Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-02-08
Clumsy

lPuhlshsd By special ArransemenAs with Ths
Chicago Trihuns-fsew York News 6yndirAte.
Incorporated
(Copyrixh4. 1885; ~ Sea Azsez WflEssmsl
ON TWO PARTS PART oND
- RET MccAsKEEL sat breath
less tn his seat in the front row
4 the inside seat next 70 the
~ boxes-and Linda Nay moved
4 as softly as a sunbeam, as
gracefully as q reed In the wind,
Through the routine Of her dance upon
the stage. Behind her the chorus
melted from one harmonious pattern
into another, as the scenes IN a kaiei-
doscope shift and change; and against
this bright background her slim young
Figure moved and swayed, one perfect
posture merging indistinguishahl into
the next. She was young, wei trained
In q good school. The tips OF her toes
no more than touched the boards she
moved as lightly as thigtledown, like
some imagined vision Of beauty with
out flesh or substance. enchanting
every eye.
Enchanting, IN particular, the eye Of
Bret McCasken. That young man sat
in an incredulous and wondering ad-
lmiration; a mysterious awe. His dress
tie was awry, his shirt bosom buiged,
the left side of his coat was punched
awlEwardy on the arm Of the seat, his
hair was disordered and his brow was
damp and warm. A while ago he had
been conscious of these things, OF his
own discomfort and of the fact that
the attractive girl IN the seat beside
him was watching him in covert amuse-
/ ment. But now, absorbed In watching
Linda, he forgot his hair, his shirt
front, and all else but her.
Even when her smiling glance
touched him 1t awoke in him no sense
of his own disarray, yet 1t was not
like Bret to be unconscious OF the
amused chances of strangers. He had
all his life received such glanceS and
WINGED under them, for he was one OF
those large boned, heavy bodied young
men who are constitutionally clumsy,
4 forever involving themselves In terrible
embarrassments His hands and feet
were gifted with an incredible inepti-
tude. His Aunt Sarah-who had been
mother and father to him these 20
years-was fond OF saying, "Bret's so
clumsy he couldn't milk COW without
breaking off her horns" She had adopt
ed the Jest from Gibson cartoon
which had touched her sense OF humor
before Bret was born; used 1t as Freely
now as though 1t were her own. She
was q sharp tongued old ariStocrat,
afraid Of no one, feared by most people,
as famous for her scalding wit as Bret
was for his helpless awkwardneSses.
But Bret, who knew he was clumsy,
who had demonstrated that fact a tho1l-
sand times, who in his right mind was
always oppressed by hideous dread
| of his next piece Of laundering and
crushed beneath the sense Of his own
inferiority, forgot these things In the
delight Of watching Linda Nay. He for
got this hulking body Of his with its
brutal trick of betraying him into
crushing embarrassment, in the holy,
wondering delight of watching Linda
Nays body here before him on the
stage.
And not because her body was re-
vealed and beautiful, though this might
have been reason enough for any man
TO watch Linda, but because all the
physical parts Of her we're so miracu
lously graceful and controlled. It Was
incredible TO him, whose little finger
could perform miracles of clumsineSs, /
that anyone could, like Linda. maintain
over all her members such complete
and harmonious control. He looked on
her as one looks uDon miracle
He had discovered Linda a fortnight
before when this particular revue
opened. Her ballet numbers-one in
the first act and one In the second
seemed to him to CLEAN with pure
beauty, like diamond bedded In ashes
and IN mire. He came again, and then
again; and for this last week he had
come every night alone, to occupy the |
same seat in the front row and yet at
the side, so that he huddled under the
swelling front Of the box as incon-
spicuously as possible.
Sometimes Linda, smiling. looked at
him but he was scarce conscious OF this
fact. She looked at everyone, her smile
embracing the whole audience.
Bret did not think Of Linda as a
girl Of flesh and blood who might be
presumed to eat and drink and laugh 4
and talk like other girls She was re-
mote and lovely as dream. When to-
night her dance ended he sat for a
while still under the spell, till reaiiZa-
ton that the girl at his side was watch
ing him with covert smile brought
him back 10 sanity again. He pretended
to be amused by the labor1o1s antics
of the comedian upon the stage, but
the remaining 10 or Is minutes of the
performance had not the least interest
for him. He would have been glad TO
escape, but TO do so meant rising, pass
ing the knees Of half a dozen people
between him and the aisle, ascending
the aisle in the face of the whole audi
ence. This was an adventure he could
not contemplate. To attempt 1t might
lead TO any catastrophe. He would prob
ably trip over some ones feet and fall
over the rail- into the orchestra pit,
perhaps even fan through one Of the
1rtImsl
SO he stayed where he was and pres
entity the curtain fell. Linda, In street j
clothes, came with the other principals
10 take her encores, and then the 4
lights rose and the audience began /
10 flow slowly up the aisle.
It was October, but warm. Bret did (
not put on his coat The girl beside
him struggled into hers and he wished
10 help her but dared not, knowing
hat in the attempt he was sure TO
oIunder into error. She turned away