ime-clock now and then? Besides, I had a
social date; and, now Mr. Robert is back on the job so steady and is
gettin' so domestic in his habits, somebody's got to represent the
Corrugated Trust at these function things.

The event was the openin' of the Pill Box; you know, one of these dinky
little theaters where they do the capsule drama at two dollars a seat.
Not that I've been givin' my theatrical taste the highbrow treatment.
I'm still strong for the smokeless war play where the coised spy gets
his'n good and hard.

But I understand this one-act stuff is the thing to see just now, and
I'd picked up a hunch that Vee and Auntie had planned to be in on this
openin' until Auntie's sciatica developed so bad that they had to call
it off. So it's me makin' the timely play with a couple of seats in E
center and almost gettin' hugged for it. Even Auntie shoots me an
approvin' glance as she hands down a favorable decision.

So we sits through five acts of piffle that was mostly talky junk to
me. And, at that, I wa'n't sufferin' exactly; for when them actorines
got too weird, all I had to do was swing a bit in my seat and I had a
side view of a spiffy little white fur boa, with a pink ear-tip showin'
under a ripple of corn-colored hair, and a--well, I had something worth
watching that's all.

"Wasn't that last thing stupid?" says Vee.

"Didn't bother me any," says I. "Maybe I wa'n't followin' it real
close."

"The idea!" says, she. "Why come to the theater, anyway?"

"Lean closer and I'll whisper," says I.

"Silly!" says she. "Here! Have a chocolate."

"Toss," says I, openin' my mouth.

Vee snickers. "Suppose I missed and hit the fat man beyond?"

"It's a sportin' chance he takes," says I. "Shoot."

I had to bump Fatty a bit makin' the catch; but when he sees what the
game is, he comes back with the friendly grin.

"There!" says Vee, tintin' up. "Now behave."

"Sorry," says I, "but I had to field my position, didn't I? Once more,
now."

"Certainly not," says Vee. "Besides, there goes the curtain."

And if it hadn't been for interruptions like that we might have had a
perfectly good time. We generally do when we're let alone. To sort of
string the fun out I suggests goin' somewhere for tea. And it was
while we're swappin' josh over the toasted crumpets and marmalade that
we discovers a familiar-lookin' couple on the dancin' surface.

"Why, there's Doris!" says Vee.

"And the happy hubby!"