That night Harley hurriedly applied his makeup making a mishmash of his rosy cheeks and dotting his face with freckles anywhere the grease pencil happened to alight. Even his wig, a shock of unruly red hair, was askew. When all was in approximate position on his head he rushed to the edge of the curtain where Sam, dressed in his white good cowboy clothes and Ed, impeccably attired in shiny black, were peeking through the curtain.
“Town marshal’s here tonight with his family,” Ed announced. “Be good, boys. Old man Massengale can be a mean old cuss.”
Harley’s head shot up. “Massengale? Did you say Massengale?”
“I see he didn’t bring his little girl with him this time,” Ed continued, ignoring Harley’s question.
Sam punched Harley in the side. “Her name wouldn’t happen to be—“
“Billie,” Harley filled in.
“Yep, Billie,” Ed confirmed. He looked through the curtain again. “Boy, that son of his, Burnie, sure got big.”
Harley pushed past Ed to peek through the curtain. “Let me see.” As he peered through the small slit, his eyes focused on two men. One looked like a giant, with a big amiable grin on his face. Sitting next to him was a large middle-aged man who shifted in his seat scowling. Harley pulled away slowly.
“Don’t tell me Burnie is the mountain sitting next to the man who looks like he’s been sucking on a lemon all day.” Harley’s worst fear was about to be confirmed.
“That’s him,” Ed said.
Sam let out a soft “ooh” before saying, “And the man’s who’s been sucking on the lemon all day is his father, right?”
“Right.”
Sam patted Harley on his slender shoulder. “Oh, Harley, when you pick ‘em, you pick ‘em.”
***
In the solitude of the Massengale house, Billie quickly packed a suitcase. She picked up the hand fan with Harley’s picture on it and kissed it, leaving an impression of her red lipstick. Billie then tossed it into the suitcase. At the last moment she grabbed from the suitcase a dress she had just packed, tossed it aside and replaced it with a dress with a few more frills on it. Unfortunately she did not notice the hand fan fell out of the luggage and on to the floor. Clicking it shut, Billie carried it with determination out of the house and down the street to the show tent on the outskirts of town.
Waiting in the shadows, she watched her friends and neighbors leave the show and go home. Finally she saw her mother, father and brother walk out, get into the Model T and drive away. Finally, Harley, dressed in another sporty suit, came out and looked around. Billie grabbed her bag and ran to him.
***
After a big hug and kiss, Harley helped her into Mr. Fox’s car and they drove into Cameron. She directed him to the home of her family minister. As they walked up the sidewalk, Harley looked at her askance.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a mountain for a brother?”
“Burnie?” Billie replied in amazement. “Why, I told you about him. I said he was a lamb.”
“Lambs aren’t seven feet tall.”
“Silly,” she said, dismissing the accusation. “Burnie’s not seven feet tall. Only six foot five.”
Harley rang the doorbell.
“And you didn’t tell me your father was town marshal. Town marshals carry revolvers.”
“Not Daddy.”
“Thank goodness for small wonders.”
The Rev. Mr. Cole opened the door. “Yes? Why, Billie Massengale, what are you doing out this time of night?”
Billie turned to Harley. “He prefers a shotgun.”
Harley moaned before explaining the situation to Pastor Cole who invited them into his parlor. He left them there as he walked down the hall to his bedroom.
“Mother! Come here! We’ve got a wedding! Guess who it is?”
Billie looked a little bit guilty. “I guess I wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry. It’s just that—if I told Mama and Daddy I wanted to marry you and leave Cameron—well, by the time they’d given their permission you’d be gone on to the next town.”
“I’d come back for you.” Harley smiled sweetly.
“I was afraid you might find someone you liked better.”
He hugged her. “I could never find anyone I liked better than you.”
They kissed just as the preacher and his wife came in the parlor.
“Billie Massengale!” Mrs. Cole exclaimed. “I don’t believe it!”
The pastor turned to his wife. “I forgot my Bible. I’ll be right back.”
“Before we make this permanent, do you have any other secrets, like your mother is a hatchet murderer?”
“No.” She giggled. “Oh, I do like to sneak a beer every once in a while.”
“I can live with that.”
Rev. Cole returned and efficiently conducted the wedding ceremony. His wife cried as the young couple kissed again. The pastor cleared his throat.
“That’ll be five dollars, son.”
“Oh yeah.” Harley fumbled with his pockets. “I don’t seem….” He stopped in the middle of his search with an awful look of recollection. “Oh yeah. I gave someone five dollars for the chewing gum wrapper I wrote the message on that I sent you last night. I forgot about that.”
Billie patted his hand. “Don’t worry. I got paid today.” She took a bill from her purse to pay Rev. Cole.
“I hope we did the right thing, Billie.” Mrs. Cole tossed a nervous glance Harley’s way. “Your parents are going to be fearful upset in the morning.”
No one had looked at Harley that way since he was still a kid trying to get out of working in the fields. He felt terrible. Billie smiled and hugged him.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine.”
***
In the morning Mrs. Massengale was in the kitchen cooking a big breakfast for her husband and son. Mr. Massengale needed to keep up his energy during the day as he maintained law and order in Cameron. And his son Burnie ate a lot just because he was so big. The aromas lured the menfolk to the kitchen but Billie didn’t show, which was unusual. Even though she did not like a big breakfast she did enjoy a piece of toast and a cup of hot coffee as she chatted with her family. If she were late to work Mrs. Harmon would be mad.
“Well,” Mr. Massengale said, “she was already in bed when we came home last night, so she didn’t need any extra sleep.”
Mrs. Massengale frowned, took her apron off and headed for the door. “I think I better check on her.”
“I think I’ll go ahead and get started on my bacon and eggs, if you don’t mind, Ma,” Burnie said as he began to shovel food in his mouth.
Billie’s mother rapped lightly at her door. When there wasn’t an answer, Mrs. Massengale turned the knob and entered the bedroom. Billie was not there. The bed had not been slept in. Quickly she checked her closet, and half of Billie’s clothes were gone and so was her suitcase. Finally she spied the fan from the tent show. The picture of the actor on the fan was covered with her daughter’s shade of lipstick. After a moment, when the situation dawned on her, Mrs. Massengale screamed. Her husband ran into the room.
“What’s the matter, Lou?”
“Billie’s run off with that stupid, silly actor!” she cried, waving the fan in his face.
He turned to yell down the hall. “Burnie! Get the shotgun!”
***
At the tent grounds, Harley and Billie held hands as they walked backstage. He pointed up.
“And that’s what we call a roll drop. It’s kind of like a curtain and it has a scene painted on it. We have several so we can change backgrounds real fast.”
“It’s all so new and exciting.” Billie said in awe. “I guess I’ll get used to it, eventually.”
The quiet happy moment ended abruptly when Mr. Massengale’s voice cut through the morning air.
“Harley Sadler! Come out here right now with my daughter!”
“Yeah!” Burnie added ominously.
Harley was not naïve. He knew this moment would come eventually, so he tightened his grip on Billie’s hand, lifted his chin and walked through the curtain onto the stage to face his irate new in-laws. It did not encourage him to see Mr. Massengale standing there with his shotgun firmly in his hands. Burnie, with his fists clenched, looked like he could chew nails. Perhaps the worst of them was Billie’s mother whose eyes were red from all the tears. The lace handkerchief she daubed her moist cheeks with was sopping wet. Harley put on his best open, innocent Toby grin.
“Hello, Mrs. Massengale. Good morning, Mr. Massengale.” He paused to wave at Billie’s brother. “Hi, Burnie!”
“Oh no!” the mother cried.
“Everything’s fine, Mama,” Billie tried to soothe her. “I’m fine. “I’m—I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
“You ain’t old enough to know what happy is!” her father retorted.
“Yeah!” Burnie agreed.
“Yes, I am!” Billie defended herself.
“No, you’re not! Grown-up folk don’t go run off and get married and worry their mama to death!” her father growled.
Harley stepped forward. “You’re right, Mr. Massengale. It wasn’t very considerate of me to make your wife worry like that. Or upset you.”
“I ain’t upset!” he shot back.
“I’m upset!” Burnie said.
“Burnie, be quiet!” his father ordered.
“It’s just that….” Harley paused to collect his thoughts. He continued in a softer voice. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“That’s foolishness!” Mr. Massengale snorted.
Harley turned his attention to Mrs. Massengale. He smiled his sweetest smile and fluttered his eyelashes.
“Ma’am, how about you? Do you believe in love at first sight?”
She wiped tears from her eyes and blew her nose in her hanky. Looking at her husband, she smiled shyly. “Yes.”
“Good, ‘cause I do too.” A big grin exploded on Harley’s face.
“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Billie said. “He’s very good at making people laugh.”
“Hmph. Some talent.”
Mrs. Massengale put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Please, dear, listen.”
“I’m principal comedian for Mr. Fox.”
“That’s a very important position, Daddy.” Billie explained.
Harley felt his confidence growing. “And one of these days I’m going to have my own show. And I’m going to make Billie the star of that show!”
“Oh, Harley,” Billie sighed.
“And, Burnie, you could work for me. A big fella like you, you could help put up the tent, all over Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico!”
“Gosh, do you really think so?” Burnie gasped in awe of the possibilities.
“And you, Mr. and Mrs. Massengale, you could come along with us, if you wanted to.”
Harley paused, dramatically turned and pointed to the Fox banner over the proscenium.
“And up there, where everybody could see it, will be my banner proclaiming: ‘Harley Sadler’s Own Show’!”