Evening Star Newspaper, September 27, 1936, Page 81

September 27, 1936 THIS WEEK : When a beautiful girl doubts a man's courage, funniest things I ever saw in my life.” hyllis neither smiled nor spoke. Didn’t you think it was funny?"’ 0,”” Phyllis said. Phyllis,” Perry said, ‘‘what’s the matter?”’ Nothing.” lDidn’t you have a good time?" 0." en something ¢s the mat INo, nothing is the matter. Perry Phelps knew that he was in for it. didn’t know why, but there was no question ut the fact. He wished he had the courage lignore Phyllis's mood. But he hadn't. He Ited until he reached Phyllis's home. There Istopped the car at the curb. ‘‘Something is . matter,’’ he said. ‘No,"” she said wearily. ‘No.” She paused if thinking. “Except that there are times en I can't stand you.” ‘I suppose I am hard to take at times." No, you're not hard to take. You're too to take. You're so good natured and easy ng, Perry, that anybody can take you." “I'm just a big slob, I guess, that's all.” ‘“Yes,” Phyllis said. ‘‘Any girl can wind you pund her little finger without your even owing it, and any man can step on your feet thout your resenting it."” “You mean I have a good dlsposltlon"' ‘You can't laugh it off," Phyllis said. ‘‘Obviously not.” ‘T'm serious.’’ Perry Phelps lit a cigarette with a calm he d not feel. “‘Give me an example.” "‘You let that little manager hit you in the ce,”’ she said, ‘‘and you just smiled.” “He didn’t mean to hit me. It was an cident.” “Oh — was it!"” “It was. But even if it hadn’t been an something must happen,—and it did. new love story by a headline writer of romance LuciaAN CARY accident I wouldn't have hit him. He isn't half as big as I am.” “I suppose,” Phyllis said, “‘if it had been Burke you would have hit him.” ‘‘Yes,” Perry said lightly, “I'd hit him quick enough, believe me, and then some!" PERRY WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SHAKE HER HARD, BUT HE SAID NOTHING Phyllis laughed. Perry had thought her laugh was particularly charming. Now it seemed to him that her laugh was stinging. “You aren’t proving anything by laughing,"” he said. “No,” Phyllis said. “I’'m sorry I laughed. I just couldn’t help it. The idea of your hitting Burke is too fantastic. You wouldn’t dare. And I don't blame you either. If I were a man I'd be afraid to hit the heavyweight menace. I wouldn't enjoy his hitting me back. It would be painful. And besides it would be humiliating to be knocked out with one flick of his hand. What I can't stand about you is not that you are afraid of a man like Burke. It's that — " ‘‘Listen,"” Perry interrupted. ‘‘Just for that, I will hit him."” “Don’'t be funny, Perry,” Phyllis said. “What I can't stand about you is that people always make you do what they want you to do. You're so good natured.” ‘‘Phyllis, I'm going to hit him." ‘‘How silly. I’'m not asking you to make more of a fool of yourself than you have. I'm only saying that — " “All right, I'll show you.” “You sound as if you almost meant it.” “I do mean it.” “It would be wonderful,” Phyllis said. ‘‘But it won't happen.”’ “What would be wonderful?”’ he asked. Magazine Section 9 “To see the worm actually turn. You let the world step on you and it seems to like you all the better for it. And it is an ingratiating trait. On]y_ ” “‘Listen, Phyllis,’”* Perry began again. “Don’t get mad just because I'm being frank with you,” Phyllis said. “If you could stay calm you might see that I am right.” “I'm not mad,” Perry said. ‘I'm perfectly calm and perfectly reasonable and I have told you what I am going to do.” ““You're going to reform." “I'm going to hit Burke." ““You'll have more sense when you've had a good night's sleep,” Phyllis said. *‘You're really a very sensible person, Perry. Perhaps you're a little too sensible to be very exciting mt— ” Perry Phelps took her by both shoulders. He would have liked to shake her hard. But he didn’t. ‘“What is the matter?'’ he demanded. “I don’t want to argue with you. I want to ki“ WL" ‘“And I don't want you to kiss me." “All right,” he said furiously, ‘‘get out!” Phyllis stepped down from the car and started toward the house. Perry sat there for half a minute watching her. He thought of running after her and telling her what he thought of her. But he didn’t. Hehadtoadmtthenextmonungflntsbe ] suppose,” he said, as hesat down beside Phyllis, “‘that everybody will geta good laugh out of it when Idoit.” Jimmy Gresham raised his Connie Smith leaned across the table toward him. ‘‘What?''she asked.'*"What did you say?"’ It was plain that she had heard his words and that she knew what they meant. She was merely eager to confirm them, to make sure he was going to offer himself up to be slaughtered by a prospec- tive champion of the world. She was young and blonde and blue-eyed. Perry had always thought of her as rather sweet. A bit dumb, perhaps. But sweet. Now it was plain to him that she loved the idea of seeing him smasghed to the ground and lying there unconscious. It wasn't that she had any- loved excitement and she didn’t care what it cost anybody else to provide it. “‘that no doubt it will be very -funny when I hit Burke this afternoon.” “Oh!” Connie cried, ‘‘you mean you're really going to do it?"” “I am,” he announced. (Continved on poge 15)