Page:Minnie Flynn (1925).pdf/108

 Minnie gave him what Billy McNally called her Kewpie smile. It made her pretty mouth turn up quaintly at the corners and pressed her dimples deep into her cheeks. Her big eyes sought his eagerly to see if he were impressed.

"Oh, you cute little devil, you," was all that Letcher could say. "You'd better not do that when we're alone. Wild horses couldn't keep me from kissing you."

"Try it and I'll crown you," threatened Minnie, though she held the dimples in place, the corners of her mouth still turned up.

"Crown me. I'd like to be king." And amazed at his own ready retort, Letcher repeated, his huge body shaking with laughter, "You cute little devil, you. You cute little queen."

Up in the dressing room the two girls discussed Minnie's serious need of a wardrobe. Without doubt she would work the following day as Bacon hadn't finished with his ballroom scenes. Eleanor said if she were only in a position to give Minnie the evening gown she would do so gladly, but under the circumstances she felt that she couldn't afford such generosity. The gown had cost her—at a sale—fifty-five dollars. The sum made Minnie gasp, for in the second-rate department store where she had worked the most elaborate evening gown had never been marked over forty dollars. Eleanor explained that because she knew she and Minnie were going to be friends, she would let her have the gown for the trifling sum of fifteen dollars.

After much figuring Minnie saw how she could pay for it in ten working days. That was fair enough, Eleanor said, and it also gave Minnie the chance to buy some other things she