The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-04-18
Chapter IA
a VIsIToR coMEs

: ~ MI WdHI6u IfSI VI Ill q law
a yer; I felt rather cold as sud.
denly recalled that in France there
is no writ Of habeas corpus. 1t is
true that / was an American citi-
zen, a fact clearly set forth in my
passport. but this had not appeared
to relieve the situation in the least.
1t didn't seem at all legal that
they should simply throw me into
TAIL and keep me there, but every.
thing / had ever heard about the
remarkable freedom Of the French
police in such matters returned to
my memory, and | began to feel a
degree of anxiety which, ! was to
discover, was quite justftiable.
Night comes early in the winter
at Armene, and the room was quite
dark, and no one had appeared to
light 1t, and l was smoking my last
cigarette and wishing I had the
pompous old commissaire by the
beard when / heard footsteps ana
voices and a key turning In the lock.
The cold, dark little room was
flooded with light. and a visitor, a
man, was ushered in to see me.
/ got to my feet and was blinking
In the unexpected light as he insin-
uated something th1l ratified gently
into the hand of the man who had
opened the door. Then my visitor
turned. and saw the man who had
arrived at the hotel during the
afternoon.
He said briskiy:
''Tm sorry to see you here, Mr..
Sunbeam. MY name is Lorn David
Lorn." He paused and then added:
miss Tally asked me to see you."
His words were neither promis-
ing nor exactly explanatory; still,
things looked suddenly better. Twas
not, after all. entirely without a
friend
"Sit DOWN."
He drew up the small straight
chair, and sat down on the cot.
He put HIS hat on the floor, opened
HIS coat, and drew out q folded
paper. While his chin was no larger
than 1t had been in the afternoon,
I'm bound 10 admit that the sight OF
HIS countenance was very welcome.
He handed me the paper, and it was
. note from Sue Tally. 1t was brief
but nice. sfss
She had written:
Your being thrust into Jan Is
absurd and lntolerable. This is Mr..
Lorn. He knows the whole AFFAIR
and thinks he can do something
about r..
She had written hurriedly and,
thought, agitatedly, and her sigma
ture was a spirited s. Tally.
miss Tally is very good" I said.
I put the note in my pocket.
He cleared hts throat and looked
at the floor by my feet.
"She thinks you didn't do this"
she's right said with some
heat.
I'm fact" he went on rather can.
: tiously. "after hearing her story
OF the whole affair. am inclined to
agree with her. At least" he con-
tinued before could speak. there
appear to be a number OF rather I'm
terestlng points Of which she has
told me which may -mind. only
say may-proye to be evidence"
"Evidenceg"
Evidence IN your favor. I mean
TO say However. you--er--" !
thought he looked directly at q .
and he said Unexpectedly. sIt's Just
as well to start with q clean slate,
however. take 1t ron really didn't
murder the man.
you're damned right. didn,t
murder him. never even saw him
before"
Never mind, never mind. Ididn't |
think so. Sit down. Mr. Sunbeam.
sit down.. He looked at me doubt.
fully. There, now. that's better.
Mr. Sunbeam Let's be calm about
this. First. however. do yon feel
like-er-accepting my helpG"
"Am | In a position to refuse
hninsN
He smiled family.
NO be said as II I had expected !
a reply. Mice that yon can keen !
your spirits up You aren't IN q very |
nice position, you knows
l said more graeionsly;
IT'S very good Of you 10 ofer 10 |