and stocky young man with a wide grin who clearly loved his work. “Hiya, pals!” he said as he made his way over to the filling station with the crowd following behind him. Fritzi was blown away. She had never seen anyone so confident, so self-assured, and she loved the way he had said “Hiya, pals!” with such flair. It was as if he had stepped right out of a movie.
Billy walked over to the station and posed for pictures and gave radio and newspaper interviews for about an hour. Later, he waved good-bye to the crowd with a “So long, pals,” and went inside the house next door and was treated to lunch with the Jurdabralinski family.
During his visit, they learned that he had flown over that morning from Grand Rapids. Wink was enthralled as he sat and listened to Billy tell tales about his flying exploits as a barnstormer and stunt flier. After lunch, they walked him back to his plane and waved as he took off to the east. They all agreed it had been the most exciting day of their lives.
It had also been a very good day for Billy. He had flown away with a large paper bag full of good Polish sausage and homemade candy that the mother had packed for him, plus something else. He had learned the names of all four daughters.
N OT LONG AFTER B ILLY ’ S first visit, someone heard the sound of a plane circling above the town. They all came out and looked up and saw that it was the skywriter back again, but this time, after he had finished, they saw he had written in large white letters across the sky,
HEY, FRITZI, HOW ABOUT A DATE?
Billy had a hunch. Fritzi was not the prettiest sister. Sophie, the youngest, was the beauty, and the other two girls were swell looking, too, but there was something about Fritzi that he liked. She had real spirit, and he was looking for a gal with spirit.
When Momma stepped out and looked up and saw the message in the sky, she shook her head. She had been concerned about something like this happening. She was afraid that of all her children, Fritzi would be the one who would run off from home, looking for some wild new adventure. And she could tell by the way Fritzi had pushed her way past everybody to sit by Billy Bevins at lunch and how she had hung on to his every word, this might be it.
T WO DAYS LATER , WHEN the family was having dinner, Billy Bevins called the phone number at the filling station, and Wink ran over to the house to get Fritzi.
After a few minutes, Fritzi came back to the kitchen looking flushed and excited and announced to the table, “Billy’s coming to get me on Saturday and fly me to Milwaukee for dinner and dancing!”
Momma turned to her husband, waiting for him to put his foot down and say no, but he just nodded and kept eating. Wink and the other girls were as excited as Fritzi and started jumping up and down. Wink asked, “Can I go, too?” so Momma knew she was outnumbered. And, besides, what could she do? Stanislaw was right. Fritzi was a new breed of American girl with a mind of her own, and nothing she could say would stop her anyway. All Momma could do was go to Saint Mary’s and light a candle to the Blessed Mother and pray Fritzi didn’t fall out of the plane.
The next day, when Fritzi told her friends about it, one girl said, “Oh, Fritzi, I’d be scared to go off with a stranger like that.” The other girl said, “Yeah, aren’t you afraid he might get you up in the air and then try to get fresh?” But Fritzi wasn’t worried. She had been on too many hayrides with over-six-foot-tall Wisconsin farm boys, and if she could handle them, she surely could handle him. Billy wasn’t much taller than she was.
The following Saturday afternoon, Fritzi, dressed in a blue suit, white blouse, white shoes, and a white hat, climbed into the backseat of the plane and waved good-bye to her family, while Momma stood there making the sign of the cross over and over again. “Oh, dear Mother of God, let her live through this.” But Momma knew, even if
Billy walked over to the station and posed for pictures and gave radio and newspaper interviews for about an hour. Later, he waved good-bye to the crowd with a “So long, pals,” and went inside the house next door and was treated to lunch with the Jurdabralinski family.
During his visit, they learned that he had flown over that morning from Grand Rapids. Wink was enthralled as he sat and listened to Billy tell tales about his flying exploits as a barnstormer and stunt flier. After lunch, they walked him back to his plane and waved as he took off to the east. They all agreed it had been the most exciting day of their lives.
It had also been a very good day for Billy. He had flown away with a large paper bag full of good Polish sausage and homemade candy that the mother had packed for him, plus something else. He had learned the names of all four daughters.
N OT LONG AFTER B ILLY ’ S first visit, someone heard the sound of a plane circling above the town. They all came out and looked up and saw that it was the skywriter back again, but this time, after he had finished, they saw he had written in large white letters across the sky,
HEY, FRITZI, HOW ABOUT A DATE?
Billy had a hunch. Fritzi was not the prettiest sister. Sophie, the youngest, was the beauty, and the other two girls were swell looking, too, but there was something about Fritzi that he liked. She had real spirit, and he was looking for a gal with spirit.
When Momma stepped out and looked up and saw the message in the sky, she shook her head. She had been concerned about something like this happening. She was afraid that of all her children, Fritzi would be the one who would run off from home, looking for some wild new adventure. And she could tell by the way Fritzi had pushed her way past everybody to sit by Billy Bevins at lunch and how she had hung on to his every word, this might be it.
T WO DAYS LATER , WHEN the family was having dinner, Billy Bevins called the phone number at the filling station, and Wink ran over to the house to get Fritzi.
After a few minutes, Fritzi came back to the kitchen looking flushed and excited and announced to the table, “Billy’s coming to get me on Saturday and fly me to Milwaukee for dinner and dancing!”
Momma turned to her husband, waiting for him to put his foot down and say no, but he just nodded and kept eating. Wink and the other girls were as excited as Fritzi and started jumping up and down. Wink asked, “Can I go, too?” so Momma knew she was outnumbered. And, besides, what could she do? Stanislaw was right. Fritzi was a new breed of American girl with a mind of her own, and nothing she could say would stop her anyway. All Momma could do was go to Saint Mary’s and light a candle to the Blessed Mother and pray Fritzi didn’t fall out of the plane.
The next day, when Fritzi told her friends about it, one girl said, “Oh, Fritzi, I’d be scared to go off with a stranger like that.” The other girl said, “Yeah, aren’t you afraid he might get you up in the air and then try to get fresh?” But Fritzi wasn’t worried. She had been on too many hayrides with over-six-foot-tall Wisconsin farm boys, and if she could handle them, she surely could handle him. Billy wasn’t much taller than she was.
The following Saturday afternoon, Fritzi, dressed in a blue suit, white blouse, white shoes, and a white hat, climbed into the backseat of the plane and waved good-bye to her family, while Momma stood there making the sign of the cross over and over again. “Oh, dear Mother of God, let her live through this.” But Momma knew, even if
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