BEAU IN THE BALLROOM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12670, 18 June 1919, Page 7

BEAU IN THE BALLROOM.

He was introduced to me at a big ball. AVe leaned over from a bos and ■watched tho dancers, and lie talked very amusingly. He had been to lots of places and done things. ‘ ‘ Rather an old dear/ ’ I thought, a-s I glanced at his clever face and firm chin. Then lie asked mo to dance. I had been afraid ho would. lam eclectic in my partners. I am too busy during tho day to trouble to dance with the wrong men at night.. Aiy thoughts flew' to the account of a friend who, doing war work in the country, had been to a milage dance where the churchwarden had asked her if she would “hop in the schottische.” In thus jazz I. shouldn’t he asked to hop. I should, I supposed, he hopped on. Bub he jazzed beautifully, incidentally keeping his monocle in his eye all tho wliilc. AVe never "barged” into anyone. He never trod on my toes. AA’o took advantage of the no-pro-gramme rule and repeated the episode. Anti between tho dances he talked to and amused mo and did not wait for me to amuse him. “Quite a dear!” I conceded, unconsciously omitting the “old.”, I was reminded of it later when he confessed to being sixty 1 Presumably he had always been a good dancer. Ho had spent feme time in that host of countries for ballroom dancing, India. Then he got me some supper-supper as distinguished from the chicken’s wing, over-salted sandwich and scrap of jelly of ray contemporaries’ usual search. He found a waiter and a table, too, wonderful man! Later when wo were all scrambling homo it was ho who was at my elbow. It is rather nice to_ have an “.elderly bean” to see one into one’s chariot. He didn’t grab my arm with a "Come along, old bean,” whisk me over the sloppy pavement and into a tngl-cab which becomes packed with ns many individuals as the taxi-cab man will allow. From a forest of cars he ordered the man to bring the particular one to tho steps, put me in, <tf?d wrapped me up very carefully. then -instead of "Cheerio, old thing,” he hade me good-night, with thank's for the enjoyment he’d had. Yes, I rather think the "elderly beau” can occasionally score, especially when he hns a clover barrister sort of face and .only looks to bo in the interesting forties. —O.D., in the “ Daily Alai I.”