The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-03-30
Chapter %
TROUBLE

bnOOB6E
MOT hungry" said Judith when
~ Slim suggested dinner.
81 am" he retorted, "I'm like my
ship, no fuel-no CO."
SORRY" she laid her hand on HIS
sleeve and found it engulfed in one
OF his big brown fists.
Forgiven but how about run.
ming out to one Of the oyster farms?
II won't take US long"
Anything"
She thought Of q few things as
Slim drove on in a borrowed car,
with her beside him. Slim was be-
ing awfully decent. He hadn't asked
a single question about her sudden
return.
Queer how he had waited, In
sisted upon waiting, she must ques-
ton him about that. He'd probably
say it was q bunch. According to
Slim, men who lived in the air lived
also by lunches
And then they were passing
through a gaudily lighted driveway.
Slim was half leading. half pushing
her along the edge Of q dance noor,
lined by long tables where couples
and families and parties were din
ing. And then they were in a small
room with crude wooden furniture
and steaming broth was before her
and Slim was urging her to try
some so he'd feel at home.
"Slim." she said at length and
showed him the now empty bowl,
"are there any platinum blondes In
Heayen?"
Slim speared a succulent oyster
and regarded It thoughtfully-
Judy. / don't like to sail under
false colors. That's one place I
haven't landed. However. think
IT'S safe to say only black haired
girls with sea-grey eyes are al.
lowed" then suddenly. Judy
are there platinum blondes in Cal
veston?'
She nodded miserably and a tear
plopped onto q half-shell.
Too much hot sauce" scolded
Slim, and then he became the Slim
she had known heretofore. gay.
whimsical. audacious, one mood
moving Into the next until she was
forced to forget her woes.
"Ah Jude" he sighed hours later.
as he left her at Hillendale. Il
should have handled my Chinese
war lord American fashion;
punch under the chin instead Of six
months OF diplomacy"
But why?"
I'D have been back here six
months sooner"
Not until he had left did she catch
the underlying meaning of that
wish.
The house was dark. and yet the
familiar odor OF new wood and
paint. OF pipe tobacco and flowers
intermingling. took away any sense
or strangeness. II was home She
reached for familiar wall buttons
but even as she reached. heard Lige
coming.
Heard your auto" he explained.
blinking his eyes. MAINS comm
long soon's she can histe her
clothes"
Judith waited In her room while
Deiphy "histed." waited and
thought OF what Slim haG said. six
months sooner"
Did be mean he might have won
her. had he arrived In time to try?
Goodness no. not Slim. not the good
looking sky-blazer who could have
his choice Of q million girls all over
the world. Yet Norman had liked
her. -.
IT Aw-zEE. Miss Judy. It's most
70 clock an he'ah you are Jess
sgsttln' In My 4he time.l been haVip'
with that telamfoam. Man on there
been q swearin' ft 10 kill"
"Man swearingf How?"
Il dunno how. be Just do. He call
up bout seven clock an say 'MiE
Dale In and | say 'Nosuh, I Amt
exeeptln' huh. Then bimemby he
call again an he say 'MlE Dale come
in Jet an I say NO an he say
Miss ella. she say she comm In
an I say. No tellin' what Miss Judy
do. come in or stay out. -"
"Delphy. quick :. who called and
why did he swear"
That's what I'm splainin' an
then he say when she do come In
you tell her 70 call this numba. Tell
her and then he begun to swear.
lie say Hell and Dam and Devil an
somethin' IN q foreign langwich.-
Judith leaned hack with hysteri-
cal laughter. "Delphy you'll be the
death Of me yet did be say some
thing about the Diablo Dam and
Rio Dlahlo and Del MARI"