The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-18
FOUR DANCING FEET
DISCUSSING MARRIAGE.
BY JANE PHELPS


Chapter z.
Say, Lii, why amt girl. If she's
good, likely to get married and have
home and have"
Lilly interrupted. do forget that
crazy dream Gertie. There amt no
chance for us girls nowadays Things
was different before the war, and 1
don't quite know what has made the
change But something sure has. the
fellows amt so keen on marrying as
they used to be, and anyhow L guess
they couldn't if they was. Mr.. High
Cost of-Living has got in his fine work
and cut out the parson. You see, Cert,
it's all right to buy girl one pair or
IS silk stockings, but II they hao 10
do it all the time they'd either die in
fit or go to Jail. And a girl has to
have stockings you know"
yes I know
"Oh, what's the use of being so old
maidish, Cert? You've got let on
you're awful bold and careless-like,
and Jolly 'em along. Then pretend you
don't hear when they get fresh
IT can't laugh and talk, Lii, when l
am all trembly inside. l almost oled
the other night when that red headed
fellow that brought me home kissed
me- I amt no good pretending, L
hate it, And they. know it.
You amt got no right to be so
pretty then. You can't blame the boys
for wanting to kiss you when they see
them big eyes and dimples, to- say
nothing of Your grand hair"
Don't make fun of me, Lii. amt
pretty now. I'm too thin"
you are thin, but that's fashion
able. I heard a girl at the cafes the
other night tell fellow that she
stood up 20 minutes after every meal
so she would keep her figure"
st guess she had more to eat than
we do. What We eat wouldn't make
us fat in a thousand years. Oh wei,
it's time for the show. You'll have to
hurry Lii. or We will be late"
ON a crowded uptown street a
hurdy-gurdy was wheeling out the
strains of Alice Blue Gown" In the
center of a crowd of admiring. children
with a sprinkling Of grown-ups were
two little girls of IL and IL years
dancing-Lilly Arnold and Gertie
the wheeling of the hurdy-gurdy was
suddenly halted by the arrival of po
1iceman who, pushing his way thru the
now quiet crowd, found his way into
the house in front of which the two
girls had been dancing.
Something wrong a voice said.
wonder what's up?"
''Say Gertie." Lille asked, in awe
struck tones. do you suppose he's go
ing to our houses 2" The Cummings
lived on the second floor rear, the
ArnOT1s on the third.
Let's go seei'' and, leaving the gap
ing children, they hurried into the
dingy entrance.
In the hall were Mrs. Arnold, Mrs.
Cummings and the policeman, and as
many of the tenants as could find
foot place. The two women were
weeping bitterly.
In response to the frenzied questions
OF the neighbors, the girls learned that
their fathers had been killed in an
oil tank explosion.
Seven years had passed since then.
OF the struggles of the two mothers,
each left with four children. we have
little to do. save as they affected the
two girls-Gertie and Lilly, each the
eldest of her family.
It was a hard struggle. Poverty is
not beautiful no matter how we garb
it. But the girls were kept in school
as long as possible. either by the
threats of punishment, or the truant
officer. Out of school they ran err
rands, sold papers, did anything by
which they could earn a few pennies,
and in their leisure danced to the stir
ring strains of some waltz or fox trot
ground out by a wheezy hurdy gurdy;
or. when the cold drove them off the
streets, to that of tinpanny victrola
owned and operated constantly by one
of their neighbors@their dancing floor
the hall of the tenement.
1t takes very little to swing the pen
dulum of fate.
OnA lovely spring day when Gertie
ing on the sidewalk. Seeing the
crowd, a motor car stopped and two
ladies leaned out and watched the
dance. The younger one turned TO the
other and saids
Those two girls dance better than
lots OF the girls on the stage or in the
cabaret shows. They are pretty. too"
Then the car drove, on. But in the
heart OF each dancing child had been
planted a seed, and it grew daily, until
at II and is respectively Gertie and
Lilly were dancing in a cheap cabaret
show, and helping to support the
younger children.
: OF their hardships, their rebuffs-be-
fore they finally found a manager
willing to take them on. it is needless
to write. It is the experience OF most
poor girls without influence who have
to make their own way. and at the
same time help their families. But of
their present battle
Tomorrow-Walton' visit to q cafe.)
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