Evening star., 1922-01-01

his head bold. Besides. this isn't
Duluth. and ! can do what | please"
/ shook my head. Il don't think you
should. Willard" says 7. ut wouldn't
be worth while"
But it would be to me-" he insists.
Il guess you never knew how much
liked you, Triiby May. Fact You're
so different from most girls-aiways
SO lively and cheerful. OF course
whii. YOU We're in that ice cream
place 1 couldn't take you around as
wanted to. IT woufhn't have looked
Well. You understand that. But
here-' Willard finishes with a
careless wave of his hand.
/ suppose l should have laughed in
his face and left him sitting there.
But 1 couldn't help stringing him
along and watching that wonderful
ego of his develop itself.
You're taking an awful chance,
willard" says /. but since you're
bound to be tourist cut-up. I think
I'll just go you once. Id love to have
few dances. and l wouldn't mind a
little tea and cinnamon toast to go
with it. I know a bully place, too"
"Then let's CO." says he.
We went. And if Willard was eN-
pecting me to tow him to some cut
rate jazz hall. where you buy so
many dance tickets for a dollar, he
missed his guess. For my first move
after we got out Of the park was to
hail a taxi and tell the driver to take
us to the Plutoria- Perhaps you
know what they nick you for when
you stray in there and ask for table
in the Pompeiian grill? So far as I
know. it's the stiffest afternoon cover
charge in town. But, then, wasn't /
thoughtful enough to slip into the
ladies' cloak room while Willard was
getting over the first shock? And
when / came out after renewing that
schoolgirl complexion and a slight
contact with the lip-stick 1 did my
best to make him forget what had
happened to his pocketbook.
isn't this gorgeous room. Will
lard?" asked.
1T ought to be-" gasps Willard.
"And such a perfectly corking dance
orchestra" I goes on. IT'S said to
be the best in town."
II believe It," says he. "They just
sold it to me-"
They're playing Mon Homme.'
says /, my favorite fox trot. Shall
we try it?"
"All right" says Willard. 'Tm
afraid, though, that my dancing is a
bit rusty"
He hadn't overstated the case. Rusty
was the word. Or else corroded. Yes,
willard's fox trotting was obsolete as
a day coach on an Erie local. He
did the one-two. one-two, turn, just
as they did when I first saw it per-
formed in Red Mems Hall up in
Coleraine, Mimi, four years ago. Only
Willard never did have any spring In
his knees or the least notion Of keep
ing time to the music He simply
bobbed around. humping and getting
bumped, holding me firmly but re-
spectfully at arms length. Anyway,
we finished without any casualties
except that I'd had both feet stepped
on and Willard's collar was limp at
the edges
X X X
TIE would have tackled the second
- encore, but l suggested that
we sit it out and after he'd ordered
tea and fancy toast he had time to
watch what the other dancers were
doing. I suppose he'd been SO dazed
when he first came in that he hadn't
noticed some Of the new stunts that
were being pulled by various couples.
But he saw now, and his mouth came
open.
II say, Trilby." he whispers. els
is that the fox trot they're dancing?''
"Oh, yes," says I, with a few varia-
tions, such as the frisco shiver. the
triple pivot and the scandal walk
'But-but don't know how to do
|any Of those things" says he.