OCR Text |
Show ! "-" 1 i : The Dancing; Teacher. ' : The peculiar thing about Marie Van-derpool Van-derpool was that she hail an Intern-perato Intern-perato appetite for happiness She took to dancing slippers ns naturally as other folk tako to goloshes or walking walk-ing boots. Sho sank nj readily as other folk sigh. She discovered a cbaneo for a frolic with the samo enthusiasm en-thusiasm that others found an opportunity oppor-tunity for work. No ono ever claimed that sho was of any uso, and she certainly never made any such claim herself. It never occurred to her that sho could be useful, and she often reflected that In a world so swarming with useful perion ns this appeared to be If one Judged by the self-plaee.1 estlmalo of these persons thero was plenty of room for one blissful creature of a non-utilitarian sort. All of the other members of her family were Industrious, and several of them were wise. They won distinction distinc-tion along commercial and Intellectual Intellec-tual linos, wero noted for their philanthropies, phil-anthropies, nnd were solicited to lend their name to "cause" They were assochte.1 with nearly all of tho lending lend-ing benevolent enterprise of the city. Now. it Is Impossible for any seeing and hearing person to go about Chicago Chi-cago without becoming aware of the fact that a largo number ot the citizens citi-zens of this busy (own aro not having n good tlmo. Even Marie observed It. She saw children with old faces, and men with despair looking out ot tholr eyes, and women nervous and crushed under n burden ot toll She saw homes that would not keep out the cold, and coats that hung In rags from tho shoulders that supported them. And, what was equally pathetic, she noticed that many persons worked so hard to sllcnco "tho wolf long bowl" that they had no heart for pleasure. "It Is as likely as not," said Marie, to herself, "that they have never discovered dis-covered how lo bo happy." And she felt a vast cotnmleserallon for them. Not lo be happy! It was fearful or It was atupldl It ebaneed thnt nn nnn ncrallnn them was a certain festivity at a settlement house In one ot the most crowded and poverty-stricken parts ot tho city, and that Marie was Invited to go, It was not, perhaps. Just the sort of thing she would havo selected, but as there was nothing else doing that evening, for a wonder, nnd as she had no mind to sit down with n book, sho concluded to go. She waa a good deal puzzled to know what to wear, for ahe waa particular partic-ular about the proprieties, but ahe hit upon a costume at length that seemed to be neither too plain nor too fine. She surveyed herselt with pleasure, It was pleasant to havo large nnd brilliant bril-liant brown eyes, a mass ot wayward golden hair, a snow white nock and shoulders, moddled with tender and abundant grace, and a mouth that smiled with more merriment than the I common run nt mouths. Hut what Marie saw st the settle- I ment was calculated to make bar for-1 tjret, for once, the appearance ot which ' she was so proud. Sho even forgot to be resentful because some of the peo-1 pie she met were serious. For the first time she found herself face to face with the serious problem of life for tbo first tlmo a dim notion that life was given to be used, struggled up through her consciousness. She found women as well born as herself, and much better educated and trained, devoting de-voting their Uvea to others and therefore there-fore to themselves, since In the expenditure ex-penditure of Ilfo In service comes the best development. This typo of womanhood was new to ber. She had been acquainted with many who patronized pa-tronized charities and benevolences, but horo were women who found It a prlvltcgo to express life In terms of Jove. Moreover, she found the "neighbors" "neigh-bors" who came lo the settlements Interesting In the extreme. Here was I whole library of human documents, so to speak, awaiting her perusal. Bhe I rooked In the faces of the girls, serl-I serl-I ous before they should bo so, showing the signs of closo confinement In stores and sweating shops, and binderies and tobacco factories, and It seemed to ber at If she must pour sunlight Into their lives from the abundant source of It wlihln her awn heart "Ilut I could do nothing," she said dejectedly, to one of the residents. "I should only be In the way." "I don't think you could be In the way anywhere, Miss Vanderpcaf," the lady had replied.- - ftntly. "If you would Just como hero ami laugh for us occasionally, as you know how, It recms to me It might bo nn Invaluable service" Msrle laughed then Involuntarily, and at the bird-like. Joyful nolo a dozen doz-en persons tiiiued around with a sympathetic sym-pathetic smile upon their faces, The noxt night there was a dancing party nt tho bouse of a friend of Marie She went to It as eagerly as If It had been her first ball, and sho was a lovely love-ly sight In her white gown with Its silver llllos of the valley woven In the mesh and her necklace of turquoises. She carried lilies of tho valley and forget-me-nots. A daintier maid or a more Joyful ono It would havo been hard to have Imagined. Her program waa filled ten minutes after she hnd entered the ballroom, and as she danced It seemed to her that llfo was never so nearly perfect as when the music tbobbed, and orerT' one wa gay hearted, nnd the RiJ11" burned nnd the flower perfum " air. and she, Marie, could iwnenieU to the rhythm and thej ot dance. jr,. "Mlsa VandcrpoojyS"'1' om pin-tleman pin-tleman aa h IM.r t0 .nr "at ' ' Za great many good, dancera In my life, but I have never enjoyed a waits so much aa the last one. It Is the perfection of motion which you have, and It Is a charming K gift llealty, I can enll It nothing less 3 than a gift" He bsd expected a care- JJJ less acknowledgment of this coropll- jE ment, and was amazed when sho said ..m gravely: .jJK "And a gift Is something which Aw ought to bo used, I suppose "That la ,-jEj what my alstera would say." s'JSE "Then they would approvo of you, '"iWm surely, for havo you not been putting 'j It to tho best use possible?" .'Kfl "I meant that It ought to bo used for ,ffll others." Sxi "It baa been tor aa many others as fM could avail thrmsclvca of It. I re- I 3sK grot that It has not been used more for ffll me. One dance Is n short allowance. It a seems to me." i 89 The beautiful head was shaken with K )ct greater gravity. ' WM "Some tlmo soon I am gotng to show ' M you whit I mean, Mr Hadtey." and m then, smiling nnd 'dimpling, sho went H away with her next partner. H It was n month Ister when Kenneth M Dudley received a letter from Mlsa H Vnnderpool asking him to be at the ' H ltrown street settlement on a certain , H night Mr. Hadle wa not Interest- H ed In settlements, but he waa In Miss H Vanderpool, nnd he accepted the Invl- jH tatlon Ills cab took him nlong a H thronged street, past tenement houses JniiH and saloons and shops and stores till !.H he camo lo tho brightly lighted tcne- 'sssi ment bouso standing, tidy and serene- 'H looking, In the midst of a block. II H asked for Miss Vanderpool and was M shown past tho crowded classrooms H and lecturo halls and muslo rooms to M a room on tho upper floor. Tho sound M ot a piano, violin and harp camo out to salute his ears with a famllar tune, M and he opened the door and stood H within a large room Hired with young M men and women. Ilut It was not n H party which he beheld. He saw that H at once. It was a dancing class. The H pupils stood In line, awaiting the dl- M rectlona ot their teacher. LH He looked about him for Mis Van- M derpoot, but tho chair by the wall M wero vacant Probably he had arrived H I loo soon. However, h decided to In- H quire of (he teacher. At that moment jH he beheld her Marie Vanderpool In 1Bi ber pretty pink frock with It short -"' .H dancing skirt, standing before (he H class. It was she who waa the teach- H cr. Her eyes had never seemed bright- er. The smiles which wero never will- M lng to leave her lips played about them H bewltchlngly. Her golden head looked HH more adorable and unkempt ttur- H ever. Sho seemed tho Incarnatei'' ot the Joy ot life. Sbo camjfl H toward him. H "Come, come!.- he crjrat- H veigled you over herew eel jH I wanted you to show us front H You dance It so beautlftbe called to the musician turom surka, gave tho class pi on be seated, and polsod henfler ly, "Come, cornel" she ot M "I Insist on your dancing lis. H know bo H Kenneth Hadley, the dl.it tH reserved, the man who hid H himself a little better then i H had held himself somowbat. M aloof, bowed to his destlqjf andeu--,.jaJB-B tored heart and soul upojyfijs task. B Nearly the whole cvsnlnr waa scent bbbbbI upon this dance H "Wo must j-rt.lt Just right," Miss H v.uViOorinslstrd. "You see, we are H not learning In qulto tho usual way H on account ot a lack of the knowledgo H of the rudiments on tbo part of tho H teacher " And she laughed. "Hut we BH propose to dance as well aa those who JH havo learned In the regular, old-fash- M Hadley looked about him and saw H In every face, whether It was that H a young man or young woman, ot H or Christian, of Ocrman, Dob' M Scandinavian, or Italian, of HH band or worker In the stoc.' siaiaiaH look of admiration and aiaiB9 Miss Vanderpool. Morjw aEmflS' fcctlous happiness hi tho HEaltt1 vaclty and something f "o WKkSSma oven luto the hoavleyTgsU - aBsKlSOTPi "I never liked w dancing so much ft?j.7i as I do at this our," he Bald to her Vif&J earnestly, y-lsh I might help you ftffii now andyeu." wf$fo "Ol'you could, you could! Dut for KtVL youijVfbapa I should not have real- BjFiM lipj ttlit I had one talent It never nnvV ycurrrtl to tne that being happy and nrl havlngUlght feet could bo n talent" SfAS.' Tbort, was a Virginia reel Just by WCV way of diversion and Mario Vander- 3T pool flitted through it llko a spirit of ': ioT- a m |