She smiled weakly. "All right Ah guess," she said with a soft drawl.
"Let's see," he said looking at her feelie permit, "you are Miss, ah,
Loretta Meenan, and, well, you are from Hammond, Louisiana." He looked
up at her and smiled. "May I ask how old you are Miss Meenan?"
"Sixteen."
"A very charming sixteen, I must say. Are you here with your family?"
"Yes. Ma an' pa are at the convention. They let us come to the feelies."
"Us?"
"Mah older brother, Jason."
"Oh? How old is he?"
"Eighteen. But he's big, real man-lookin' an' folks who don't know
mistake him for past twenty."
"What couch did he have?"
"Next to mine on the left."
The doctor consulted his notepad. "Ah, that would make it number, ah,
six thousand forty-two. We'll have one of the ushers bring him down."
"Please don't," she said hastily. "Not 'till the feelie's over anyhow.
He'll have the furies with me if he misses the endin' on mah account."
"All right," the doctor agreed amiably. "How are you enjoying your visit
to New York?"
"Ah'm havin' a dazzlin' time."
"Good. Do you go to the feelies at home?" The doctor saw her tense
forward from the curve of the chair.
"Yes."
"Enjoy them?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever been badly upset by horror feelies before?"
"No, sir."
The doctor was aware of the apprehension behind her guardedness. "Do you
have any idea why this one should have upset you so?"
"No, sir, except maybe the excitement. Ah ain't never been much away
from home before but once to New Orleans."
The doctor looked at her permit card again. "This isn't a very good
likeness of you."
"It does reflect me poorly," she murmured.
The doctor's smile evaporated from his suddenly stern face. "Perhaps
it's because this is not your picture and this is not your card."
Her face went white.
"What is your name?"
"Robina Rowe." Her downcast eyes were locked on her fingers squirming in
her lap.
"Who's Loretta Meenan?"
"Mah girlfriend."
"Why did you borrow her card?"
She was close to tears. "Ah jus' had to go to this feelie. It's got mah
very favorite actor in it."
"Evidently your card doesn't permit you to attend horror feelies."
She nodded.
"Why not? Nightmares?"
She shook her head.
"Don't tell me you have a bad heart!"
She shook her head again. "Ah'm a Sensitive," she said bleakly.
* * * * *
In a sudden surge of anger the doctor half rose out of his chair and
leaned across the desk. "Why you little fool!" he roared. "You little
damn fool!"
From the open doorway a shape hurtled across the desk at the doctor and
crashed with him to the floor.
"Jason!" Robina shrieked.
"Don't you talk to mah sister that way," Jason shouted as he pummelled
the doctor. "Ah'll kill you!"
The usher who had guided Jason to the clinic dashed around the desk to
pull the boy from the doctor. Robina tried to help but in the tussle she
was knocked down, striking her head on a leg of the overturned chair.
Jason, hearing her cry of pain, leaped off the doctor to aid her.
* * * * *
"It's only a little bump," Jason said reassuringly as he cradled her in
his arms.
The doctor got to his feet and glared at the tall, strikingly handsome
boy-man helping his sister to a chair.