The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-02
CHAFr ,R


B; iley's door with her fingers.
BILL" She waited a moment
and drummed again.. Bill"
She heard a stirring, then a
sleep-lade "Yes?"
"Get up! The sun is out and the
birds are singing. And anyway, l
want to go walking with you be-
fore breakfast"
More stirring, then-"Not inter-
ested in sunshine, or birds"
She smiled at the oaken door.
"Or breakfast, or me?"
yeah, I like breakfast"
SOL"
"All right, all right, you too. Let
me get a robe on, can't your"
He turned the knob and poked
a tousleI head out then, smiling
happily. Sleep had worked its mir
acle, last evenings gloom had fad
ed. whats the idea, disturbing
a gentleman in the"
Hush and 60 dress. I'll wait on
the front porch. Comb your hair,
too" She reached quickly to pull
at one of the black crinkles that his
pillow had ironed down near to his
eye, then she laughed and left him.
He came down in WhiteS-Whlte
duck trousers, white sox and shoes,
a white sport shirt that laced part
way down his chest, and that had
very short sleeves. He had shaved
hurriedly so that he now looked
like a youth of IT, pink and plump
and pretty. Gayle told him that.
Your voice will wen be chang.
ing soon, l betcha!" she concluded.
He grabbed at her in mock fury.
She lodged, ran, shrieked and ran
faster. There was no escaping him
though. In a moment he had her
in his powerful grip. AS if she
were a little sister aged 10 or SO,
he lifted her bodily up onto his
shoulder and carried her across the
lawn on a trot. Quite by chance he
circled some massed shrubbery
and came within sight of the old
Mortified swimming pool.
"Ah hal" he cried, suddenly. The
pool, thoroughly reconditioned and
reprinted, had been filled. Even
now its water caught the spring
time dawn and reflected colors.
The faintest wind ripple made pat
terms there.
Bill Bailey, what are you going
to do?" Gayle suddenly cried.
Wake a gentleman up at mid
night, will you? Disturb a thinker
at his sleep. Pound on his door
like a blacksmith, and drag him
out into the cold. Ha! Vengeance
is mine!"
She began a terrific squirming
and kicking and failing and plead
ing. half-laughing and half-fright-
ened at the same time. The more
she wriggled, the faster he ran
and the higher up he held her IN
his powerful arms. All at once
they were at the edge of the pool.
'E-YELOW!" he yelled, a n d
threw her in.
She had barely hit the water
in the part marked nine feet deep
when he had dived in headlong.
She struck on her side, but Bills
dive was a graceful head-irst. He
cut through the water to come un-
der her. In matter of seconds he
had gripped her again and was
holding her face up in the air.
'1-hope-you c a swlm!" he
shrieked, through the drip.
Il can't swim a stroke!" she
storied. Il hope you-drown-with
me-hateful thing! O-o-o-o-oh!"
She leaped at him then, pumped
both hands onto his head and quite
thoroughly soused him. She used
the leverage to step up onto his
submerged shoulders and plunge
away. When he sputtered to the
surface again she was sitting n
the blue tiled side of the pool.
grimacing at him and squeezing
her hair.
"In hate you until the year g.
000!" she avowed. II spent hours
primping this morning. Hair-do,
nails, face, everything. Now look
at my curls! Or ex-curls."
In her own estimation she was a
sorry looking mess. Bill, though,
looked at her appreciatively still.
nNY NyN ~OVy~- -,