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Show i , 1 ' ! , ! I wf FICTION CORNER I : W$ I PET PEST Vy By ROBERT DENNIS "because The Kid would want It written up on your page where his friends could see it. He ain't comin' back, Clint." Penny didn't get it at first and then her chest went all tight for that old man in there. The way he stood the tone of his voice said thai everything he'd been living for had been wiped out by a telegram sent to "the next of kin." Clint kept frowning. "You know what to say about The Kid, Clint," old Hughey prompted. "Tell 'em about that sweet left oi his, and how nobody ever got past it." The old fellow talked on and on. Clint listened, his face deadpan. Penny Alder listened, too. She was still at her desk when Clint and Hughey Lawler came out. "That picture" the old fellow said anxiously, "I wouldn't want to lose it " "I'll get It back to you." Clint was letting him go without even one word of sympathy. "Sure well thanks. I guess I "I'll bet he was." Penny's comment com-ment dropped like a pebble into the deep pool of Hughey Lawler's pride. He gushed words. Penny Alder actually was glad to see Clint's rust-colored head appear. She almost welcomed his deep frown when he spotted her caller. Old Hughey turned to Clint. "I've got something for you to write up, Clint " Clint's nod toward his office was about as friendly as an umpire's thumb. "I can only give you a minute min-ute " "Sure " The old fellow turned. Penny found the Lipton frown aimed at her. "You're a pal," he I'1 THE footsteps came down the city room and halted at the door of Clint Lipton's office. Penny Alder felt eyes on her, boring down through the barrage of typewriter keys she was sending up. Something about Clint Lipton put a chip on her shoulder "Miss Alder" the voice was too polite to belong to her pet pest, "is Clint comin' back today?" She looked up at the old man who stood In the door of Clint's room, a shiny serge suit bagging around his lean, stooped figure like a piece of wilted lettuce. She nodded. An assistant society editor had troubles enough. Let Clint Lipton take care of the sports department and his ! own pests. Old Hughey Lawler was his problem The old fellow touched the yellowed, yel-lowed, saw - brimmed straw hat clamped down over his thin fringe of white hair. "I've got some news about The Kid for Clint to write up," he said, as he crossed the narrow aisle. "Oh," Penny replied helplessly. If It was about The Kid old Hughey would stand and gab forever "'Course I've got to give it to Clint. I've been keepin' Clint right up to date on The Kid" He swallowed swal-lowed at something. i "So he's told me." With dull fascination fas-cination she watched the old fellow's fel-low's Adam's apple climb up and down the stretch of turkey-like neck I above the over-size collar. Clint also !had said that the next time old Hughey tried to fold his ears back, he was going to "Did I ever show you the picture The Kid sent me when he was trainin" out on the Coast?" Hughey pushed a post-card portrait under her nose a while-you-wait photo- "You haven't got your hat on," said Clint gruffly. "I suppose that means it's another 'no date.' " i graph of a young fellow in sailor i ! blues, his hat cocked at an angle over one belligerent eye. "A fine lookin' boy, Miss Alder." She'd seen the face before. Her glance strayed in through the open door of Clint's office to where a shaft of late afternoon sunshine spotlighted a photograph tacked on the wall a bare-torsoed kid in fight-j fight-j lng pose. ! ' She'd always looked down her ! short straight nose at those pictures I 1 of Clint's brawn and beef friends the guys with tin ears and bent ! I noses, the guys heaving forward j 5 passes the tough he-guys. 1 And Clint Lipton with his head j of wild rusty hair, and that habitual ! frown wedged between his deep-set 1 gray eyes was part of his muscle menagerie, as far as she was concerned. con-cerned. ; " My grandson, Miss Alder " You'd have thought the scrappy kid In the sailor suit was an admiral, from the pride in old Hughey's voice. "You ask Clint if The Kid wasn't on his way of being welterweight welter-weight champ before he wanted to enlist " accused, "you know that old guy gets me down." She looked up at him, and that chip was on her shoulder. "For holding him," he scowled, "you're going to break down and go out to dinner and places with me tonight." "Is that a pass or a penalty?" "Take your choise only get your hat on." He wheeled away. Penny stared after the back of his sun-burned neck. Why could he annoy an-noy her more than any other man she'd ever known? His very vitality; vital-ity; the way that shaft of late sun put sparks in his rusty hair everything every-thing about him bothered her. "Let's have it fast, Hughey," Clint said, "I've got a date " That's what he thought. She closed her typewriter desk with a bang. She looked in again Clint's frown was concentrated on that latest picture of The Kid. He reached for a yellow telegram old Hughey held out. "I come to tell you first, Clint," the old fellow's shoulders slumped, won't be comin' around any more, Clint. I mean, there won't be any more news about The Kid " Clint glowered as Hughey Lawler slowly started away then, suddenly, sudden-ly, he strode after him. "You can't just walk out on your friends like that, Hughey." He gripped the old fellow's arm hard. "Drop around anytime you feel like talking about The Kid " Penny doubted her ears, but the smile the old boy gave Clint was real enough. "Sure I will, Clint." Clint Lipton turned and came back to halt at her desk. "You haven't got your hat on " his voice was gruff. "I suppose that means it's another 'no date.' " "I " she began, her eyes searching search-ing his. "O. K. go on, say it. So I gave him the brush-off by hanging out the welcome sign " She'd never tried to look beyond that scowl he always wore. Like The Kid's left it wasn't easy to get past his guard "You really like old Hughey Lawler," Law-ler," she said abruptly. "Sure if I didn't like the old pest I wouldn't let him bother me, would I? . . . But you wouldn't understand. You never give a guy a chance to see if you can like him " For a moment Penny matched frowns with her pet pest. She could feel his puzzled eyes follow her as she stood slowly, and moved toward the coat rack. He was right she hadn't been able to understand why she'd let him bother her but it was becoming clear. She must have liked the real Clint Lipton all along even when she was carrying a chip on her shoulder for a tough guy who didn't exist When Penny Alder turned she was smiling and had her hat on. |