Evening star., 1925-05-26
The Dancer of Paris
BY MICHAEL ARLEN.
BY MICHAEL ARLEN
Copyright. 1925. by the Ridgway Co.

J chuckled the fool, but the man in the
| doorway did not even glance at him.
! Spoke Consuelo. very graveiy:
II am SO sorry, Sir Roy. to be dis
turbing your rest. OF course, had not
the faintest idea when I came here
that you lived in the apartment below
me. 1 assure you that I am sincerely
sorry, Sir Roy But now that / am
here, what can I do?" And 1t was a
| helpless gesture that she made, but
very swiftly the arm of Roy Martel
pointed to the saxophone player.
Need your young friend exercise
his CHASTITY talent cutie so relent-
| lessly?"
And the frozen silence was ended
| by a protesting babel:
"Oh, say, the saxophone! We must
have the saxophone. Why. the mans
mad, Who ever heard of dancing
without a saxophone?"
II am afraid, Sir Roy" said Con-
suelo, without a smile, that your sug-
gestion does not seem to meet with
quite unanimous approval, and 1 must
consider my guests"
II was not asking for approval"
said the tall man harshly. II was
asking for mercy"
Mercy" echoed Consuelo.
And the fool somewhere laughed.
| Mercy" echoed Consuelo, and her
voice was as cold as voice from a
cellar, and her very white arms flashed
up like a white torch. and she cried
to the saxophone player.
Play, you boy, playn'
And the saXophone played like a
| silly automaton.
Cried Sir Martel, smiling curiously:
so that is mercy, Miss CoX"'
THAT is justice, Sir Royr'
He looked at her, smiling curiouSly.
and he went, as suddenly as he had
come.
The very next night there happened
memorable happening at the Sale
Mandragora. The dancer danced, she
stood, she fell.
The Sale Mandragora is a restau-
rant of many tables, richly lit, and in
the center is a space of marble where
on all dance, except from 1915 to 1890
every night, when dances only Con-
suelo Cox.
But that night as she danced. very
golden hair and little white face, a
green dress of the crinoline mode that
swept widely to the floor, swaying
arms and enchanted feet in shoes of
crimson with a gold device-as she
| danced her hand was suddenly seen
to press her heart, and she stood
frightfully still, and then the golden
hair was spilled upon the marble floor.
A press was quickly around the
| fallen dancer. startled walters, maitre
d'hotel and friends. Very many friends
| had Consuelo the dancer-very many
friends of her face and body.
They parted before a voice that said
| harshly:
IF you will allow me-
| And they allowed him, and he of the
| voice lifted the still, slim dancer and
carried her toward what a maitre
| d'hotel indicated was her retiring
room. But. even as she was being car
ried, the eyes of the white face open
ed and stared, in the enchantment of
weakness, at the face that carried her.
! There were very deep shadows about
the eyes of that face.
why, Roy" she whispered. Fancy
you being here"'
~ came" he said grimly, to see
you dance--and I thought 1 saw you
die, Consuelor'
And suddenly the mouth of the
dancer laughed.
"Oh, dear, oh. dear" she laughed.
And how sorry you'd have been,
wouldn't you. Sir Roy, kind Sir Roy!'
He was quite silent, and she cried
wickedly:
Put me down now. please. I am
quite all right now. Thank you so
much for being so-kind to me. Thank
you, thank you" To the directeur,
who was f1uttering by them: Monsieur
Briant. will continue the dance. Tell
the orchestra"
"Mais, mademoiselle-"
Must you always argue, Monsieur
Briant? I have told you-I will con-
tinue the dance!'
But Miss Cox, you are too brave