The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies

“Well,” Lizzy replied with a little laugh, “I guess they’ll hear about her now. In that red outfit and those high heels, she’ll be the talk of the town.” In Darling, gossip was everybody’s favorite recreation.

“Oh, golly, Liz!” Verna snapped her fingers. “I have just got the most incredible idea!”

“Idea? What idea?” Lizzy asked cautiously. Verna was very intelligent and eminently practical, but she could be too smart for her own good. Sometimes she outfoxed herself.

“About the talent show.” Sponsored and organized by the Dahlias, this annual event was held at the Darling Academy gymnasium in late October. It was always a mixture of the melodramatic (Mrs. Eiglehorn reciting “Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight”) and the comic (Mr. Trubar clowning around with his shiny trombone and his dancing dog, Towser). It was the highlight of Darling’s fall social season. Everybody in town looked forward to it with a great deal of anticipation.

“Uh-oh,” Lizzy said. Mildred Kilgore was putting the talent show program together, and she was a very detail-oriented person who liked everything to turn out just the way she planned. Where Mildred was concerned, the only successful program was the one where even Reverend Trivette, the minister at the Four Corners Methodist Church, could go away saying what swell family entertainment it had been. The Naughty and Nice Sisters would give Mildred Kilgore heartburn.

“No, no,” Verna protested. “It’s a good idea, Liz! Let’s ask Miss LaMotte and Miss Lake to do an act for the talent show. I’ll bet they’d really bring in a crowd. We could put up posters and advertise—”

“Verna! You know Mildred wouldn’t think of inviting those ladies to perform. Why, the audience would be scandalized! Most of them would get up and walk out, and the ones who stayed would cause a riot.”

“I wasn’t thinking of asking them to do their Ziegfeld Frolic act,” Verna replied hastily. “It would be different—something suitable for a Darling audience. If they’re planning to be in Darling for any length of time, it would be a perfect way for them to get acquainted. I’ll bet the Dahlias would be delighted to have their help with the show.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Lizzy said, shaking her head warily. “From what you say, they sound like an intriguing pair, but they’d probably feel more at home out at the Dance Barn. You’d better talk it over with Mildred before you get all excited about the possibilities.” She thought of something else. “Listen, Myra May and I are having supper at the diner tonight, and then we’re going to see The Saturday Night Kid. Clara Bow is in it, and Jean Harlow. Want to come with us?”

“I’d love to,” Verna said. “But what about Grady? How come you’re not going out with him?” Grady Alexander, the county agricultural extension agent, was Lizzy’s more-or-less steady boyfriend.

“He drove over to Auburn for an ag meeting. He’ll be gone through the middle of next week.” Lizzy sighed. “To tell the truth, Verna, I’m glad to get a little breathing space. I’m trying to put off—” She turned down her mouth. “Well, you know.”

“Yes, I know,” Verna said sympathetically. She grinned. “But it’s a nice problem to have, in my opinion.” The courthouse clock began to strike. It was several blocks away, but its booming note could be heard all over town. The people of Darling always said they didn’t need watches. They had the courthouse clock, so there was never any excuse for being late.

Lizzy counted the strikes. “Mercy. Four o’clock already. I need to get home. Is six okay for supper? The movie starts at seven fifteen.”

“Sure,” Verna said. “Six o’clock, at the diner.” She looked thoughtful. “I wonder if the Naughty and Nice Sisters have ever met Clara Bow.”





TWO