The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-12-12

|. This applied to the two-steps, which sent the dancers whirling over the floor with such violence that at the end of each dance there was a general stampede for the bar which stretch- ed across the farther end of the room. Here four men worked with frantic haste to quench the thirst of the mu1- titude, and labOred in vain. The ex- ercise made the throat of every man as dry as that of Tantalus, and the glasses were snatched up and tossed off as rapidly as they were spun down the length of the bar.
 Jac and Carrigan paused at the door to make survey of the scene. The festivities were already well un- der way. Some of the men had re- moved their bandannas and stuffed the latter into back trouser-pockets, from which they streamed like bril- liant pennons during the dance. There were other tokens that the dance had passed the still formality of the open- ing moments. The musicians played with the fierce resolution of long distance runners entering the home stretch. The Violinist leaned back with eyes closed and jaw set in do- or-die dtermination, while his bow strings The banjo man leaned far over and thrummed away with ex- pression partly of pain and partly of far-away yearning as he stared above the heads of the dancers. The expression was caused not by sor- row of soul, but by cramp in his right hand. The tronb bone-player, however, was in far worse case than either of his companions. He was very fat, very short, and his red. bald head shone furiously. Yet he would not diminish the vigor of his efforts.
 His long slUrs were more brazenIy ringing than ever. His upward runs raised the heart and the hair at the same time. His downward slides sent out a chill jingle along the spine He jerked out his arm with such violence that it made his 1abby body quiver like jelly; and the vigor of his blow ing set a white spot in the middle of his puffing cheeks.
 Orpheus stirred the trees as this orchestra stirred the citizens of the mountain desert. It sent them whirl- it moved them to sit now and then in the shadowy- swept corners, closely tete-a-tate.
 A wild and ludicrous scene? Per haps. But also there was beauty and youth as much as ever graced ball. room. And there was rhythm. Rhythm of the dance, rhythm of the screechfng, drumming music; and to 8 glamour upon the faces of the dancers; of the shadowy corners it made moonlit gardens.
 What is my e?" queried Jac. I've forgot that!"
 He was dumbfounded.
 Perhaps I'm your sister,"
 He grinned.
 ''Jac, you look as much like me as a yearling short-horn looks like q long-horn maverick. Something fancy. Jacqueline Silvestre! How does that hit, eh? Miss Silvestre! You've come from the East. You're visiting at ranch twenty miles away.
 What ranch ?'
 Fake a name"
 Every one knows everybody else for miles around"
 Its up to you. Can you do the Eastern lingo"
 She tilted her head to one side and gazed upon him with naive astonish- ment.
 Lingo MT. Carrigan ?''
 Good Lordi' breathed Carrigan.
 Her laughter was low and filled with hints of many things. It made him distinctly uncomfortable.
 i've read books" she said. "rn do my part. But you?
 I'm simply a cowpuncher you've pressed into service to bring you here. Right? Now who do you want to dance with? Watch their eyes,''
 They walked slowly into the room, and were met by new sound over the clangor of music and voices. It was that buzz which to the heart of the debutante is the elixir of life, and to the city matron is the nectar which promises immortal beauty. In the dance-han at Bridewell it was less covert, Jacqueline stood in the spot light like a queen.
 She knew that her color had heightened. She knew that the flare of the gasoline-lanp made her hair a glorious duII-red fire, touched with golden points of light, which fell again on the necklace at her throat, the only heirloom she had received from her mother, and still further down on the bronze slippers.
 Gro be continued tomorrow.) Copyright 1922-Thompson Feature
 Service.)