two drays hauling the canvas and painted
poles up from the depot.

That afternoon three cheerful-looking Ital-
ians strolled about Black Hawk, looking at
everything, and with them was a dark, stout
woman who wore a long gold watch chain
about her neck and carried a black lace para-
sol. They seemed especially interested in chil-
dren and vacant lots. When I overtook them
and stopped to say a word, I found them affa-
ble and confiding. They told me they worked
in Kansas City in the winter, and in summer
they went out among the farming towns with
their tent and taught dancing. When business
fell off in one place, they moved on to another.

The dancing pavilion was put up near the
Danish laundry, on a vacant lot surrounded
by tall, arched cottonwood trees. It was very
much like a merry-go-round tent, with open
sides and gay flags flying from the poles. Be-
fore the week was over, all the ambitious
mothers were sending their children to the
afternoon dancing class. At three o'clock one
met little girls in white dresses and little boys
in the round-collared shirts of the time, hurry-
ing along the sidewalk on their way to the
tent. Mrs. Vanni received them at the en-

[[221]]

p220 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p221w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p222

v?