i
VIGUS
u Kecp looking up at
wonderful man' look. . .
him with that *Oh, you rrent bie
ft
i
|He nettled down
wondered If he tmly
BhChi did know that
« x^ot«‘d m proposal
•rwf marry her, since
*hqpld he? He fave ytmt
«eat in the rattlmjr cab, and
Thelma. He did not know exactly,
ma had made it plain to him thht
_ noon. He might aa well go ahem!
had gone with her this long. Or
to a troubled sigh, and tried to
iW * Gertie—he's to big—he ***U that look all th^
“Oh. I [got it! I know!"
'‘Listen, Thelma, you know how a man lores to feel big
and protective—like that? They just eat it up. Well, you
give him a chance to protect you- and—uh - Say, 1 got it!
You usually walk down to the picture show every Saturday
night, (hint yOu?"
M WeIl, listen. You tell him that yoa just hare to corner hr
and see me about something. Tell him that it's very important.
Bring him down this way with you.
Now at Stafford’s Drug Store, on the way down here,
w iH be' a crowd of loafers and bums. There always is on
Saturday night. Walk past them slowly, and get slightly
behind Billie—then nay, real suddenly, ‘Oh. Billie! That man
insulted ma!!' Then you point to one of the men around there.
Pick «>ut s little man, so Billie won't get bruised up,
of course. Well, when he gets through defending your honor,
you rush over and say, ‘My hero! Oh, Billie, how I lore you!*
That'll slay him! That’ll get ’em erery time. It alwayv does
in the movies, doesn’t H? ^nd Hollywood understands Lore,
doesn’t it?s“
?Guah,” gasped Thelma, "Gosh, do you really think that
it would work? By oh boy, I be here you’re right!**
so#
Bhe was right. It was better than a motion picture. She
would have been sorry for the innocent loafers if she had
had time.
But she had scarcely gotten the words out of her mouth,
when Billie had whirled and gone iato action. r
He took the two young men nearest him. put an immense
fist around each neck, and bopped their heads together. Then
he started after the others, his old Southern blood aroused.
Th. lma followed him at a gallop to the end of the block.
But it eras unbelievable, how the big man could travel! If
the loafers fled like scared rabbits, certainly be followed
like some species of a giant hound.
Twenty minutes later, be came walking back, his tie opL
collar open, and his balloon chest rising and falling rapid|y.
Thelma arose from the curb where she had been sitting.
Her lipstick had smeared over he teeth and face In her ex»
citement; bars hair was disheveled, her tiny hat was askew
on the back of her head.
“My hero—** she began. But the words were flat. So flat
that^ she felt like crying.
He looked down over his hearing chest at her. “I would
have caught them if they hadn't jumped on a passing truck
The idea! I'd of taught those bums a thing or two!”
Thelma bit her lower lip. started again. *'My hero!”
“What?" He stared. “What’s the nutter with you?";
She wared a Httle Zasu Pitta despairing gesture. “Oh,
well, never mind now Billie. Let’s go home.”
Billie spent the r V 'ht at a small hotel, as was his cus
tom and secompanmed Thelma to church the next morning.
And around noon, as usual, he started back to College Station
via Sally’s 8Im£ ;
The thought of her excellent cooking stirred hinJ and
he waved eagerly at every approadhiug automobile. It was
the much traveled highway which led to Houston, and it
was not long before a cotton track picked him up
APRIL, IMS
' • i
Billie
. This
concentrate on the food ahead of him.
Thirty minutes later, he settled down at the lunch counter
wit(h a smile of anticipation. The fairly large lunch room was
fillpd with oil field worked* and stray travelers.
* The memory of Tel ms’s frequent frowns faded when he
*atr Sally. She wau djgrtaeese-no- a Valkyrie, a Valkyrie
of ihe cook-stove! ?
* Hello, Bill.” shu' mi}d, “I was wondering if you ..."
‘ Harsh, snarling voices cut into her words. As she left*
hed sentence uncompldM. there was a silence. Then a
risfeig. hysterics! voice began cursing.
' Billie wheeler, rising to his feet. Two men. leaning over
thf. table that separated them, where glaring at each other
d growing insults He started toward feem, saying. “You
al ||sten hoah. • ♦ j / •
* Then Sally pushed- him aside. Shoved him as easily a*
if Be was just another mere man. “I can take care of this.
Bit"
I “Now both of you get out of here,” she said coolly. “Get
Go outside if you want to fight. And don’t come back?”
ing the men’s arms, she jerked them |o the door and
them out.
I “Gosh, what a girl!” Chuckled BilMa.
^ Then * man in oiWstained overalls started toward her.
Bile did not stop to think that the man might have just r
wanted to leave the nestaursnt. His first thought was to
o ct Sally. He reached out and seised the man. * v ,
| 1 Somebodjr yeled, “Lookit the Boy Scout!". 4
I Somebody threw a ttel of pepper sauce.
' Billie ducked, abd'a .iym jumped on his back,
grfnned as he threw Ihtfcn off at two charging farmers
going to be fun.
5 It was fun, but it was soon over. Customers spilled
through the door and »mdows. Two left by the back door,
n^ning. Then there wd* a hollow, peaceful silence.
v Billie sat down on a stool, completely astonished. *
- After a short interval. Sally returned from the kitchen,
mng two pistes stacked high with food. She placed them
the counter, with the proper silver and glasses of water, i
?n she came around, «at down beside him, and said. “Let’s
■L M',
. He gated at bfr wcmderingly. Below one eye was A large \
PiirpU* mark. Her knekles were skinned. Strands of fine.
Mining yellow hair blewi about her pleasant, unconcerned face. 1
i t, “By golly," gulped Billie, -You were fight.ng! Really!
iflfthting! I thought R a n* your waiters who were knocking $
these men down!"
"Uh ..." mumbled, a voice in the distance, “Have—ua--
h<|»as everybody gone?? •] i *
' Through a side wtj^ow peered the tws slender youths
lo worked as Sally’s waiters. They were big-eyed, now.
their faces were drained of all color.
Billie chuckled. He felt completely and gloriously happy.
Me was a girl who didn’t need anyone to fight for her. She
ild take care of herself. She was a real man’s girl!”
“Uh . , . Uh.” stuttered one of the mole. “I-Is everything
r-right n-now?”
Right?” boomed Billie ‘Everything’s perfect!" He leaned
over and kissed Sal|y.'pUaaed her hard, on one cheek. \
“Don’t rash.” she said without looking up from her plate.
J it when you finish your lunch, well go right qn fran.
•S’
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