"Never mind, sweetheart--I like you just as you are, that"s why I came up at this hour; I thought I"d find you in bed, or just getting out of it."
"Oh, please hand me something to put on," came the voice from the bathroom.
"Hold your hand out to get it, then."
Pearl opened the door to put her hand out, and as she did, he slid his foot into the opening.
"Oh, please, don"t come in--I haven"t a thing on."
"That"s why I"m coming in," he answered, as he pushed the door open and caught her in his arms.
"Oh, big boy, don"t you know you shouldn"t do this? What will you think of me?"
"Baby, I love you--don"t you know that?--I love you," he breathed hard, as he kissed her eyes, her neck, her shoulders, and gathered her up in his arms and walked toward the bed.
"You will believe me--won"t you--?" as he held her as if she were a small baby.
"Oh, big boy, you shouldn"t act like this. What would anyone think if they should see us like this?"
"What the h.e.l.l do I care what anyone thinks--I want you and I want you all for myself--I"ll buy you anything you want. I"ve got money--plenty of it. Can"t you understand that I"ll do anything for you? When you left last night without even saying goodbye, I looked all over town for you, but I couldn"t find you. You know what I mean, I don"t even know your name, but I want you to marry me."
Tenderly he laid her down on the bed, smothering her with kisses.
Pearl looked into his eyes--he was sober--sober as a judge. He was a big man, a very big man, but he was like a child that had found the toy it had been looking for for a long time, and was so happy at finding it that he would never let it go again. He was fresh, clean, good looking, and had that very manly odor about him that women love, and above all, he had money, and lots of it; didn"t Eve say so and didn"t he tell her so himself? He ran his hands over her smooth body, his head was laying on her shoulder, his big body against hers, his breath seeming to scorch her. What was the use to fight against this? She knew that sooner or later she would give in to his pleadings, the sooner the better.
"Yes, dear, I do love you," she whispered, as she put her arms around him, and pressed her hot mouth against his hot, moist lips--they seemed to melt into one.
"Pardon, Madam, do you want to carry all these bundles, or wouldn"t you like for us to send them over for you?" asked the clerk in the White House, the largest department store in El Paso.
"h.e.l.l, no--I"ll carry them myself," said Evelyn, as she began to pick up the numerous bundles she had bought.
"I beg pardon, Madam, but did you want to charge those things?"
"Jees, my all to Heaven has gone--certainly I want to charge them, I got an account here, ain"t I?"
"I"m sorry, Madam, but we shall soon find out."
"Yeah--and for the love of Pete, make it snappy--don"t keep me in suspense."
"Pardon, Madam," returned the clerk, laying down the receiver of the store telephone, "I"m very happy to inform you that your account is quite all right; thank you very much--call again."
"Thank you very much, and I"ll call again d.a.m.n soon. Adios."
Evelyn returned to her apartment about three-thirty, unwrapped her packages, smiling to herself, and fondling her treasures.
"Well, I"ve bought a new outfit from top to bottom, and from the skin out. Won"t I floor that herd of tramps tonight--Hot--ziggety--d.a.m.n--now I"ll bathe, throw on a load of that loud perfume, and d.a.m.ned if I won"t be a lady, or know why."
"What was that?" asked Pearl, as she sat up in bed with a start. There was a rapping on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It"s me--Ev," came the voice outside the door.
"Oh, just a minute, dear, till I unlock the door."
"My G.o.d, don"t you ever expect to get up today? Do you know it is after four o"clock?" said Evelyn, as she came into the room.
"Well, I did get up for a little while, but you see I went back to bed."
"Oh, I see," said Evelyn, as she walked to the bed on tiptoe, where Big Boy lay sleeping like a child.
"He came in at noon, and I couldn"t get rid of him, or I would have come over to your place," answered Pearl, in a whisper.
"Well, I"m glad you"re able to get up." She walked over to Big Boy, and pulled the covers off the bed.
"Hey, what"s the big idea?" asked Big Boy as he raised up in bed.
"Shame on you," said Evelyn, mockingly, "Sitting up in bed in front of a lady, and you with no sign of any drawers on. Here, put these on while I ain"t looking," throwing him the trunks of his two-piece set.
"Oke, Sister; where is Pearl?"
"Don"t you hear the water running in the bathroom? Well, you know darn well I ain"t in there."
"Hey, look, Sister, I"ll give you a hundred bucks if you will talk for me. Look--I"m nuts about that girl--there"s nothing I want as much as I do her--here"s the hundred--will you do it?"
"Will I? Boy, my mouth will run from now on about you. h.e.l.l"s fire--I"d talk for a bull with that much dough."
"You know I want to marry that Broad."
"Well, at least that"s cause for the d.a.m.ndest drunk I can think of--Hey, Pearl--get them things on--Juarez calleth me in a big way--and you too; get them things on. Good Heavens, I"m dry as a bone. Come to think of it, I ain"t had a drink in nearly an hour."
"My, Ev, you look good today. Where did you get all those new clothes?"
asked Pearl, as she came out of the bathroom.
"The boy friend I told you about last night. He is the cause of all this dressing up, and do you notice the smell? I even put on my best perfume."
"It sure smells good, all right."
"It does now, but wait until I throw a few beers into me, and I"ll be the only one in Juarez that will smell like a cross between a violet and a swill barrel," laughed Evelyn.
"Don"t you girls think we ought to have something to eat before we start on this drinking tour?"