Runabout (19 page)

}Highly involved in their own controversies, none suspected that two near criminals were planning untold social misdeeds at the ladies' undergarment counter. Assured that no one was looking in their direction, Maybelle put a warning finger to her lips and then indicated that her cohort in crime should follow.

}Nervously, and feeling very much like a felon, Tulsa May trailed Maybelle to the back of the store. Surreptitiously, they slipped behind the thick violet drapery that separated the public part of the store from the "employees only" section. Tulsa May had to hurry to keep up with Maybelle, who wove in and out through the narrow shelves in the dimly lit storage area. It was clean and orderly, but there was a faint odor of mustiness about the place. Tulsa May had never been back there before, and she had no desire to do so again.

}She was about to tell Maybelle she'd changed her mind when the girl finally stopped. Maybelle bent down to the very bottom shelf to retrieve a box that seemed to have been hidden behind another.

}"Mother would have a conniption if she knew these were here," she confessed to Tulsa May. "She expressly forbade me to order any."

}Tulsa May's eyes widened in surprise. "You bought something for the store without your mother's permission?"

}The deed was apparently so common, Maybelle didn't even bother to respond.

}"Mama just doesn't understand. Things were different in her day, not at all like now. In her day women wanted big bust lines and tried to improve upon nature, I can't imagine why. Now she thinks that altering the bosom in any way is somehow indecent," Maybelle continued. "But I swear these are the height of decency to me."

}"Maybelle, what are you talking about?" Tulsa May asked, clearly confused.

}The younger woman looked down at the box she held hesitantly and then looked up at Tulsa May. "Are you looking for an old-fashioned garment that... well... that keeps you from feeling quite so exposed?"

}Tulsa May blushed vividly, but nodded.

}Maybelle sighed with relief. "I've tried to explain to Mama," she said. "But she just will not understand. She constantly tells me how
lucky
we modern women are not to be bound up in those awful corsets of her day." Maybelle's tone of voice was a waspish and exaggerated imitation of her mother. "We are so fortunate, Mama thinks, that the new fashions only corset the lower body. It is so
healthy
to have one's natural bosom unconfined." Maybelle shook her head, clearly not in agreement. "I don't consider having my bump-lumps bobbing as I walk down the street any advantage at all."

}Tulsa May's mouth dropped open in wonder. "You too?" Her relief was obvious. "I thought I was the only one."

}"Well, you're not."

}"It's just so ..." Tulsa May began tentatively. "Well, it's just so embarrassing."

}"Mama says it's my own fault," Maybelle confided. "She says if I'd just move more slowly and with more dignity, I wouldn't jiggle."

}"I try that myself," Tulsa May said. "I am always walking at half the pace I want, and I try to avoid any abrupt moves or steps."

}Maybelle was nodding.

}"But sometimes," Tulsa May finished, "sometimes, you just have to hurry."

}"That's right," Maybelle said. "I feel exactly the same way. And it's not just us, apparently," Maybelle told her proudly as she removed the lid from the secret undergarment box. "There are enough women like us that they've come up with a whole new idea in corsets."

}Tulsa May stared in awe as Maybelle brought out a very stiff-looking type of camisole. Taking the material in her hands, Tulsa May examined it. The garment was made of heavy white cambric and eyelet embroidery and boned with elastic stays. A series of tiny metal hooks were used for the closure.

}"It works like a corset for the bosom," Maybelle explained. "Only better. See how roomy it is," she said, showing Tulsa May the contoured front bodice. "It gives you the security of a full corset, with the comfort and health of your natural unrestricted bosom."

}Tulsa May's eyes were as big as saucers. "Oh, Maybelle, it looks wonderful."

}"It
is
wonderful," the younger girl admitted. "I've been secretly wearing one myself since last summer. It is absolutely the latest thing, and I don't care what Mama says, when women find out about these things, they are all going to wear them."

}"I certainly am," Tulsa May stated flatly. "What are they called?"

}Maybelle shrugged. "Some of the order catalogs call them bust corsettes. But the modistes have given them a much more elegant French-sounding name."

}"What is that?"

}"They call them brassieres."

}"Brassieres," Tulsa May repeated in a reverent whisper.

}CITY MAY LAND CARNEGIE LIBRARY

}City Council Promises Monies

}The securing of a Carnegie library is in sight for the city of Prattville after several years of effort on the part of local workers, including Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Sparrow and the Reverend Philemon Bruder. At the last meeting of the city council, members promised to set aside the sum of $1,500 for the maintenance of the library during the first year of operation, as stipulated by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation of

}Chapter 10

}Luther Briggs found himself trying to avoid Tulsa May. He knew this was foolish since the sooner the two made enough gossip to no longer be interesting, the sooner they could begin planning a parting of the ways. The whole plan had made perfect sense when he'd thought of it. Once the fellows in town began to see Tulsa May in a new light, why she'd be able to pick and choose. A woman like his Tulsy should never have to settle for someone like Doc Odie.

}But somehow the situation seemed to have spun out of control. Even thinking about her distracted him. Her nearness disturbed him. And, damnit, he cursed himself, his growing desire for her was downright disconcerting. His imposed celibacy, he assured himself, was the real reason behind his dear friend's startling new appeal. But, the idea of slipping back into old ways with Emma or some other sweet young thing was somehow not very tempting.

}Luther decided that he needed a new approach, a way to make gossip without being alone with her. It should have been easy, he thought. Young unmarried couples were under constant scrutiny. However, Luther found that was not enough. Even though Reverend and Mrs. Bruder might be sitting in the parlor, just inches from the porch window, Luther and Tulsa May were outside on the porch. And Luther was very knowledgeable about the ways a young couple could spark and spoon undetected right under the parents' noses.

}This was the problem on his mind as Luther pulled his shiny black Model A-2 Commercial to a stop in front of Penny's Grocery and Market. He and Arthel were building a refrigerated cold box for the grocer. Arthel had arrived before dawn to start the building, while Luther had stayed behind to load up the truck and drive over with the piping.

}The grocery building, looking slightly out of place against the bright brick sidewalks, was Penny's original store. Now, even though the bulk of his business was next door where his wife and daughter ran the Emporium, the Grocery and Market was still Mr. Penny's most beloved concern.

}"Morning," Luther called as he stepped through the door, careful to shut the screen behind him. The floor was strewn with baskets and crates displaying produce for sale. He helped himself to an apple from the bin, briefly rubbing it against the leg of his trousers before taking a bite. The taste was a bit mealy, but it was late in the season. The spring fruits and vegetables were just beginning to come in, so there was plenty of room to walk around. During the summer, the store was so full, it was hard to walk inside. Every farmer's wife in a ten-mile radius sold the excess of her garden at Penny's. He was considered the fairest grocer around and especially kindly toward the ladies.

}"Good morning, Luther," the older man called out over the sound of hammering. Titus Penny was nearing forty and gray at his temples, with a fine streak of silver in his waxy moustache. "That brother of yours has been working up a storm since daybreak," he told Luther proudly. "I swear that young man is going to make something of himself in this world."

}Luther nodded in agreement. "Arthel's not shy about hard work. And he's got a good head on his shoulders."

}"I guess your family just comes by it naturally. And if this cold box he's building works as well as you think it will, well, it just might mean a whole new line of work for you."

}Luther laughed. "No, sir," he said. "The last thing I need is
another
line of work."

}His laughter was contagious and the grocer jovially joined in.

}"Let's at least have a look at our new marvel of modern technology," Luther suggested.

}The two men walked to the far back of the building into the area formerly used for storage. The "box" that Arthel was building covered a quarter of the storeroom. Right now it looked like two boxes, one about a foot smaller in every respect than the other. Arthel was so engrossed in getting the perfect fit on the corner he was working on, he didn't even hear the two men enter.

}"Your brother's here," Penny called out to him.

}Arthel looked up from his position on the floor.

}"About time," he said with a broad smile and feigned irritation. "I was just beginning to think I was going to have to figure out how to put this contraption together by myself."

}"Did you actually expect help with the carpentry from me?" Luther shrugged in a grand gesture of helplessness. "You know how often I hit my thumb with the hammer."

}"Pipe delivery is your specialty, I suppose?" he said.

}Luther gestured toward the back door. "I'll bring the truck down the alley and unload them right back here."

}"Good idea," Arthel agreed.

}The design of the cold box was not Luther's idea. For years, double-walled boxes packed with ice had kept perishables cold. And for the past few years refrigerant pumped through panels by a small motor had been widely tested. Luther, however, had decided to use a combination of both methods. The cold box at Penny's Grocery would easily be able to store fresh meat, and milk could keep inside for over a week, while eggs would be edible for at least a month.

}"So, the wood fitting's done," Arthel told Luther as he brought the last of the thin copper tubing in from the truck. "What do you need me to do now?"

}"Nothing much," Luther answered with a deceptive grin. "I just need you to bend some pipe."

}"Sounds easy enough," Arthel said.

}Of course, it wasn't all that easy. Luther's plan involved filling the empty insulating space between the inner and outer walls of the cold box with coils of thin copper piping. A naturally supercooled liquid would be pumped through the pipes, creating a very cold space that would cool the interior box. For the best results, Luther wanted the copper pipes coiled tightly and close together. But if the coils were too tight or had any kinks, the flow of the refrigerant might be cut off completely, or at the least the motor on the pump would be overworked.

}Arthel set up the welding torch outside the back door to solder the tubing together. Occasionally, Luther spelled him in twisting the coils.

}By noon the coils were in place and hooked up to the pump. The two young men were shirtless and sweaty as they set the inner box within the mesh of tubing. Arthel hammered on the end pieces as Luther stood back and watched.

}"I sure hope the dang thing works," Luther said.

}"It will," Arthel said confidently.

}"The refrigerant should be arriving in a day or two. Then all we have to do is fill up the pipes and start it pumping through."

}Titus Penny came back into the storage area. "It looks wonderful! It's so large."

}"It ought to hold just about everything you can need," Luther told him with only the slightest hint of boast in his voice. "As soon as those chemical tanks arrive from Oklahoma City, I'll come back to get it started."

}Penny slapped Luther companionably on the back., "This is really something. I swear, Luther, you ought to open up a refrigeration shop in that building you've bought across the street. It would be a great new business for the town."

}Luther's smile dimmed, but only slightly. "I haven't decided what I'm doing with that building yet. As soon as I know, I'm sure everyone in town will too."

}* * *

}In another quarter of an hour, the two young men had loaded up their scraps and tools and retrieved their shirts. Arthel had jumped into the driver's seat.

}"You know what I'd like to do?" Luther said. "I'd like to take the afternoon off and just lie down by the water at Frogeye Creek."