New Britain herald., 1922-05-16

At first glance, the huge main room of the Palais Royal seemed loss ire nuented by clients than by walters; but the influx of the former was con stant. and when gang of incurable melomaniacs crashed, blared and whanged into jazz foNtrot, the oval dance floor was quickly hidden by swaying couples.
 For some minutes Lucinda sat look. ing out over without seeing these herded dancers. only aware Of the shifting swirl of color and the hypno- tic influence of savage music. her thoughts far from this decadent adaptation of jungle orgies which she had cone to witness And presently a smile began to flicker in the depths of her eyes.
 Oh" she said, roHsing when Daubeney uttered a note of inter- rogation-'1 was thinking about this afternoon, remembering King Laugh
 lin moping and mawing in his mag nifcent delusion that he was con- ducting an orchestra
 You don't know about the hand some offer MT Culp made me, with his wife's approval just as we were going away she continued.
 Dobbin froV ned. What kind of an offer?'
 ITO become a movie actress under the Culp banner, a sister-in-part to Alma Daley"
 DO you mean Cnlp actually had the pertinence-'
 "Oh, come" Iucinda's amusement subsided. MT. Culp was most kind, at least and his whose opinion he values more highly than any director's--all agreed had shown great deal of promise; and that if I cared to try it on. he'd be glad to give me a good part in Miss Daley's next picture and if made good in that he'd form company to star me"
 What rot!"
 Very we'll Dobbin. Let's say no more about it.
 The constraint that fell between them like curtain of mt filing folds, was presently emphasized by an abrupt suspension of the music. When Daubency could endure it no longer, he broke it with a question. the most impolite conceivable: ''Y ou didn't tell me what answer you gave Culp. Cinda?"
 Didn't I? But I'm sure it dosent 
 But his manifest penitence earned i'm m mn C pf tion to favor. The heart in Lucinda s bosom felt hot and hard and heavy with chagrin, she had banked so con- tidently on Dobbin's sympathy
 Don't let's talk any more for a while, Dobbin-Td rather dance"
 Descending the several steps from the box level to the common, they threaded their way through a jam of tables to the fringe of the dancer mad mob, in whose closely packed, rock ing and surging rout considerable imagination and ingenuity were re- quired to find room.
 All about them couples were prac- ticing every conceivable variety Of step that could be executed to the rhythm beaten out by tireloss drums whose timbre had all the grim and | Ueirdly stimulating monotony of 4 frican tom toms. Many contented | themselves with a solemn, Well-nigh | -itualistic jgging by means of which | hey traversed the floor era b. wise nch by inch. Others charged short | distances at headlong speed, checked | short, whirIed madly, darted and | ,wooped again with incredible agility, sort of corybantic frenzy. Still others favored a tedious tWirling, ike amorous dervishes. Yet there were strangely few collisions
 And suddenly she know she had lad enough.
 Its too crowded" she told Dob ,in; and he nodded agreement Shall ,e stop when we get around to our ,ox?"
 Without warning Lucinda was