"That'll hardly be necessary" I said primly but with proper amuse- ment, "I had a physical examination just last week, so what do you think of that?" That'd fix him, I thought. As if it were any of his busi- ness, anyway, actually, but the doctor who gave me my hormone in- jections always examined me. So there!

The other ladies in our little crowd were taking it all in, of course. There were fairly audible comments, now. "Never heard of such a thing; a girl can't even mind her own business these days" I heard from one lady and "She's so cute-what's the idiot ever thinking of, any- way?" from another.

I think the cop caught the word "idiot,” too, assumed properly that it was directed at him, and got maybe a little madder.

"It isn't quite that kind of an examination-ah-Miss" he said, "it's..."

"If you do subject this poor girl to a needless ordeal of that sort" Millie broke in again, “I'll be tickled pink a month from now to see you directing traffic in Chatsworth. I'll personally see to it that Dorothy sues you for six kinds of false arrest, besides."

The cop was losing face fast in this crowd and he knew it. "I can also take all you ladies in, too" he railed, “for disturbing the peace and . . .'

"Yer nuts!" Millie said with her hands on her hips, “You're the one who's disturbing the peace and molesting this girl who's been one of my dearest customers for years. You got holes in your head or some- thing?"

The background noises were now gaining in strength, too. "There's something wrong with that cop" I heard distinctly. Then an older, kind of bony woman in the back of the crowd quite broke down and began to sob.

"So young, so pretty—it's awful!" she shrieked and leaned against a neighbor as great tears flowed. I took my cue. I fished my dainty hanky from my beaded bag and dabbed at my eyes. "Boo hoo" I whimpered faintly.

"There, there, dear." Millie had clasped me quickly to her ample bosom and I buried myself in it gratefully. How nice she was, I thought in my grief. The other ladies now were really aroused!