Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-18
LOVELY LITTLE FOOL
By Phyllis Moore Gallagher

ASBo, dIu SOup-UOWl UeTDy was
cooked on the side of his dark head.
Terry's teeth clenched. Why had
Sonia asked Tige Williams? He I'M
derstood about the others the
manager of the burlesque house, the
few chorus girls who had befriended
Sonia and their boy friends
people she felt she wanted to enter
tain. But Tige Williams! Why Tige
Williams?
Sonia made the introduction with
characteristic brevity. She said In a
low, throaty voice, almost lost in the
full blast of the orchestra, Martha,
Gladys, Iris, Henry, Butch, Charley,
Tige-this Is Betsy. Terry and Dizzy"
One of the girls, who called Charlie
Chawley and Iris Truss, chewed hard
on her gum, stared at Betsy for q
moment and said, Il seen your pitcher
in the paper this mornin'. I knew
you soon's you come through the door.
You're going to make a daybut,
aintcha? With Elizabeth Stockton.
1t was like saying with the Queen
of England"
DO you know the Stocktons, no
foolin'? They're filthy with stuff,
amt they? I seen their daughter
here the other night"
Il know Libby Stockton" Betsy
said. But I've never met her
mother" And Dizzy Nelson, blink
ing behind his glasses, trying to say
something that would make this
strange group friendly with him,
added, The Stocktons are many
times millionaires, believe. Wonder
what I'd do if had just one million.
What would you do?" 1t was a
question for them all. They seized
it carnivorously and went to work
on it.
Though Betsy joined in the ami
mated discussion, asking questions,
answering them, her attention was
held by something else. For Terry
had turned, frowning as he frowned
only when very angry, TO Sonia. They
whispered enigmatically for a few
minutes and Betsy. saying that she
would build a charity hospital If she
had million dollars, managed at the
same time TO hear Terry asking Sonia
why she had invited Tige Williams
Sonia was begging Terry to be nice
to Tige, TO forget something or other
he had once done to Tige. Tige was
all right when he was sober, but
tonight he was drunk and when Tige
was drunk he was dangerous. She
hadn't invited him. He had been at
the Cats Eye when she came in.
She had thought that he was in New
York. The snatch racket carried
Tige everywhere these days and often
out Of Manhattan when things got
hot. Betsy couldn't catch all they
said, but the pieces put together made
a grim story.
She stared at Tige then and saw
the fierce expression that was dis
torting his gorilla-hke face as he
glowered at Terry and Sonia. His
look frightened her, and she wasn't
usually one for being afraid of things.
She hadn't been afraid the day a
dog had bitten her, nor when she
had had her appendix removed, nor
the afternoon car had crashed up
on the sidewalk and had knocked her
down. But she was afraid of this
thing, this hideouS, dark jealousy that
was closing in about Terry and Sonia.
Most of the crowd left the table
to dance and Dizzy Nelson, putting
his glasses in his pocket, bowed
before Betsy and asked her if she'd
care to take chance with him on
the floor. They were just leaving
the table when Tige staggered to his
feet and bawled: Hey, you, I'm
gonna dance with her, see?"
And Tige danced with Betsy. Dizzy
made one brief. friendly gesture TO
defy him and then swallowed hard
before Tige's glare and backed away.
Terry started up from the table, too,
but Sonia caught his arm and drew
him down to his chair.
On the floor Tige perspired and
Swore. He bumped and joggled Betsy
against the other couples. When
some one trampled his foot he said
words for which men kill other men
when they hear them. He didn't
speak to Betsy nor answer any of
the questions she asked him. He
danced silently. never getting far from
Sonia, not once taking his eyes from
the table where she sat talking with
Terry.
At the end of the dance the lights
were turned low and SpotlightS broke
out from the four corners of the
room. There was the rattle Of kettle
drums and through the prodigious
phoSphorescent green eyes fjanking
the orchestra stand chorus Of girls
trouped out on the floor. The or
chestra went wild. The girls began
to dance. whirling wells in their fingers,
unwinding them from around their
bodies until at last they went through
their routine clad only in rhinestone
studded breastplateS and ipfiniteSimal
jeWeled pants.
After the girls had gone out there
was music again for the customers.
Charlie and Gladys ran on the floor
to be the first to dance and to enjoy
the empty space and Iris and Henry,
trying to beat them to it, stumbled
and fell and sat on the floor doubled
up with laughter. The music became
deafening. So deafening that Betsy
didn't hear Tige Williams cry out,
You two-timing little-!' Filthy,
bestial words. But she heard Sonia's
scream of warning and, with her heart
choking in her throat, she saw Tige
Williams, wide-eyed, flash a revolver
from his pocket and aim it at Terry.
Betsy never knew how she did 1t,
but before Tige Williams had time
to fire a shot she had picked up a
champagne bottle from a silver bucket
and Tige was Swaying there on his
feet, q jagged cash on his forehead,
blood streaming over his eyes from
it, the pistol sliding across the table
and falling to the floor with a sick
ening thud.
And the next thing Betsy knew
she and Terry and Sonia were outside
of the building, running like mad for