Screenland (Nov 1940-Apr 1941)

less than a week later there she was down at the Battery with Virginia and Hugo waiting for him to join them on the charity boat ride. Only this time things worked out differently. For just as Biff and Virginia were about to follow Hugo and Amy up the gang plank the boat inspector stopped them. Hugo had sold too many tickets and the boat was already loaded to its full capacity. For once Hugo's chicaneries did Biff a good turn. He could have laughed when he saw Hugo's face as the boat pulled out leaving them standing on the pier with the picnic lunch. And he thought Amy looked disappointed too. "We can get a hansom and drive around," Virginia said, rallying from her national holiday. Especially that song. It'll always be our song, won't it, Virginia? We ought to do this more often, huh? Of course, maybe not so elaborately." "I'd love to," Virginia said vaguely, but when he pressed her it seemed she didn't have a single free evening until three weeks later. Biff had to content himself with that, wondering how he would ever get through all that waiting time before he saw her again. But she must like him, he thought. Hadn't she kissed him? Virginia wasn't the sort of girl to kiss a man unless she— well, almost loved him, anyway. Or was she? Suddenly he was afraid. "Virginia," he asked anxiously, "when you kissed me at the dance was it just one of, I mean, did it mean something to you? Or was it just one of those — " "Now, Biff," she whispered, and he could ***** disappointment. "And then we can have dinner in some nice expensive place and go to one of those fancy beer parlors afterwards for dancing." Biff wished he had Hugo's money so he could take Virginia to all those places, for he felt she was bored when he took her to the Statue of Liberty and after that to the Zoo where they ate the picnic lunch. But afterwards he tried to make up for it when he took Virginia to the beer garden and Schultz' band played the song for them. It cost him two dollars to have the soloist sing it but it was worth it with him pointing to Virginia as he sang: "When Casey danced with the strawberry blonde And the band played on. . . ." Of course everybody turned to look at Virginia, for wasn't she the strawberry blonde herself, with that red gold hair of hers and her skin looking like strawberries and cream too. And when they got up to dance Virginia was so pleased with the attention she had been getting she actually kissed him. Oh. it was a beautiful day even if Virginia had been disappointed about the hansom cab and the dinner. A" day to be remembered for ever and ever, a day to make all other days drab in contrast. "If you don't object. Virginia," Biff said shyly, "I'll always regard this day as a Anita Louise, dancing with husband Buddy Adler at film party, wearing an exquisite diamond-crystal clip and earrings — a gift from hubby. see how he had hurt her with her voice trembling like that. "Do you think I'm the kind of a girl who just goes around kissing boys?" You remember those three weeks zchile you zvaited to see her again, don't you, Biff? You remember how long every day seemed, how you thought they would never end? That was the time Hugo started his building supplies and contracting company out of the money he made on the charity drive. But that didn't seem important then. Only Virginia zivs important, and the four dollars you borrozved from ATick and zvhich he gave you so grudgingly because he was sweet on Virginia himself. But it was over at last, and there Biff was in the park and his heart jumping when he saw? the girl waiting on one of the benches and rising as he came over to her. Onlv it wasn't Virginia. It was Amy. "Mind if I sit down?" Amy asked after he had given her only that curt nod and walked right past her and sat down on the bench. "It's a free country. Amy," Biff said, making room for her. "But I wish you'd tie a can to yourself and beat it. I don't want you hanging around, I've got a date." "I know," she said slowly. "Virginia told me. Biff, are you in love with her?" He wanted to be mad at her but somehow he couldn't be, not with the music coming from the beer garden aurl the band playing Virginia's song. "1 guess Schultz' music must be softening me up," he said. "Otherwise I'd never tell you. I guess maybe I'm a little too crazy about her. She's my ideal, you know every man has an ideal, somebody that he cares for, and when he cares for that somebody, nothing else matters. It's sort of an ingrown pain. Well, that's the way I feel about Virginia." It was funny the way she looked at him, as if she knew how he felt and as if she were sorry for him and for herself too. "Biff," she said, her voice sounding all choked up and queer, "I — I saw Virginia this afternoon and she — she's — " She didn't say any more for they heard footsteps, and then there was Nick with a silly-looking girl hanging onto his arm. "Biff," his voice sounded excited. "1 got something to tell you. Take it like I took it. Biff. Virginia married Hugo this afternoon. They left already for Niagara Falls." Thai was what Amy had tried to tell him. He knew it as he looked at her and saw her eyes soft with pity for him. Do you remember how you felt. Biff, as if someone had punched you over the heart? Remember how you pretended you weren't surprised, that you'd known it all along and that it zcas Amy you had the date with? And remember how Amy helped you out too, how she forgot her own pride in salvaging yours and backed you up on every point? Only when Kick and his girl left something happened that you'd rather forget, didn't it, Biff? The way you took your hurt out on Amy, the way you turned to her so savagely. "You hit the nail on the head, Amy," Biff said. "Marriage is a lot of malarkey. You treat a girl respectable, watch your language and she runs off with somebody else. You were right, Amy. What's marriage? When a feller meets a girt and they sort of like each other, there's no reason why they shouldn't — " He took that quick step toward her. Amy looked at him terrified. But that didn't stop him. He took hold of her and held her in his arms and he kissed her the way a man doesn't kiss a girl he respects. Amy fought him, hitting at him with her small desperate hands, and at last Biff let her go. "Say, what's the idea?" he asked. "I don't get it after all your fancy talk. And your mother an original bloomer girl !" "No," Amy was crying softly. "She wasn't. Father wouldn't let her. But she admired and respected them. And a girl has a right to talk, hasn't she?" "And your aunt?" Biff looked at her with dawning suspicion. "I bet she was never even on the stage! I bet you're a fake all around. I ? bet you never even smoked a cigarette !" n "I — I put them in my mouth sometimes, she protested. "But I never lit them. And my aunt was so on the stage. In a church plav!" "I knew it !" Biff looked at her scornfully. "A genuine, one hundred percent allround fake. Just as they say an empty barrel alwavs' makes the most noise. Aw. will you stop bawling?" But Amy couldn't stop crving, and so what could Biff do but try to "comfort her. And somehow in comforting Amy he comforted himself a little too. And so it was Amy you married, wasn't it. Biff? It was only next best. Zivsn't it. Biff, and you knezs it and Amy knew it. too. Oh. 'it wasn't exciting the way it would have been with Virginia, but the years have a way of making a man forget, haven't they? And Amy -was so gentle and 69