Part 38 (2/2)
Wine was suddenly in her blood.
”You ought to see me and my little sister when we pose together; we--”
”Take off your hat, girl.”
She stood suddenly quiet, as if the wine in her blood had seethed and quieted.
”Aw--no--whatta you think I am--I--”
”Take off your hat, big little girl, and if you're good to me I'll tell you something. If I hadn't taken a fancy to you I wouldn't tell you, neither.”
She lifted the heavy brim with both hands and stood in the bar of sunlight.
”Gad!” he cried--”Gad!” and jerked open a drawer and threw the big bulk of a typewritten ma.n.u.script on the desk before him. ”Read that; read that, sister!” His heavy spatulate finger underlined the caption.
”'The--Red--Widow,' 'The Red Widow,' by Al Wilson.”
He rose and jerked her by her two wrists so that she flounced toward him, her hair awry and the breath jumping out of her bosom.
”That's _you_, sister--the Red Widow!”
”The Red--Widow?”
”You're goin' out in a road chorus next week and get broke in. At the end of a season I'm goin' to feature you in the biggest show that ever I had up my sleeve.”
She regarded him with glazed eyes of one dazed, and backed away from him.
”Me!”
”You--the Red Widow, sister! You know what a Hy Myers production means, don't you? You know what an Al Wilson show is, don't you? Add them two.
I'll make you make that show or bust. Stand off there and lemme look at you again--there--so!”
”Quit!”
She sprang back from his touch and raised her hand with the glove dangling in the att.i.tude of a horseman cracking his whip. ”You--you quit!” Like Dryope changed into a tree, with the woodiness creeping up her limbs and the glove in her pa.s.sive hand, she stood with her arm flung upward. ”You quit!”
”Dear child, you mustn't--”
”I--I'm goin'--lemme go!”
”Aw, come now, sister; don't get frisky--I didn't mean to make you sore.
Gee! Ain't you a touchy little devil?”
”I'm goin'.”
”If that's your number, all righty--but you're just kiddin'--you ain't goin' to be too independent in one of the worst seasons in the business.”
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