warned.
Oliver handed her a bill and told her to keep the change. “Thanks,” said the girl, and she smiled at Garnet. “Bon soir, mademoiselle,” she said as she went off.
Garnet stared after her. “Oliver! She called me mademoiselle!”
“Naturally,” said Oliver, with a grin.
Garnet’s wedding ring was hidden by her glove, but she demanded, “Do I look like a girl who—who’d be in a place like this with a man she wasn’t married to?”
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“Of course not!”
“Then shut up,” Oliver said merrily.
Garnet felt a delicious naughty excitement. They raised their glasses. The champagne tingled against the excited quivers in her throat. “Suppose I get tipsy?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of you. Go ahead.”
“Imagine,” said Garnet, “just imagine, me being married to a man who’ll say that.”
The orchestra changed to a louder tune and the curtains began to part. Garnet turned toward the stage. She saw a flowered backdrop, before which the renowned Barotti Brothers, in tights of red and yellow, were bowing to the audience.
The Barotti Brothers tossed plates around and caught them on sticks, and balanced sticks and plates on their noses. They did it with great skill, but few of the spectators paid them much attention. People were still coming in, and the buzz of voices was loud in spite of the music. The Barottis were just here to get the show started. Garnet liked them, but as she had seen acts like this before she was not greatly impressed. The audience was not impressed either, but it was a good-humored gathering, and the jugglers got a good round of applause when they were done.
By this time most of the chairs were occupied. The customers were settling down to sip their drinks and enjoy the show. The next number was the Array of Famous Beauties, a dozen chorus girls all dressed alike in green. They whirled up their skirts to show a greater display of legs than Garnet had ever seen before in a public place, while they sang a song about being in love with several men at once and finding it very confusing. A man in the balcony shouted, “Pick ’em up, sisters!” Everybody thought this was very funny, and a lot of others began to chant with the music, “Pick ’em up, sisters, pick ’em up, sisters!” Garnet thought the dance was quite revealing enough without any extra picking up of skirts.
They got a good deal more applause than the jugglers, and came back, this time to do a dance with male partners. Somebody called, “Redhead, third from the end, you’re losing your underwear!” She wasn’t, but she gave a start, and for an instant interrupted her dancing before she caught herself. Everybody shouted with glee. They applauded more loudly than before when the girls and their partners danced off.
Garnet felt her cheeks burning. Leaning over, Oliver asked in an undertone, “Are you shocked?”
“I—I guess I am,” she confessed. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Want to go?” he asked mischievously.
“Oh no!” Garnet exclaimed. She sternly gave herself orders not to blush any more.
The stage was empty now. Two men came out from the sides, carrying more lights. As they went off, the music changed. It became slower, and the drums began to roll as though to herald an event of importance. Though the stage was still empty, a stirring of applause began in the audience.
This, evidently, was what they had come for. The earlier part had been merely a preface, entertaining enough but not worth any further attention. Garnet glanced down at her program, at the name JULIETTE LA TOUR in big letters across the page.
The roll of drums rose to a thunder. The musicians accompanied it with all they had. As the music increased the applause increased with it. The whole audience sat forward.
The curtains at the center back parted slightly. In the opening they saw a tall, laughing young woman with hair like ivory and blue eyes that
Oliver handed her a bill and told her to keep the change. “Thanks,” said the girl, and she smiled at Garnet. “Bon soir, mademoiselle,” she said as she went off.
Garnet stared after her. “Oliver! She called me mademoiselle!”
“Naturally,” said Oliver, with a grin.
Garnet’s wedding ring was hidden by her glove, but she demanded, “Do I look like a girl who—who’d be in a place like this with a man she wasn’t married to?”
“Do you want me to take you home?”
“Of course not!”
“Then shut up,” Oliver said merrily.
Garnet felt a delicious naughty excitement. They raised their glasses. The champagne tingled against the excited quivers in her throat. “Suppose I get tipsy?” she asked.
“I’ll take care of you. Go ahead.”
“Imagine,” said Garnet, “just imagine, me being married to a man who’ll say that.”
The orchestra changed to a louder tune and the curtains began to part. Garnet turned toward the stage. She saw a flowered backdrop, before which the renowned Barotti Brothers, in tights of red and yellow, were bowing to the audience.
The Barotti Brothers tossed plates around and caught them on sticks, and balanced sticks and plates on their noses. They did it with great skill, but few of the spectators paid them much attention. People were still coming in, and the buzz of voices was loud in spite of the music. The Barottis were just here to get the show started. Garnet liked them, but as she had seen acts like this before she was not greatly impressed. The audience was not impressed either, but it was a good-humored gathering, and the jugglers got a good round of applause when they were done.
By this time most of the chairs were occupied. The customers were settling down to sip their drinks and enjoy the show. The next number was the Array of Famous Beauties, a dozen chorus girls all dressed alike in green. They whirled up their skirts to show a greater display of legs than Garnet had ever seen before in a public place, while they sang a song about being in love with several men at once and finding it very confusing. A man in the balcony shouted, “Pick ’em up, sisters!” Everybody thought this was very funny, and a lot of others began to chant with the music, “Pick ’em up, sisters, pick ’em up, sisters!” Garnet thought the dance was quite revealing enough without any extra picking up of skirts.
They got a good deal more applause than the jugglers, and came back, this time to do a dance with male partners. Somebody called, “Redhead, third from the end, you’re losing your underwear!” She wasn’t, but she gave a start, and for an instant interrupted her dancing before she caught herself. Everybody shouted with glee. They applauded more loudly than before when the girls and their partners danced off.
Garnet felt her cheeks burning. Leaning over, Oliver asked in an undertone, “Are you shocked?”
“I—I guess I am,” she confessed. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“Want to go?” he asked mischievously.
“Oh no!” Garnet exclaimed. She sternly gave herself orders not to blush any more.
The stage was empty now. Two men came out from the sides, carrying more lights. As they went off, the music changed. It became slower, and the drums began to roll as though to herald an event of importance. Though the stage was still empty, a stirring of applause began in the audience.
This, evidently, was what they had come for. The earlier part had been merely a preface, entertaining enough but not worth any further attention. Garnet glanced down at her program, at the name JULIETTE LA TOUR in big letters across the page.
The roll of drums rose to a thunder. The musicians accompanied it with all they had. As the music increased the applause increased with it. The whole audience sat forward.
The curtains at the center back parted slightly. In the opening they saw a tall, laughing young woman with hair like ivory and blue eyes that
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