The Coolidge examiner., 1934-07-06
AVERSION
Sc
~ X. III. WILKINSON
e u.ss syaasssss --wSu ssrvies.

II YER since the day Adrian
II Lyttoa donned bis arst pair
IL % long trousers be had been
bothered by 9 strong dislike Tor 1T
tie men.
And vlth The passing of the
years this attitude toward males
~ petite stature Erew and became
almost an ollsession.
u was annoy .ne. especially BE-
cause Adrian couldn't tell Why i.i.
tle meB aroused 10 him a feeling of
aasmuslty.
There just wasn't n logical ex-
plantation for the thing
Il was There. inside ~ him. n
feeling that stirred % lie when-
eser be- came ln contact With or
Tor bong was forced to gaze upon
a little man.
Not that Adrian was mighty.
True. az the age ~ twenty -seven.
he stood az foot one and a hair
Inches fulihont s'ork.az~1. aud his
phy2que uas nicely pruporiioned.
Uut be- wasn't one ~ those big.
sraur brawuy brutes. who unfur.
nilv regard persons - small stature
with an expression % superiority.
lie wasn't that sort ~ person.
lie luss didn't Ike lisle men. and
that's all there was 10 H.
THIS peculiar element in Adrlan's
makeap VAS asserting Itself at The
preseut momcnt
lie was sitting in q wicker chair
placed ia q tiny alcoye In the audi.
t0rlum ~ the Alpine club.
The auditorium Itself. serving as
a dance noor. was dlmly lighted
A hundred or more couples
moved about. shuGuhE and srraplng
and losfiins one another and at
tempting. each in their Individual
and original manner. to keep In
time wlth = sobblnx orchestra
Abrams features registered dis.
NAL gloom. an expression wholly
lost upon those who Glanced 20
look Ia hts direction by virtue % a
freaklsh mask. which. IN contrast
to IFS wearvr's state % mind. ere.
ated an illusion % slliy msrrlment
The event was a masquerade bail.
the third annual sponsored hy the
Alpine cinh. and the creations In
costume and mgsk worn by par
Elephants were something 90 raise
the fiaE about
Abrams guinness. which Tor the
last Eve minutes had been develop
INK iuio a burning rage. had been
provoked BY a youth scarcely more
than Eve feet two or three inches
tail who. during The course OF q
single dance. had crossed Adrlan's
path twice fossIed him three
times and glared az him once from
behind a hldeous Chinese mask.
because ~ an unexpected collision.
There was something about the
manner ~ this especially small
youth that served 10 whet Adrlan's
already established dislike Tor 1T
tie men.
Somehow mere sight ~ the youth.
coupled with memory - that ugly
glare which seemed To contain
condetnnlug look. provoked a new
Fasr4esa 80 rssas4s~s s.sass4H MwA uwF
mostly.
lie was possessed. wholly with
out warning. with an lmpuislve de.
sire "a slap the little rnnt down.
Ia fact. be actually believed that
siapplng the little ruut down would
provide him with no end ~ salts
faction and probably bring 10
conclusion this strange aversion
fer little men.
But because slapplur ruuts down
wasn't being done. especially at the
Alpine clubs costume BAH. and be-
cause Adrian couldn't find any ex-
planatiOn for his sudden impulse
la fact which annoyed him con-
slderablyl. he hIed himself 10 this
remote aicove 20 cool or and think
the thing over.
But even as he sat there In sober
contemplation. the object of his an
noyance came dancing past and
tripped over his outsfretched foot.
There was n breafhless moment
while the eyes behind the hldeous
Chinese mask glared at him In ST.
lent threat: while Adrian fought
nightly In an effort 10 restrain
himself from leapIng at the throat
of the little man.
But the moment passed.
The Chinese mask danced away.
and the space was filed with other
dancers en- route around the floor.
Adrian sat hack. breathing Iabo-
riously. And suddenly he knew
that he must get out OF there.
lie knew that II he came in con-
tact once more with that particular
little man. something was going 10