The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-08-09
lie HIDDEN DOOR

BY FRANK Z. PACKARD

She tossed her head.
You know the penalty for mu.
tiny, don't your"
All right" he grinned; and then,
seriously: "But If we don't get back
within reasonable time your IA
Their will be frightfully worried"
NO." she said calmly: mot bit.
Father was brought up on the coast.
He knows exactly what we will have
done. So long as we get back before
he leaves for Gaspe, 1t will be all
right-and we're sure t. do that, for
this fog. of course, will delay the
Belle Fleur too"
Splendid" said Colin. He spread
one edge OF the tarpaulin over her
as a covering, and quite unneces-
sarily rearranged the cushion under
her head. I'm that case" he laughed,
II shan't mind, from purely selfish
reasons, IL the fog lasts on bit"
The fog did last-unduly. Dark.
ness came. In spite of her insistence
that it was nothing at ALL" the blow
on her head refused be treated
quite so cavalierly, and she had been
content to lie where she was. drows.
ing good part of the time.
She was asleep now. But now It
was a wholly natural sleep. The
lunch basket and the thermos bot
tie, juss as evening had set in, had
worked wonders.
What time was It? Colin, sitting
on the ground beside her, fumbled
for his watch, and then replaced 1t
in his pocket. If he struck a match
he might awaken her. 1t must be
somewhere around ten o'clock.
A queer smile twisted his lips. The
last sort of complication he had ex.
pected to encounter on this quest Of
his for one Joseph La-arre was
Germaine Tremblay. Like story.
He knew now that he had written
her finally and for all time into his
life.
LIE realized now that. from the
! 4 moment he had met her on the
Bonaventure, he had subconsciously
known this would be so, but he had
never questioned himself. And this
afternoon when he hac carried her
from the boat, and she had lain
there in his arms white and uncon-
scious, suddenly he had known then,
too. that there never would be need
for questioning. He knew now that
everything that the world held for
him was vested in Germaine Trem.
blay.
And she? He shook his head. II
their companionship had come to
mean anything more to her than the
frank and open friendship which
she offered, she had shown no sign
OF 1t. But neither had he, for that
matter. His hands clenched sud-
denly. Over their picnic supper she
had asked some natural and limo
cent questions about his life in Bos.
ton-,and he had lied glibly.
But why 80 on with that? It had
been with himsalL afternoon and eve
ming. What good did 1t do to tell
himself again that the masquerade
was not of his making. and that he
was no criminal? What could he say
to a girl about love. even II he dared
hope tLat she too might care. when
he himself was being hunted for his
life and could only be a source OF
danger to her IL he we're discovered?
He shrugged his shoulders in vi.
cious dismissal of the subject. He
thought OF the boat--and wished he
could at least glimpse 1t. But be.
tween the fog and the darkness he
could not see more than two or
three yards in front of him. Perhaps
he couldn't have seen the boat any.
way from where he sat even II there
were no fog.
He turned his head sharply--lis.
tenlng. His ear had caught the
sound OF movement somewhere in
the woods near at hand. II came
nearer--the crackle of twigs and
underbrush. An animal OF some sort,
probably. His lips tibhtened q little.
Germaine was still asleep. and he
did not waken her. Why should he
yet? His hand went into his pocket
and came out with the revolver. for
which be had bought reserve sup
ply Of ammunition in Quebec. and
which had never left his person
since the night he had picked 1t up
In Butch Connars room.
And now the sounds died away
for an instant-then came again.
But this time 1t was the crunching
of sand. Whatever 1t was, II was
moving along the beach now. Not
far away, But he could see nothing.
And then suddenly there came
what seemed like the thud of heavy
body falling on the sand, then veil
OF pain. followed instantly By a tor.
rent OF vile oaths in English.
fCanwtcAt se.s Eramk 4. Packsrdl
sudden dsrasr thruSts ttSstt ussa
Sslla ana esrnatne. tomorrow.