Homer did not disappoint his friends. During the first dance he entered
the hall with Yvette, and the music all but stopped to stare. Undeniably
she was pretty. It was not her prettiness the women resented, however,
but her air and her clothes. Actually she wore a dress cut low at the
neck, and sleeveless. Coldriver had heard of such garments, and there
were those who actually believed them to exist and to be worn by certain
women in European society among kings and dukes and other frightfully
immoral people. But that one should ever make its appearance in
Coldriver, under their very eyes, was a thing so startling, so
outrageous, as almost to demand the spontaneous formation of a vigilance
committee.
Even yet there was no concerted action, but sentiment was crystallizing.
Homer and Yvette danced three dances, and Homer's face began to wear a
scowl. No less than five young men approached by him with the purpose of
securing them as partners for Yvette declined with brevity.
"What's the matter with you??" he demanded, belligerently. "There hain't
no pertier girl nor no better dancer on the floor."
"Mebby so. Hain't noticed.
Pages:
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366