She began to interest me.
“Maybe we’ll go for a drive together one of these days,” I said hopefully.
“Let’s not make too many plans,” she returned. “Let’s concentrate on this dress.” She turned back to Myra. “Don’t you think I’d look cute in it?”
“Not half so cute as without it,” I said hurriedly.
“I don’t think I like that remark,” she said. “It doesn’t indicate a sound business footing.”
“Who cares about a business footing?” I returned. “Let’s go somewhere and forget business.”
“Keep concentrating on this dress,” she said insistently. “I know I’d look good in it. Let me put it on and show you.”
“Some other time” I began, and stopped because she had put her hand on Myra’s arm.
“It’s awfully attractive,” she said wistfully. Then a look of puzzled fright entered her eyes and she pressed Myra’s arm.
I hastily took her hand away. “I used to be a palmist,” I said. “Let me read your lines.”
“So long as we’re thinking of the same lines,” she returned, trying to smile, but all the time she kept staring at Myra with growing uneasiness. “Do you know that dummy felt almost human,” she went on in a low voice.
“Yeah?” I said, patting Myra’s hip. “Isn’t it marvelous what they do with papier mŕché these days?”
I still kept hold of her hand and she began to calm down. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw Myra move. Still keeping her fixed pose, she rose a foot into the air and remained there. I came out in a cold sweat
The red bead had her back to Myra, so she didn’t see what was going en. I put my hand on Myra’s shoulder and pushed her back on her stand again and held her there.
“Can you really read my lines?” the red head asked.
“Well, I took a correspondent course a few months back,” I said, feeling like hell. “I can only read the past up to now, but I hope to get around to the future sometime next week.”
I released Myra for a second. She began to rise off the ground, so I hung on to her again. The red-head hastily snatched her hand from mine. “I’ll wait until next week,” she said, “I know all about my past. That’s something I like to keep to myself.”
That came as no surprise, but I didn’t tell her so.
“You seem to like that model,” she said, “or can’t you make up your mind?”
It was becoming increasingly more difficult to hold Myra and just for a moment, she succeeded in rising a few inches before I slammed her back again.
The red-head drew in a sharp breath. “Is—is it trying to get away?” she said fearfully.
“There’s a draught in this joint,” I explained. “These models are mighty light.”
She backed away. “You know I don’t like that old model,” she said. “I just don’t like it at all.”
Clancy, who had got rid of the indignant women, joined us. He was sweating freely and he looked mad.
“What are you pawing that dummy for?” he demanded.
“I’m that kind of a guy,” I said desperately. “I go for dummies in a big way.”
The red-head said, “There’s something about that old model. It’s trying to fly away.” Clancy looked at her suspiciously. “What do you mean… fly away?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But that’s what it’s trying to do.”
“Pay no attention to her, Clancy,” I said quickly. “She’s not herself to-day.”
Clancy looked at me and then he looked at Myra. “So that’s it,” he said between his teeth.
“I might have known it. So that’s where she’s hiding,” and before I could stop him he’d whipped off Myra’s hat.
Myra didn’t blink an eye-lash. She just stood there, her eyes blank and her body rigid. Clancy stared at her. “Yeah,” he said, “it’s her all right. You can cut that dummy act out. You’re under arrest,” he went on to Myra.
I took my hand from Myra’s shoulder and stepped back. As Clancy moved forward to grab her she floated out of his reach. Still keeping her stiff pose, she rose about ten feet in the air.
It certainly upset Clancy. He closed his eyes.
“Gawd!” he said. “What a horrible sight!”
“What’s worrying you?” I asked. “Haven’t you heard of the new lighter-than-air models? It helps solve the transportation problems,” and I patted him on the back.
“Never mind about the transportation problems,” he said, looking at Myra from between his fingers. “I’ve got my own problems to worry about just now.”
Then Whisky wandered into the shop.
In the general confusion no one noticed his entrance. The saleswomen were screaming, while the shop manager had collapsed on the floor and was jerking feebly at his collar. The cops just stood rooted, staring at Myra in horror.
To make matters worse, the red-head had thrown her arms round my neck and was screaming wildly in my ear.
It was a pretty good time for Whisky’s entrance. He came straight over to me. “You haven’t been long getting yourself fixed up,” he said approvingly. “That’s quite a pretty trill you’ve got there.”
The effect of this speech was electrifying. The red-head gave a stifled moan and slid to the floor in a faint. Clancy backed away, his face like a flour bag, while everyone else in the room stopped making noises and clutched one another.
“And now do you believe my story about talking dogs and floating women?” I said to Clancy. “It’s all here for you to see.”
“I’ll believe anything,” Clancy said, shivering. “This is too much for me. You’ve all got to see the captain.”
Whisky peered into the red-heed’s face “Odd how these dames pass out, isn’t it?” he said and began to lick her face energetically.
I caught him a quick kick where it’d do him the most good. He gave a startled curse and removed his tail hurriedly.
“Leave her alone,” I said sternly. “Besides, all that make-up might poison you.”
“As a matter of fact,” Whisky said with a leer, “it was extraordinarily tasty. But apart from that, I was just trying to revive her.”
“She doesn’t need reviving,” I returned. “She’s happier the way she is.”
“Can’t you stop him?” Clancy pleaded, gaping at Whisky as if he was some monster. “I can’t stand any more of this.”
Myra swooped past me. “What do we do now?” she asked. “Shall I run away?”
“No,” I said. “We can’t go on like this. We’ll all go along to Summers and let him sort everything out.”
She settled lower and then stretched out within my grasp. I pulled her to me and kissed her.
“It’ll be all right,” I promised. “They’ll have to listen to reason.”
Clancy tried to pull himself together. “Can’t you persuade that dame to stand on her feet?” he pleaded. “It’s doing me no good at all seeing her that way.”
Myra frowned at him. “I’m not considering you,” she said. “You’ve never done anything for me.”
“You remain like that,” I urged. “The more people who see you like that the more witnesses we’ll have. Let’s go, sweetheart.”
I took her by her shoulders and began pushing her towards the door.
It must have been a pretty upsetting sight. Myra lay full length, suspended in the air, with her hands folded across her chest. It was like pushing a perambulator that hadn’t any wheels.
Whisky fell in step beside me. “Going through the streets like that, old pal?” he asked.
“That’s the idea,” I said firmly, leaving Myra in mid-air while I opened the shop door.
“Hey!” Clancy said, running up to me. “You can’t do a thing like that!”
“I’d like to see you try and stop me,” I said grimly.