Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/274

252 The girls were beautiful in the soft glow of th lanterns, their arms and shoulders smooth an< white; the men were trim and neat in their Tuxedos the dark suits emphasizing the brilliant colors o the girls’ gowns.

It was soon apparent that some of the couples ha< got at least half “oiled” before the dance began and before an hour had passed many more couple gave evidence of imbibing more freely than wisely Occasionally a hysterical laugh burst shrilly abov the pounding of the drums and the moaning of th saxophones. A couple would stagger awkward! against another couple and then continue uneven! on an uncertain way.

The stags seemed to be the worst offenders Many of them were joyously drunk, dashing dizzi! across the floor to find a partner, and once having taken her from a friend, dragging her about, hap pily unconscious of anything but the girl and th insistent rhythm of the music.

The musicians played as if in a frenzy, the drum pound-pounding a terrible tom-tom, the saxophone moaning and wailing, the violins singing sensuously shrilly as if in pain, an exquisite searing pain.

Boom, boom, boom, boom. “Stumbling al around, stumbling all around, stumbling all arouni so funny—” Close-packed the couples move slowly about the gymnasium, body pressed tight t body, swaying in place—boom, boom, boom, boom