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Show 220 so drunk none of the girls would dance with him. "I'll dance with myself, " declared Grant happily, and sallied forth onto the floor, one arm outstretched, the other circling his phantom partner. He bumped into people, then bade them excuse themselves. The dance manager tapped him on the shoulder and asked him for his fifty-cent ticket and he fished such change as he had out of his pocket. In doing so he dropped a penny. Immediately one of the Sevier boys went down on hands and knees in search of it; Grant joined him and when they found it each claimed it. There might have been an inebriated free-for-all, except Leonard Mills, a boy who was very partial to Vetris, heard them say they were going to give Grant a licking. He was six-feet four and had shoulders like a bulldozer. He moved through the crowd with his fists doubled like two hams. "Who's going to lick Grant?" he demanded. There was a very sober silence. "Nobody, " said the spokesman. "Let's dance. " Grant had driven to the dance in the truck, and for the rest of the evening he sat in it and sang almost loud enough to drown out our music. When I reported all this to Mama, she wept. "What am I going to do with him?" she said. "The Bishop has done all he can. He talked to Grant, told him he was a natural leader, that he was drawing all the young boys with him. It fell off him like water off a duck's back. Do you think you could talk to him?" "I can try, " I said, without much conviction. As soon as I could I made an opportunity. |
