" replied Franconi. She's
the--well. they call her the official
hostess-a sort of introducer: That's
there is no lack of friendliness and
partners. She just arranges intro
ductions. very tactfully, Of course,
for she experienced"
l regarded her with astonishment.
I had never dreamed that such a
politan New York. What could
these women be thinking Of? Some
Of them looked more than capable
of taking care Of themselves, but
there must be many, like Gloria, who
were not What did they know OF
steps?
Soft shoe workers, tango touts,'
muttered Kennedy under his breath
AS we watched we saw a slender
rather ref1ned-looking girl come In
and sit quietly at table in the rear
I ho aHo}ol INF
ducer would do about her, and waited
Sure enough, it was not long before
Miss Bentley appeared with one OF
the dancing men in tow. To my
surprise the hostess was coldly
turned down. What it was that hap
evident that change had taken
place. Unobtrusively Bernice Bentley
seemed to catch the rowing eye OF
Du Mond while he was dancing and
direct it toward the little table.
saw his face flush suddenly and a
Gloria about to the opposite side OF
the dancing floor and, though the
music had not stopped, on some pre-
text or other to Join the party in the
corner again.
Gloria did not want to stop dancing
but it seemed as II Du Mond exercised
some sort of influence over her, for
she did just as he wished. Was she
really afraid Of him? Who was the
little woman who had been like a
skeleton at feast.
Almost before we knew 1t 1T seemed
that the little party had tired Of the
Cabaret Rouge. OF course, we Could
hear nothing, but it seemed as If Du
Mond were proposing something and
had carried his point. At any rate the
waiter was sent on q mysterious ex-
cursion and the party made as though
they were preparing to leave.
Little had been said by either Fran
conf or ourselves, but 1t was by a
sort Of instinct that we, too, paid our
check and moved down to the coat
room ahead Of them. In an angle we
waited, until Gloria and her party
appeared. Du Mond was not with
them. We looked. out of the door.
Before the cabaret stood a smart
hired limousine which was evidently
Gloria's. She would not have dared
use her own motor on such an excur-
sion.
They drove off without seeing us
and a moment later Du Mond and
Bernice Bentley appeared.
phSnh MS,Ssr ySu fSr theuths the tn I'll.
thing was to get them away withou,
me. I'll catch them in q taxi later;
You're of at Z? Ritter will call for
you? Then we'll walt and all go out
together. It's safer out there"
Just what 1t all meant I could not
say, but 1t interested me to know that
young Ritter Smith and Bernice Bent
ley seemed on such good terms Evil
IDENTIFY the gay party were transfer
ring the scene Of their gayety to the
country place Of the Cabaret Rouge
But why?
We parted at the door with Fran
conf, who repeated his invitation to
visit his shop down at the beach.
1 started to follow Franconi out,
but Kennedy drew me back. why
did you suppose I let them go?" ne