The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1938-01-07

fellow-somebody smart. with money in
his pocket. She rides in a taxi and sits
at a table and is waited on herself tor
a change. And then she dances with
the nice fellow after she's rested. And
then-but what was the use OF think
ing? She always got just SO lar When
something inside her twisted n hurt
nice fellows and none OF them had
been so nice at the end of the evening
as they had been at the beginning. And
all evenings ended the same way. a
girl without a family that let herself
be picked up couldn't expect them to
end any other way.
There we're always plenty of fellows
to pick and choose from. They came to
Leavitt's from all over. Some drove
good cars and some were buns, but
they were all alike when it came to
apple pie. She had a line that held
them when she wanted to use 1t and
no feelings hurt. It was funny to lind
herself thinking for once that there
might be somebody-once in a blue
moon a man might look nice and be
nice and what if he wasn't? She could
take it..
There was a customer at her number
two table when she went back. He had
sleek black hair and wore his clothes
in a way that told at once what he
was. A sailor. Sometimes sailors liked
to dress in civilian clothes and they
certainly were funny. This n was just
a kid, maybe a year or W older than
she was, maybe the same age. She
pushed the thumbed card under his
eyes. "Whatn you haVe?" she asked.
ulsmilingly.
Elsie didn't like sailors. She saw
plenty of them at Leavitt's and she
never shared their ideas of loving and
leaving so that her manner with them
was apt to be brief and business like.
He had a newspaper spread out be-
fore him and he didn't give her a
glance. Soup an pie an Coffee
She took her w time about bring
ing it. Sailors were poison to mattresses.
Let him read his paper and wait. She
had exactly the right answer if he was
fresh about the time she took:
The rush hour was over Soon the
counter could take care of the trade
and she could go home and rub the
soreness out of her feet.
He didn't notice when she came back
with his order. His nose was stuck in
the newspaper but when she was put
ting the dishes on the table he said
sharply. Look Out-yOu nearly spilled
the coffee" But it was his own elbow
that logged the cup and that was pc
cause a big. square man passed the
ldUIe dllu pduSCN " nan q "
She retired, offended. But her sweep
ing. scornful glance had captured a
picture of him. Twenty-Five, almost.
Dark blue eyes and that black hair!
He didn't have to tell people he was
Irish and she didn't like the Irish!
they promised and forgot. She leaned
against the wall, resting her feet and
studied him idly because there was
nothing better in her line of vision.
He wasn't in the service now, of
course. His civilian clothes said that
for him. And there was something else
the way men ate meant a lot to a girl
who spent her days serving them. When
they took their food in that hurry up
way without noticing it, it was because
they had their minds on something,
pretty important. When they ooked
over the edge of a paper every time
the door opened it meant-it might
mean they were looking for cops, for
one thing.
She hoped it wasn't that because he
was rather sweet looking to be a kid
with cops on his mind. And he didn't
look like a bad one, either, but just
holding himself in hand and didn't
dare let go for a moment. After a while
she went to the counter and got another
cup of coffee, smiling at Eddie so he
wouldn't ring it up. When she put it
down at the kids elbow he glanced up
surprised and with hat distant look
a person has when their thoughts have
been away off.
Il didn't ask for more coffee"
Il know. But you thought I spilled
some"
His smile was unexpectedly friendly
and his teeth very white. mo wonder