to the old room and
told Mrs. Murphy that she quite likely would have me for the rest of her
life, I had all I wanted a working. I went out that night to Kelly's
dance hall and danced till closing time trying to forget my troubles. It
did make me forget because I can dance, Kate, and if I ain't a fine dish
washer nor fit to be in somebody's kitchen, I sure can tango. I fished
out all my pretty clothes again and done them two maid's dresses up in a
wad and threw them under the bed. It is me for the slit skirt and the
high heeled slippers, and I am going to be the best dancer on Broadway
or know the difference.

Yours,
_Nan_.

XI

_Dear Kate_:

I have been dancing at Rudolph's, it is awful hard work there and the
hours are long, but it is better than it was down at the corner inn. I
am working up, Kate, and I expect one of these days to be dancing on
Broadway. The manager from Casey's come in and watched me dance the
other night, and he said he thought I was the lightest thing on my feet
in New York. Billy Flynn is my partner now, and he is working real hard.
We go mornings to a teacher up at 59th Street who learned me a lot of
new steps. We practise most every afternoon. I have met some of the
other dancers in the cabarets and they are mostly a nice lot of girls.
It ain't so hard for me as it is for some of them, as I have been
dancing all my life, and I only have to see a new step once to be able
to do it. I don't see why the people are against dancing, it is awful
good for everybody. Why, you see old men and women that never done
nothing before but stay at home and read The Christian Advocate, dancing
in the restaurants, and it makes them forget all their troubles. Dancing
makes you say with your body what you would like to say with your
tongue, and you don't know how. Lots of people have beautiful thoughts
and they can't tell them, so they have to read books writ by people who
say just what they think, but can't tell, or they go to the theatre and
hear acted all the love and beautiful things that they would like to
have come to them, but can't. With dancing they can say themselves all
the things they feel and the swaying of their body in time to the music
is just a telling the love and the romance and the poetry that is inside
of them. Why, when I am dancing with a good partner, I forget all the
ugly things of life and it seems to me that if there ever is a God, he
is a speaking to me and I sometime