Show T Telegram ra i Dance Hall Lady r l I Fi F o y By Dy JOAN CLAYTON CLAYlON CHAPTER 5 t Anne Lee n a beautiful young music I 1 student obtains a n Job as a hos hostess att atI a at t a cent aiD cent 10 dance hall I Through Irene Ives her rC roommate mm I she meets Rich Richard Graeme the ugly I fascinating rich owner of the dance I i h ardent arden Graeme's s h hall She rebuffs t attentions She knows him to be a aI I philanderer She hates the Idea o of I 1 working for him but she has spent I all aU of her money on music lessons Da DaI David Da- Da I vid Blair a newspaper man and friend I of ot long standing proposes He offers I a way out of all financial difficulties to But Anne does does' not love him thought though I she ahe likes him very much t As she climbed the stairs to Lotus Lotus' I felt depressed land that night Anne perplexed and low in in her mind a 1 sorry beginning she reflected fleeted for a aJ ai entertainer The difficult i professional J had settled nothing scene ene with David v i For two years cars the years he hadI had loved her she had been uncertain I that afternoon he had refused to believe believe be I lieve that at l last t she was sure that her answer W was l. l and would be be no But for so long Anne he had said over and over wretchedly stubbornly stub stub- for tor so long youve you've been v wa y IveA Ive I've hoped that at vering vering ering for so long A any moment I 1 cant can't I won wont won't t believe be A 4 lieve that all aU at o once oc c foe orno no reason youve you've changed You cant can't have s J changed chanced so so They had been seated on the divane divan I David had pulled he her r In th the e studio t there beside him Mm They were lace face to o I lace face She had seen his pain and mis- mis scry sery He could not see her steady reso reso- f s lution ri Ive not changed David dear dam d ear she had tried to explain Only I know now that Ive I've felt this way all along Liking you but never neve r loving you I I-do I do like you so much i Cant Can't you understand David Cant Can't you ou s see e I see that I frightened you I co could could cod d kick myself for a fool for lor frightening you ou Anne But this cant can't be the end 5 of f us honey it cant can't be bo the end His eyes had implored her to agree that this was the truth Steadily her herI hert I t own awn eyes ees full fuU of tears she had refused the easy way out Always he had asked if of there was another man only another man to him could explain Jt c the situation I Anne sighed deeply and stepped I into f ALIVE WITH COLOR The dance hall h hall u was alive slave with colt col col- t or r with sound with motion Lights from bulbs shaded by paper crepe-paper flowers shone on gilt gUt columns and pink varnished walls paper Crepe sprays of lotus blossoms festooned I the walls waItt themselves Around a big s I square empty floor little tables shrouded in striped d pink linen marched like Uke an army Gilt chairs were ere pulled invitingly close p At one end of the room beneath po w ti a round yellow moon the Happytown Boys six of them all aU with polished K hair and gleaming teeth tuned up with an occasional sally at a blue ca ca' caR de denza za The pino plyer Haret In R mouth investigated experimentally 0 the score of a new song Conrad Smith the manager of ot Lo Lo- tit N stood by watching He was M 4 e the manager o of a dance hall but his own dancing days had long been over sr 0 t Conrad called Con by everyone was M 4 fat amiable and lazy and had what he fancied to be a rather rather- nice taste in h dress At the moment his plump body r was incased in dinner clothes which 0 he wore with a soft silk shirt He saw r Anne w waved ved and crossed the floor ti Ii C t GJ Glad d youre you're oure joining us he mura murmured murmured mur mur- a inured affably glancing at the bag bagIt ty It a she carried It did not occur to 1 him m toa to relieve her of the burden Together a they ey walked toward the dressing 5 room the man offering suggestions I. I end advice w He paused once and said grinning w H I I 1 hear youve you've made a hit with the boss The The girl flushed N Those things get around he Informed informed in In- formed her Are Arc you talking about Mr Graeme Graeme Grae Grae- me tie None other said Con cheerfully w I. Dick turned up this afternoon first time tune Id I'd seen him in in wee weeks announced anu an any u pounced hed he'd met a girl that was going go go- S. S lag ing to work for us and told me to give 4 you jou ou everything your little heart desired dec de de- c sired aired short of the hall itself I 1 dont don't want special favors Anne k to began annoyed Conscious of the fat III i mans man's surprised curiosity she added U lifelessly That was wu was nice of Mra Mr a t I Graeme r Nice fellow Dick Con mumbled M embarrassed It occurs to me that he her r might think I had b been n shooting off oU a. a mY my mouth a little He will never hear anything from fromme fromme me Anne promised w They reached the dressing room Without troubling to knock Con a pushed into the room where a dozen n girls clad In wispy chemises were n oi pulling on stockings tightening garg garters garters gar gar- tern or slipping sUpping Into dance frocks Two w f r or r three squealed mechanically at the theN N opening door and scrambled for ki kI- monos The majority unembarrassed unembarrassed- ly continued their toilets M 0 Similarly unembarrassed Conrad made the introductions Sunny Alicia a Jean Marie Mazie BIllie BUlie He used only first N II names Dames and Anne too was only Anne 4 She did not mind She had decided N l t I almost at once that she liked Con She Shea a a Wi was less sure ab about ut the other girls N T They ey seemed strangely stiff and un tui friendly NOISY GROUPS Y YM M The small email hot room reeked with perfume and powder and 4 smoke Four dressing tables a tattered tat M couch six mirrors furnished M and crowded the place Every mirror is was the pivot of a noisy group A Alow low M r table backed in one corner was piled a high with slippers Several of the sq v girls were picking over the slippers w and trying sizes standing first on one t f foot Soot then hen on the other Anne glanced interrogatively at f Conrad On a Saturday you'll probably run r through a pair of shoes in an evening r he explained in easy e answer So your shoes are on the house Were We're bighearted big big- hearted that way a hearted Big yeah someone murmured mur sour soured cynically Try getting fitted fitted I got calluses as big as oranges This ThI was wu met by a general laugh After Con left most of the girls rea re rc re- re e. e mined silent frankly studying Anne with competitive feminine inter interest t. t spoke to her M Watched by four dozen pair of curious curla curl curi iIA a Otis ous eyes she unpacked her gowns shook them out hung them in Inthe the assigned as u- assigned signed locker moving swiftly anda and nervously How they stared How intense intense intense in in- a tense was the silent interest As vJ Anne hung the last frock freck an audible and t concerted sigh of f envy r rose but still no one spoke a Without a staring as the others stared the newcomer had managed to sum up her fellow workers They we were e all young dung in lathe the main younger louner than h her her- sel sell self They td tried d to look older or with spit curls and white powder they attempted at tempted to look sophisticated Their gowns selected in basements base base- b basements se- se ments caricatured the elegant long skirted mode If It a frock fell feU to the floor It was from the knees kneet If not transparent it contrived to be startlingly low in the back or beneath the ar arms The young ladic ladi ladies boasted careful co coiffures painted faces laces dubious necks and run over heels Their voI voices s shrill high uneducated their manners their appearance appearance appearance ap ap- everything about them put pul Anne off She thought that she sho would not like these girls I Silently she selected a gown for lor the evening evenin a 1 black taffeta dinner dress Sl ankle le length relieved by touches oi of 01 coarse creamy lace As she stood de de- debating deba ba bating ting a choice of slippers there C came ime in from the bathroom another girl a girl with black eyes and a short black bob that made her seem a feminine Pierrot She wore a brief brie raw scarlet frock Hello Ray someone called Got over the pip Youre crazy was the irritable response Theres nothing wrong with me and never was Oh yeah Oh Oh Oh jeah eahL I I i Anne turned looked into impish dark eyes eyes strange eyes es young young oung and hard lard bold eyes framed in beaded lashes ashes Something about the eyes and arid the tilt of the slick black head stirred a i fugitive memory in Anne What w wit was wast it t Anne hardly realized that she W was staring The other smiled Then Anne recognized aired her This was the girl whose photograph had graced the piano in Richard Graeme's country lodge There could be no mistake This was the he girl whose photograph he had torn torno to o bitsI bits I guess guess you must be the new host I ess she heard the cool young voice and watched the other drift across the room My name is Ray Ravel the girl added easily yours Anne Anne Anne Lee Annes Anne's tone was casual Still she was wondering wondering What had lad this youngster this Ray Ravel been to Richard Graeme She bent to toa straighten a stocking i iMy I My liMy locker Is right next d door or to yours Ray continued affably She began bejan be be- gan jan a composed and interested examination exam exam- nation of ot her neighbors neighbor's wardrobe Say what a lot of or swell duds Anne glanced up to s see sec the other remove a gown that had belonged to torene Irene rene a dress of coffee colored lace Ince cut very low In the back and decorated decorate ed by bj a splashing scarlet arlet bow PEERS AT HERSELF Ray slid the gown from its If hanger Draping the coffee colored folds th this way and that she peered approving approving- ly y at her reflection In the dressing table mirror Half Hal a dozen of the thee others gathered oh oh-ing oh ing and ah ah ing looking more and more boldly at Anne One of of the girls asked where she he had bought her clothes The ice was broken The newcomer was accepted accepted ac asa as ass a member of the group Her inItIation was over It was at this point that thU Ray visibly sighing prepared prepared pre pre- pared wired to relinquish her trophy troph- Wear it at if you like Anne surprised sur sus' herself by saying Instantly and with such haste that it t seemed she feared the other might change hange her mind Ray took Anne ather ather at atler her ler word In a twinkling the brief scarlet carlet frock dropped to the floor and she he was Inside t the coffee colored lace pirouetting before the mirror a 1 childish child child- ish sh figure almost swamped by bythe the so soy sophisticated sophisticated combination Theres a jacket too No no jacket for lor me thanks I like hike my ray back Ray confessed gig gig- gling I 1 suppose you jou are going to give us some stiff stitt competition she remarked remarked remarked re re- re- re marked with a sidewise glance at her benefactor I l certainly hope so so said Anne Not wishing to be Interrupted by byone byone byone one of Cons Con's unc unceremonious entrances en en- trances Anne went into the bathroom to o chan change e her own frock When she emerged the other h hostesses had bad gone lured Into the ballroom by the first trams straw of music Ray was Ray was waiting waUng for her herI I 1 thought I would h hang ng aro around nd the he youngster began and said shyly I I had the Idea you jou ou might like com coin pany That was kind of you Anne said sad with real gratitude No it wasn't t Ray protested She added with a shy little rush I I like you a lolAnd lot lol And I like you Enamored of ot her new friend Ray flay twined thin soft arms about the older girl and together the two strolled toward vard the ballroom Feeling awkward awkward awk awk- ward and shy Anne was absurdly grateful for the companionship She was afraid of unpopularity and failure fail fail- ure arc She said so wow cm em declared Ray and added sag sagely ly Everybody feels funny their first night But the men will fall for lor you ou In rows Just you watch now She opened the ballroom door To Be Continued Copyright 1933 by The George Matthew Adams Service |