Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-06-03
$500 e. p
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOIJR

On THAT Saturday evening dur
ing which rehearsal of Maid to
Measure" was such a failure, Gavle
Dixon had sent the other girls
home in a Mortified 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 10 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
Larraway exclaimed while they
waited for the chauffeur to bring
the limousine around. Its 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!"
IL" Jeremy opened his
mouth for quite involuntary pro-
test. But ne should have known bet
ter. 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. Whatever
he might have sailor conceivably
did say-was drowned in chorus
ing femininity. There might have
been one who did not gush and
Shrek about it, but her approval
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 i'll next, holding another
girl. A fifth sat on the limousine
floor leaning against Jeremy's knee.
And Tempe Hyde's soft body was
on 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, Ser
envy" Tempe ordered, wriggling.
He tried to answer, but couldn't
quite make his thoughts behave,
much less his tongue. He was ex-
cited, delightfully."- so, somehow. 1t
was all very strange to him. He
knew he was smiling, but it was
frozen, scared and therefore con-
Trajectory sort of smile, contradict
ing what he really felt
It developed that some Of the
girls must have given an order to
the good-natured Merrifield chauf-
feur, because he swerved from the
street presently and pulled up at
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 car like birds
suddenly released from coop.
And in the same figure of speech
there was happy cackling of
laughter, then the rooster of the
party followed with a certain dig
nifty, ignored but expected. Jeremy,
i'll at ease but anxious to be gay,
came in behind them.
The place was large and brilliant.
Fun, food and festivity' was no
exaggeration, the seven youths
found. Already a number of people
were present, some dancing, some
sitting before drink and food. The
orchestra was excellent, the deco
rations and furniture and general
atmosphere labeled it all as one of
the better places. An affable waiter
fastened to Jeremy.
welcome: sir" the waiter
greeted. Seven in the party?
I'll have special table set up for
you at once. Just follow me-"
They attracted considerable at
tention-six girls so uniformly at
tractive, albeit so utterly different
in types, would inevitably COM
mand interest in public. Other
women patrons of the place ap-