The northwestern bulletin., 1923-07-14
"Billie" Was Just
a Nickname

4 By LILY wANDEL \
osssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssS
90. is2s. BY Mcclure Newspaper syndicats)
Jack Seabury looked at Billie Dorm
In knickers cleaning her golf clubs en-
ergetically. with stern disapprovai. He
vigorously disliked the athletic type of
girl and Billie was all of that, surely.
Sometimes he thought she must be
made Of steel, the way she slung her
tennis racquet and cracked her golf
balls across the course. He honestly
could not remember ever having heard
her say she was tired, or chilly or
afraid; you could not protect or take
care Of girl like Billie, she stood too
firmly on her own feet. She was not
the girl he dreamed about, . lovely
feminine type Of sweet delicate beauty
and certainly not named Billie! He
rather fancied the name Of Alice, It
was so distinctly feminine and made
him think q little Of that old song,
"Alice. Ben Bolt"
OF course. Billie was q good little
thing In her way. mighty convenient
to ask to dance In the eleventh hour
when somebody else turned him down,
or to call up on q misty day for
round Of golf when no other girl would
dream Of going out. But the girl he
would marry, this Alice, would not be
sitting on tree stump where snakes
were liable to be, In knickers with
her arms burnt q nut brown! He
fancied Alice would be in some fluffy
dress safely on the clubhouse porch,
knitting or something.
"Say, Bnliep He savagely swished
or some leaves with his brassie, I'm
in love!"
II he had looked up he might have
seen q deep red dye Billie's cheeks and
throat, q jubilant shine come into her
velvet blue eyes. with whom, Jack"
she asked carelessly, but the brown
fingers scubbing the putter were not
quite steady.
with wonderful girl. Billie,
girl Of my dreams. I can see her now,
blue eyes the really did not know
Billie's were blue, for they were such
q dark blue, but Billie sitting there on
the tree stump held her breath; what
she had hoped and longed for was COM
ing trueD that are gentle and soft"
continued Jack looking dreamily across
the "fair"; 'hair that is fluffy and
giinty and a skin-the kind that you
love to touchl"
Billie dropped the putter. clasped
her brown hands tight together. This
was the way he described her, the pic
ture he carried In his heart, and all
these days she had worried and
doubted that he cared for her! oh,
the happiness Of this hour!
And" continued Jack totally un-
conscious Of the dagger he was about
to fling, "she doesn't play golf. nor
tennis, nor ridei And she's afraid Of
snakes and once In q while she gets
tiredI She likes fancywork and to
have men wait on her-in other words,
q real womanr
Billie picked up the putter and be-
gan to rub and scrape. and then with
all the braveness Of hero started to
whistle popular air. whats her
name. JackT she asked In a teasing
voice, her heart like lead.
81 think It's Alice" he answered
softly. Funny thing is I've never met
her nor seen her-but want to-if
only could"
"Don't despair. Sooner or later you
viii; there are plenty Of these Ances,
you know. Jack, I believe II we want
q thing bad enough we get II. You've
just got to believe you'n get 1t. Under
standr
Jack looked up with a faint smile.
"Some new fad, chr Well. how do
you 60 about it1 I'm game"
"Just affirm Alice. Every time you
think Of this Alice pictured in your
mind say very positively, Alice Is. L,
Jack Seabury, affirm Alice, the woman
II love. Day by day, hour by hour. she
Is coming nearer to me-"
A few days later he met Billie COM
ing from the tennis courts. The girl
had been playing q strenuous game.
"Billie, It has not worked yet. I've
been affirming Alice like mad" He
looked down into Bibles flushed face.
Aren't you OVERRIDING It on this hot
dayT' He noticed the deep rings under
the girls eyes, but Billie with shrug
and laugh ran on.
1t was q week later when Jack mo-
ticed new girl at the club. A girl
with pale gold hair, q white, trans
parent skin and baby-blue eyes. She
was knitting yellow sweater that
lay like patch Of sunlight on her
white frock Of soft silk. Jack lost
no time in obtaining an Introduction
TO Miss willard. Almost Immediately
he asked her wether she played golf.
She shook her pretty head. I'm
afraid Pm not very athletic. I've
never been very strong"
Jack felt like giving vent to q great
shout Of Joy. "But you ride? Or
drive your own cart" he waited anx-
iously for negative answer.
- AvA Al - n