The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-01-14
me and that he wants us to marry"

cause you've made him believe it
MARKS lazy, Marks cruel and
there's . side Of Mark that makes
him hold to you because with you
he can be as lazy and cruel as he
chooses. How do you know that
| with me he might not learn to be
less crazy and less cruel?"
Because" said Barbara, icy, I'M
relenting, II saw portrait he paint
ed of you. He has never been so
cruel to me as that!"
ooh. Mark! Oh. Mark"
-Leila's hands were flung out, as
though she sought for help. Then
she went stifly back to the table.
sat down and held her head.
Barbara's anger had vanished ut
terly. She, too. returned to the ia
BILE.
I'm terribly sorry / said that,
Leila! Terribly ashamed.
After a moment the mufled voice
answered from under shielding fin
gers.
"You needn't be. / provoked you
to it Has anyone besides yourself
seen it?"
mo-" said Barbara without
qualm. She added, coming closer
its destroyed now, absolutely
obliterated. You can forget it-and
everything to do with it."
I'D like to tell you about-the
portrait" said Leila, applying lip
stick and powder-puff with careful
precision.
"You needn't tell me. Leila"
1--WE were seeing a lot Of bach
other. l think Mark wanted to fall
in love with me; or perhaps he only
wanted to feel free. He seemed to
resent violently that he was not
free: and yet he never contemplated
for one instant giving you up. 1t
was as If he--daren't."
"Fm not his iailer!"
Are you sure you're not? Any
way, he was irked and restless and
he took it out on me, but only,
swear. because he was irked. don't
naturally drive him to cruelty, as
You do"
"It's useless, this kind of talk"
mo, not useless. It's part Of
what lies between us and it's time
we had 1t clear. Barbara, Mark
and l decided at last-there was a
fancy dress ball in town and we
planned"
"Fve told you I don't want to
know"
"And I've told you I want to tell.
We left this hole of a place quite
openly but ] turned off the London
road the other side Of Toxeter and
We went down to q little village /
know on the South coast.
He gave me an emerald pendant,
beautiful thing, set in platinum.
But there was a girl there--a
enthusiastically like you and it
broke Marks mood. Next day he
began to taunt me. went off the
deep end-I threw the emerald at
him--we had hell of q row and in
the end Idrove up to town, swear.
ing he could stick alone there by
the sea for the rest OF his wicked
life"
She bent and peered into the mir.
ror In her bag and ran a ifinger-tip
over the arches Of her brows.
After I'd been In London at the
fiat-a couple OF weeks. he sent me
photograph. I gaped at tat
flrstI couldn't get the point at all.
You see. hadn't seen the portrait.
then"
1T was a photograph Of the por-
trait?'
at was indeed" Leila laughed
the old, nnocking laugh, q little bit
ter. a little amused. you've seen
1t, youth know why couldn't risk
his showing 1t to anyone"
'Ee never would have shown It.
He couldn't!"
Don't be a fool! You know he'd
have shown It TO all Kings Mallsrd
IL 1t had suited him. No one would
have believed that / hadn't sat for
1t. He had been making notes of
me for weeks. yen see. and he evi.
IDENTIFY had had his sketch-hook with
hlm-and there's no doubt he has a
wonderful memory. Well, when
I'd grasped the idea, | wired him
How muche,,"
What? You--you dared?"
MARX wired back-:Fifty.' He
informed me afterwards that II bare.
ly covered his expenses In getting
back here. He'd written to Mr..
Frera for his fare home and that
blessed old saint went himself by
car and collected him."
Barbara gripped the table as
though she had taken a blow over
the heart
fcopyrtaAs 1859, Jsita elegt-AddanssJ
Barbara has an evsrnIshs guest.