The one person in town who did not approve of the tango was Mr. Sparks. It wasn't only that Mr. Sparks did not approve of the tango; he abominated it. When girls attempted to buy slippers in his store, he sold them on the provision that they should not be used for the tango. Finding two of his clerks practicing the obnoxious steps, he discharged them on the spot, and his rage upon discovering his butcher practicing a now glide and dip with his assistant resulted in Mr. Sparks getting rather roughly handled. At just about the time that Mr. Sparks' mother came down to pay her son and daughter-in-law a visit, some people in the village engaged a hall, which Sparks owned, for a small entertainment. When Sparks discovered that the entertainment in question was to be a tango party, he flatly refused to allow his hall to be profaned in any such way. On the evening of the dance Mr. Sparks retired early. He was awakened by one of his boarders, somewhat sketchily disguised as a burglar, threatening him with a patent cigar lighter, the boarder forcing Sparks to give him the key to the hall. Sparks, suspecting a trick slipped on a dressing gown after the boarder left, and rushed to his beloved hall. Sure enough, it was filled with people dancing. But Sparks' anger was quickly turned to sheer incredulous amazement for the first person he saw dancing was his wife and the second was his dear old mother. Realizing that it was all up, he gracefully surrendered and joined the party.
