| Show Dance Hall Lady T Telegram 11 By JOAN CLAYTON Fiction O I I Anne Lee a beautiful young oung music student obtains a job as a hostess a at a cent 10 dance hall hail Through Irene Ives her roommate te she meets Richard Graeme the ugly fascinating fascinating fasci fasci- rich owner of the dance hall She rebuffs Graeme's ardent atten alien lions knowing him rum to lo be a philanderer Later she refuses the proposal of f fDa Da David David Da- Da vid Blair a newspaper reporter On her first night at Lot she meets Ra Ray Ravel who is very friendly Anne has seen a photograph of Ray at Graeme's country lodge and wonders at the conne connection tion between the two With Ray she enters the ballroom CHAPTER 6 The ballroom was a blaze of oC sound and color The orchestra was in full blast blasl A few couples were already revolving revolving re re- re upon the polished floor For Forthe Forthe Forthe the most part the girls still remained at their tables powdering their noses and glancing expectantly toward the orchestra and toward the door Every minute brou brought ht in fresh customers from the street Anne hesitated d inthe Inthe in inthe the doorway Ray addressed her hurriedly hur hun Im going to ask Con if we cant can't have our tables next to each other Imay J I may be able to throw some business your way tonight tonight- tonight overflow overflow you know You'll click cUck by yourself eventually eventually even even- but at first with no regulars its it's rough going Immediately and before Anne could question her Ray had sped across the floor toward Conrad the long fronds of the lace frock streaming like ban ban- ners A moment later she returned cheerfully declaring that it was alright all al allright allright right and that she and Anne had the best tables right b by the door They would get them coming and going Just what did you mean by regulars regu- regu regu lars Anne inquired as she dropped into the specified gilt chair People who come here regularly Ray rounded her eyes Regulars are arc fellows who come because because be be- cause cluse of a special girl girl girl-a a girls girl's Job Isto is isto isto to make every fellow into her regular not nol going goin too far you OU understand because be cause this is a classy place but not stopping too soon You'll be a flop without regulars Sometimes its it's hard hare I work trying to make some dumb bunny bunny bun bun- ny think hes he's Rockefeller r and the Prince o of Wales combined Oh Ohi Ohl said Anne uncertainly I dont don't know that I can do that thal You got to Ray nodded wisely You got to do more than that You got to catch on now to make the strays fellows that just come in for a look dance with you Instead of someone else Some of the hardest work you'll do is just sitting silling You always got to remember to keep on promoting yourself yourseLf yourself your your- self smiling and giving the fellows the eye making them think youre you're a hot number with a hot line It aint so much she ended airily It sounds difficult HerO Here gaze glued warily on the door Ray lingered to demand Where did you work before I have never worked before I know you haven't worked in a palace of dance but I mean daytimes Ive never had a real job before RA RAY ASTOUNDED Plainly Ray was astounded so o astounded that momentarily she forgot to watch the door Never worked she exclaimed She added with skeptical t frankness You look old as if you was at least 21 Im 23 Anne admitted amusedly a bit startled at Rays Ray's estimation of ofa a age S SAnd And never worked mused little Ray Im 17 and Ive I've worked four years I lied to get my first working papers she finished proudly and yet with a wistful something in her face that made Anne say hastily What I meant was that thai Ive I've never been paid for working Ive I've studied and that's certainly work Still Ray lingered further to Investigate invest invest- gate the miracle We uWe have some coming here she remarked still rather skepticaL Those guys generally finish up by the time they're 22 22 anyway even the dumb ones Studying music is different rent Anne summarized it over the first notes of the orchestra Ra Ray did not hear Her He sharp eyes had spied a client making his way up the stairs and she started hurriedly for her own table dabbing a powder puff on an already whitened counte nance A few minute i later she was wason wason Ion on the floor noor her vivid little littie face tace turned up to the face of one of her regulars Anne alert and interested settled settle herself hersel to await her fate and to watch the others The dances were yere very short allowing the fastest couples barely barely bare bare- ly three turns of ot the room and at the end of each dance the girl received from her escort a green ticket which she dropped into a bag at her wrist a ticket which cost ost 10 Five wen went to the management five to the to-the the hostess It was fun watching for a while At the conclusion of an half hour it ceased to be fun Anne had hardly expected to be besle besieged cd Neither had she expected that thai the evening evening eve eve- ning would go like this Every man who appeared in the dance hall after stopping at the ticket booth made his way like a homing pigeon to some particular particular par par- girl never Anne One or two glanced at her N None ne' ne came near r. Like the others Anne fell felI to watching the thedoor thedoor thedoor door expectantly like the others she smiled moved her shoulders in time to the music Still sUll no nothing hing happened Ray had danced every dance buthe but bu the overflow she had mentioned did not materialize Belatedly Anne realized realized real real- the generosity of of the others other's offer The host hostesses es at were not an altruistic group Every Everyone one of them considered every other as a deadly rival at least during business hours There was one girl a colorful heavy heavy- lidded red-head red whom Anne remembered remembered remembered vaguely as Sunny a girl who on ona ona ona a dull dulI evening r managed to ac achieve an overflow three regulars arriving within with with- in less than 10 minutes Sunny's elaborate clabo clabo- rate maneuvers to lo maintain the overflow overflow overflow over over- flow to lo prevent any part of it from trickling to less favored tables were apparent even to Anne Two of the themen themen themen men must necessarily wait walt but over th the shoulder of her fortunate partner Sunny contrived to flirt lIrt to smile to look mute promises promIse all with wilh the grace and ease of a practiced coquette PAUSES AT TABLE Fifteen minutes later Conrad paused briefly at Annes Anne's table to assure the disconsolate girl that the evening was duller than any In his memory that thai things were certain to pick up on 01 the following night that they always did She was little comforted Being a a wallflower was a new an unwelcome experience If she had not neede l money so badly she might have found foun her plight absurd She did dd need money She was a trifle trie curt curl with wilh wih the be beaming beam beam- m. m ing log explanatory manager maager And then he did her hera a good turn He crossed the room Gently but bul firmly he extracted one of the men from Sunny's trio tro and brought him hi over for an introduction Anne carried with wit her to the floor a memory of Sunny's murderous glance Sunny need not have w worried After one dance Joe Smithson skeptical 1 as a college freshman urged u upon r his Is sisters sister's sisters sister's sis sis- sis sis- ter's roommate was satisfied that though Anne danced danced well wel she wasn't want what Con had cracked her up to beHe beHe be He returned d to lo Sunny bu busily iy pretended that she did not care She continued to pretend as d dance ance followed par dance She was staring down at the tablecloth singing an almost alost inaudible ina dible little ittle tune tunc when someone dropped into inlo te he chair opposite Somewhere inside inide she he felt a wave of ot relief and a vicious desire that that Sunny Suny should notice She raised her eyes to the amused aused eyes of Richard Graeme Why didn't you tell tel me mc you sang sang sang- sg- sg Anne he asked casually Her Jac face blazed at his tone at his use of her first name and ad then went stiff stift and expressionless expressionless' You promised me you wouldn't woudt said woodenly come here she A promIe promise J I I never meant to keep You k kne w that didn't you She made no response Are you sorry I came Again Aga she looked at him Not sorry particularly certainly not glad just glad just indifferent I suppose Still the maid of snow and ad ice ie eh eli eh te To that thai she made no comment there tere was no comment to make Richard continued to lo study her mae not rudely rudey admiringly rather but bul Anne did not nol want his admiration An hour before she would woud not have restrained her In In- She had learned in an hour Richard Rihard gestured around aroud the room You dont don't like it i much I 11 haven't had a chance to decide she he answered in i a a tone less le hostile hoste better bette change your you mind mid and come to the Club Topaz he suggested suggest suggest- ed cd suddenly Theres no sense In Inthe i he the little stuff stu for you you You'll J knock kock em era cold th there re youve you've got what i It I takes Ive not exactly knocked th them m cold cole here she pointed out mildly His white square teeth flashed fahed This Is rough stuff They dont don't ap appreciate ap- ap ap predate the real thing here but in a 3 night club cub these thee days you'd be surprised sur sur- priced pried how the best bet ones the for instance instance again agai again he smil smiled smiled go go d g for what youve you've got personality plus plu class cla And Chick Chik told me you ou sang sang You see sec I knew kew that In the beginning of this speech Anne Ann had softened At the oblique reference to th the events of Sunday she exper expert expert- a return of ot coldness and of cau cau- tion lion lionI I dont don't want to t work there sh she told him I 1 dont don't dink drink I dont don't lik like lic being around drunkards dr and I 1 dont cont don want to be associated d with a Broadway set Working here Is i anonymous anyhow anyhow anyhow any any- how nobody ever need learn lear about i it iti If i I dont don't want them to This Thi is only temporary I have other plans plan for my my- self seU SPEAKS CHILDISHLY She knew that thai she had spoken ch child child- d- d and somewhat pompously Sh She feared that she had let him hi guess ge some something something thing of the real reason for her refusal refusal The real reason was vms Richard Rihard himself himel Even the girl hardly understood th the strength of her determination to accept nothing from him she hardly understood understood under under- uder stood why his hi easy insistent charm should be 50 so vaguely angering to her Richard Ricard leaned across acro the table his h brown strong stong hands clasped loosely losely 01 on the cloth clot His Hi eyes drew and held Annes Anne's eyes eyes She tried to look away and could not There was a cerin certain comp compelling magnetism about the man She feared and ad hated haled hii and yet ye she felt it It I Look here M Miss Lee he began earnestly unsmilingly please tell tel m me why you dislike dilke me so I made a mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take yesterday but Ive I've Ive said sid I was wa sorry Dont Don't bother lying about what wha you think of me he said when sh she started to interrupt Ever since you met me youve you've kicked me around like lie liete the te office oUke cat Why For a split moment he fell feU silent but quite in iii the old impudent fashion he be went on Ive urve an idea for you Why dont don't you OU try disliking me a little le less each day Take it easy casy and maybe maybe may may- be in a week or orso so you'd find you could stand the sight of my ugly ugly face All Al this thi was said sid wih with such haste and with such a rush rh of apparently ingenuous in charm that Anne Ane softened a little Perhaps I dont don't really dislike you she conceded with a certain insecure note of friendliness Splendid I Hows How's o to dance to prove it 11 As A she hesitated he added a grin twitching at his hi th thin I mouth and shining in his hi strange eyes eye Our dance dace will wi be purely business If f you prefer it it itHe He dropped a spool of the coveted eted green gren tickets to the table rolled the spool toward her One at a time please she said some of ot her earlier earler stiffness stine returning I J assure are you that thai the regulars hand them hem out in iii bunches bunche Lets Let's say just jus I Ifor for tonIght that Im I'm Im a regular relar of yours All Al right lets let's say sy it it il To be continued Copyright 1933 George Matthew Adams Service Servie |
