The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-03-01
Chapter q
MARGARET pERPLExED

MARGARET PERPLExED
a 3 MARGARET approached the
"A heavy iron-studded garden-dpor
at the foot Of the staircase that led
I up 20 the apartments of the Lady El
lisa Beth 81 Ain, who was also the
Sonora Maiigni. an old man. clad In
F. Q dirty hooded cloak. rose from the
( great squared stone that was at
once q mounting.biock and q door
step.
II want to see :" began Mar
,garet, and. as the man shook his
head, realized that It was useless to
speak to him in English.
Ne desire )" and again the
mau shook his head, and. with up.
lifted outrspread hand, signed tc her
70 stay where she was. while with
the other he pointed first to himself
and then TO the stairs.
IA the shadow Of the vast wall OF
the courtyard, Margaret waited
until Hassen 81 Miskeen. reapDear-
ting, beckoned to her to come with
him.
| Followed by Margaret the door.
keeper climbed three steep flights
OF stairs and traversed several dark
and airless stone corridors.
At another heavy iron-studded
door he halted, unfastened Il,
pushed 1t open and held aside 0
heavy curtain for Margaret to en-.
tier.
The conversation that ensued
Was difficult and unsatisfactory.
both by reason or the ladies' lack
! OF proficiency in one Of their mu-
tuai languages--which were Eng
lish and FFeneh--and by reason OF
what Margaret considered the
Others unreasonable attitude
yes, my son Jules Is here" Mar
garet understood her 70 say in heI
curious English and still more
faulty French. HE Is ill-very III.
tt = your fault. II he could ha q
stayed with me. he would never
have learnt these nasty foreign hab'
its, And why are you so cold2 And
why are you not obedient to Jules.
as q good wife should always be "a
her hnsbandfr
IN English where she could. and
/ On French where she must. Mar.
garet 81 Favored to point out that
q was ) when he had returned
TO his p~u country that Jules had
! developed bad habits. and that In
England he had Deen as abstemiout
fas the average English gentleman
and had never. on any occasion. "a
far % she knew, drunk more than
was good for him.
Whereat the mother shrugged
and looked sceptical.
Nor should ri lisa Beth el All
forget that she too had English
blood 10 her veins, and that an Eng
lish wife held q position very DIFF
ferent from that OF an Arab wife
They we're not slaves. and II wal
not expected OF them that they
should be unquestioningly obedieni
% their husbands. They we're thelI
husbands partners. friends and
eQuals--not their chattels.
Jules ls not my MASTER"
isn't be your husbandf Arena
lyon marriedf@
~Yes. he IL my husband
~very vel. then. r.
In eny case.r Margaret pointed
cut ~there is no question OF my
leaying mp husband. I'm not talk
fng o. leaving here alone. JULES
WIN accompany me. OF course. W.
enly came here on Walt"
"A VISIT" smiled 81 Isa Beth 81
Ain. Apparently Jules doesn't tel
you a. much as he tells his mother
u win be q long visit"
! -whyr@
~whys Because this Is his home
or. 81 any rate. Morocco ID his home
He has got 60 come into his fathers
business and that 10 here In Mekaz
sen and Tangler, and sometimes ID
Gibraltar where my mother came
from. and IN Maiseilles."
4 an certainly not going to i've
IN Morocco" said Margaret.
'Then it's q pity you married q
man who is-
-xes.S
n lisa Beth el Ain shrugged elo
0uent shoulders
Anyhow said Margaret. Il vii
zee jules now
-FIe IL sleeping. He Is very IN"
IAN the more reason why
should be With him. u he is IN.
am the proper person to nurse
hlm."
Mothers sometimes make gooi
nurses. I win nurse aim"