DANCERS
IN THE
DARK
DOROTHY
SPEARE
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1922,
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To
THE GIRLS OF TODAY
DANCERS
IN THE DARK
I
Joy Nelson came into the room that she was sharingwith two other girls, at half-past four in the morning.She was tired. She had been dancing steadily allnight; her new silver slippers were killing her; and shewas not accustomed to being up late. She could hardlywait to take her slippers off and get ready to sleep for afew hours.
Her room-mates, however, looked as if repose were thelast thought they would allow to enter their jazz-surroundedheads. They were sitting on the bed, smoking.She had pretended not to see them, until she realized thatthey were not in the least bit embarrassed. They hadeven offered her a cigarette!
“My word, you look shot,” said Jerry. Jerry was afascinating girl, Joy had decided. She was not pretty—shewas more than that. She had what the erudite youthof the day would describe vividly as “something abouther.” Her dark hair was bobbed, and she had green eyesand a red mouth. Her nose turned up, her scintillant facewas splashed with freckles; decidedly, she was not pretty;but she was fascinating. One never could tell what shewas going to do next. Joy had seen her openly chewinggum in the Kappa Beta living-room. One of the chaperoneshad lifted her eyebrows. Jerry never missed ademonstration. In less time than it took to lift the eyebrowof censure, she had surrounded herself with a mobof laughing, delighted boys, and exacted a penny fromeach of them for the privilege of a chew at her gum.There was never a dull moment, with Jerry around.
Sarah was another sort. She had burst upon Joy in aflash of colour that rioted away analytical estimation.Such eyes, lips, cheeks—and wonderfully marcelled hair.Later, when Sarah’s tools were set out on the one bureau,revelation had forced analysis. Yes, Sarah was undoubtedlya Woman of the World. She oozed sophisticationat every pore. As crowning touch, she even had a goldcigarette case!
“Well, I feel shot,” Joy said now in answer to Jerry’scomment. “This is my first Prom, you know.”
“So you have remarked, several times,” drawled Sarah.“Let me give you a tip, my dear—I wouldn’t admit anythinglike that so freely. Numbers,” continued the highly-colouredone, “are dangerous. Now, as for me—Iwouldn’t admit that this was my first or my thirty-first.”
“The last number is more your speed,