The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1934-02-28
GODDESS
by Herber1 Jensen

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her moekingly.
She had told the man she loved
THAT she loved him. and he had. upon
the telling. pressed her away from
him and was gone. perhaps. to his
death. This was Incredible because
she knew. instinctively. that this
man loved her.
Was a mans love different than
a woman's? All her life she had
layoided what was called falling in
love as a matter of expediency--a
measure OF safety against an emo
ton that she felt would demolish a
career and a position In It that she
had worked so hard to achieve.
She knew her avoidance was not
based upon repugnance. but on timid-
| fly. She had played too many roles
wherein the woman gave all for love
not to appreciate that there was a
sound basis Of fact for this instinct.
During TIE weeks that Frank and
she had been companions. she came /,
to a fuller appreciation of the enor-
nous timidity that had held her that
night in Hollywood when Frank had
asked her to marry him.
She had struck him. gripped with
that instinct that Is as old as Eve
which causes the female to fee be-
fore the advancing male. She had
paid for that unreasoning gesture
since with many heartaehe.
Was mans love different than /,
woman's2 How could Frank have
left, loving her. without some word
for her alone? ~Billy viii explain
why I'm going" Then he was gone
like that last night In Hollywood.
She was scarcely conscious that
Billy Langton stood before her.
Gently he bent forward and took one
Of her hands IN his own.
Hell be back. Janice. Frank is
resourceful. Why, he's got as many
lives as a." He broke OF slightly
confused as II he realized the impli-
cation Of his words. But the import
of his phrasing was lost upon the
girl.
"He left me, Billy. He left me
without q word" Tears yelling un.
comfortably dimmed her sight. s
Because he loves you, Janice"
a THIN mist began to fall; It glis-
Atened on the shrubbery about
them. The tall palms appeared to
droop. as II In cringing expectation
OF a heavier downpour. Janice
hunched her shoulders in a slight
shudder.
"It's so dreary today. =. Billy, If
The loved me he would have taken
me with him."
"Nonsense!" Langton attempted
to make his tone brusk. what sort
ofa man would Frank be. II he made
you share q risk Ike that? ANY man
would have done the same. !"
Janice nodded her head In duh
agreement. ANY man, perhaps,
Billy. but not a woman"
Langton smiled slightly. He drew
the girl to her feet. "Come. Janice,
let's 90 inside. The rain is going to
soak as. The rats finished and i've
stacked some balsa IN the shack. We
can work on the life-belts inside.s
| A distant rumble sounded. The
noise Of the rain increased to a
steady drumming on nearby leaves.
| They passed through the shack
Into the cave. At the entrance a
small IRE was burning. Frank had
made II that morning. Again Janice's
eyes misted: q tightness grew about
her throat that was impossible to re-
lieve.
She cooked q little food and served
It In the crude utensils that Frank
had devised for them. She put bits
of venison into her mouth and
chewed mechanically: Il was an ef-
fort to swallow. 4 tear ran down her
cheek and splashed on the back Of
her hand.
i Later she attended to the ahkin.
The high.priest stared at her curl
cusly. she thought. She seemed to
detect q mOcking CLINT IN his eyes.
Despite his helplessness there
seemed 70 be an ipdefnahIe air OF
triumph about him--a subtle sense
of success.
| Her mind was too dull to speculate
upon this, Days OF association with
him had made her immune to the
constant hate In his eyes: that this
mad priests hate should increase or
wane was a matter OF indifference to
her.
i They worked on the three life
belts until far into the evening. The
downpour outside made confirm
Gus sound that seemed to flatten her
eardrums. The very afr within this
closed place was tangibly depress-
Ing.
Finally she took down from . peg
la tattered khaki coat lit was
Frank's-and took Il TO the cot he
had made for her-hide thongs
stretched across . framework and
covered with skins and soft grasses.
II fcs,yisas. 1884. ., Rvsvs Iessssl
Janice falls into the eric % q
new horror tcrnorrcw.