"Hi, baby," said Harry, as he staggered into the bathroom.
"Oh, Harry, I"m glad you came. I was afraid you might change your mind,"
said Pearl, happily.
"Where you are concerned, baby, I never change my mind--let"s have a drink."
"Come on, Henry," said Evelyn, "Let"s leave these two in here. It"s plain to be seen they don"t need us."
"Ev, you"re a d.a.m.n good mind-reader," said Harry. "Here, take a couple more bottles with you, so you won"t have to bother us."
"Thanks, I"ll just do that little thing," as she took two extra bottles.
"Ah, baby--I want you so," said Harry, as he pulled Pearl to him and smothered her with kisses. "Come on, let"s undress and go in the next room and join the dance."
"Oh, no, Harry, I"ve never done anything like that."
"Oh, baby--baby--don"t you trust me? Have another drink."
"Yes, but--"
"No buts," said Harry, as he began to unfasten her dress. "Come on, I"ll help you undress and then you have to help me."
"Harry--please--I don"t really want to undress."
"You see--you see--you don"t love me, that proves it."
"Oh, yes I do, Harry--I like you so much, but I can"t see where my undressing could have anything to do with it."
"That just proves it--proves it right there--you don"t care a thing about me."
"Harry, if you were sober you wouldn"t do a thing like this. I"m not sober by any means myself, but I don"t want to undress."
"You see--you just want to spoil my whole night."
"Oh, all right--if my stripping will make you happy, I might as well strip--give me that bottle. I"ll have to get a little drunker to enjoy this--here goes," as she put the bottle to her mouth, taking long, big swallows.
"Atta girl--I knew you would be a good scout," as he tried to help her get her dress off over her head.
Pearl took off her dress, laid it over a chair, took off her step-ins, laid them with her dress, keeping only her shoes and stockings on.
"Oh, gee, baby--you sure look good to me--I"m just crazy about you."
"All right--you keep your word--you undress, too."
"Sure, I"ll undress," said Harry, as he started to take off his pants, shirt, and underwear, and laid them on the chair with Pearl"s things, standing before her in only his shoes and socks.
"Let"s have a couple more drinks, Harry, darling--you know, I believe I"m going to enjoy this after all."
"I know I am," as he put his huge arms around her cool, pink body.
"Well--so help me--what the h.e.l.l is coming off here?" said Evelyn, as she came into the bathroom, her face blank in wonderment.
"Oh, Jees--this is great--let"s have a drink," said Henry, as he came in behind Evelyn. "You know, Ev, we might as well join the merry, mad gang--what do you say?"
"I dare you, Henry," answered Evelyn, as she started to strip with speed.
Pearl, in Harry"s arms, leaped into the milling, singing, drinking, wrestling mob, in the semi-dark room, held tight in each others" arms, naked bodies rubbed against each other, strangers kissed pa.s.sionately, lovers kissed more pa.s.sionately, enemies kissed less pa.s.sionately, but kissed--in their drunken orgy they had forgotten what they were enemies about--couples who had been dancing longer than the others fell on the floor, locked in each others" arms, their legs stuck grotesquely in the air above them, while their burning wet lips were pressed tightly against each others" mouths, stopping only long enough to take a drink.
A shriek from the bathroom--Evelyn and Henry leaped into the mob, naked as the rest--"Shake it up, baby," screamed Evelyn, as she and Henry in a tight embrace started singing and dancing with the rest; as the other couples fell to the floor newer and fresher couples joined the throng--only to fall later on the floor, to continue the party with mad, wet kisses, and--?
"My snow-white darling, I have love you so veer long, I weel never love but you--I have never love no one but you--only you--my darling--my darling--" came a soft voice near Pearl"s ear, and as she looked closely, she saw it was the tall, handsome Moros, with the blonde Irene in his arms.
"Get your G.o.ddam foot out of my face," yelled a drunken voice.
"My humble pardon, Senor--I am looking for some one," answered the deep, sober voice of a Mexican woman.
"Why the h.e.l.l don"t you turn on the light, then?"
"That, Senor, is a veer good idea," as she returned to the door and snapped on a flood of bright, red light.
Couples that were still on their feet, stopped dead still. Couples that were on the floor, stopped whatever they were doing--all looking towards the door, where the Mexican woman was standing, her hand still on the light b.u.t.ton. Not a soul moved.
Negro Noche stood motionless--her pock-marked face covered with a heavy layer of snow white powder that is typical of all Mexican women. Eyes gleaming, breathing heavily, she pulled a heavy, dark-blue, 45-calibre automatic from under her dirty coat, as a grim smile broke the death-like mask that was her face. Six shots rent the dead silence. Juan and Irene lay in each others" arms, just as they had a few minutes before, but they knew it not. Negro Noche had accomplished her purpose--her lover and her rival were to annoy her no more--the gun silent in her hand, finger still on the light b.u.t.ton, a blue wisp of smoke rose from the end of the gun, as the blood from the two bodies rapidly spread on the cheap, worn carpet--pandemonium broke loose.
Pearl ran into the bathroom to get her clothes--Evelyn was already there--"My G.o.d, what will we do?" asked Pearl.
"This ain"t no time to sing Frankie and Johnnie--don"t wait to put your clothes on--run for it," answered Evelyn, as she grabbed Pearl and started for the hall.
Women were screaming, crying--men were yelling and cursing, running up and down the hall, some too excited to realize that they had on no clothes--others just running around in circles.
As Evelyn and Pearl came to the stairs, Guts was on his way up. He started to ask Evelyn and Pearl what had happened, but they brushed by and on down the stairs. As they rounded the second floor, they saw Mickey Finn on her hands and knees looking through a key-hole.
"My G.o.d, Mickey," said Evelyn, excitedly, "Don"t waste no time--get out of here quick."
"What"s happened--what was all them shots?" as she rose off her knees and came to them.
"Negro Noche--shot Juan and Irene--don"t waste a minute--we have got to get on the U. S. side somehow."
They all three ran down the stairs into the lobby, and out the front door, onto the street.
"Down the railroad tracks towards the bridge."
"We can"t cross that bridge," said Mickey.
"I know it," answered Evelyn, "but it"s dark down that way, and we can put our clothes on--come on," as they ran down the tracks.
They stopped in the deep darkness and put their clothes on.