The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-22
CHAPTER ~TWENTY-FOUR

On that Saturday evening during
which rehearsal of maid to Meas
ure'' was such a failure, Gayle
Dixon had sent the other girls
home in a Merrifeld car without
bothering to go with them. In I'm
happy mood, she had not entered
into the usual banter and teasing
and small talk of departure, and
had not accompanied them to the
car.
AS was his custom, too, Jeremy
Tucker sought to withdraw quietly
from the group when the rehearsal
was over and the six girls were
dismissed. He thought it was
about time to go to bed. He would
just say good night politely and go
upstairs.
"Oh, fiddle and fooey!" Adele
Larramy exclaimed while they
waited for the chauffeur to bring
the limousine around. cts Satur-
day night and there's a moon, and
it's spring and I don't want to go
home and sleep, jeremy"
She siezed on that shy young
gentleman, grabbing him by the
arm.
Jeremy, how'd you like a late
date with six girls? It's your car.
You don't have to be tucked in
now, do you? Come on-let's go
~places!"
I-I-" Jeremy opened his
mouth for a quite involuntary pro-
test. But he should have known
better. More forceful men than he
would have been helpless in the
face of six young women, six who
could explode laughter and impul-
siveness and enthusiasm. What
ever he might have sailor con-
ceivably did say-was drowned in
chorusing femininity. There might
have been one who did not gush
and shrek about it, but her ap-
proval of the idea was no less
plain.
Jeremy came to his senses, so to
speak, when several blocks from
home. To his amazement he was
surrounded by loneliness. Adele
sat at his right, extremely close
from necessity. Hazel Green
pressed into his left side. Lola
Montesa was squeezed in n e x t.
holding another girl. A fifth sat on
the limousine floor leaning against
Jeremy's knee. And Tempe Hyde's
soft body was or his lap.
the girls were singing, and a
calm stranger might have detected
two different songs going at once,
each making up in volume what it
lacked in harmony.
For goodness sake, sing, Jer-
emy!" Tempe ordered, wriggling.
He tried to answer, but couldn't
quite make his thoughts behave,
much less his tongue. He was x
cited, delightfully."- so, somehow! 1t
was all very strange to him. He
knew be was smiling, but it was a
frozen, scared and therefore con-
Trajectory sort of smile, contra
dieting what he really felt.
1t developed that some Of the
girls must have given an order to
the good-natured Mortified chauf-
feur, because he sWerved from the
street presently and pulled up at a
big eatery whose neon sign pro-
claimed:
FOOD, FUN AND FESTIVITY
CROWD IN
Alluring music from an orches-
ira assailed them and the girls all
popped out of the. a like birds
suddenly released from a coop.
And in the same figure of speech
there was a happy cackling of
laughter, then the rooster" of the
party followed with a certain dig
nifty, ignored but expected. Jere-
my, i'll at ease but anxious to be
gay, came in behind them.
The place was large and bril-.
liant. Fun, food and ~festivity''
was no ex~aggeration, the seven
youths found. Already a number
of people were present, e
dancing, some sitting before drink
and food. The orchestra was ex-
.cellent, the decorations and furni-
ture and general atmosphere lab
eled it all as n of the better
places. An affable waiter fastened
to Jeremy.
Welcome, sir!" the waiter
greeted. "Seven in the party? .