The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-05-04

Bridal wreath and a dozen other
lovely old-fashioned and new-fash-
Toned blossoming bushes crowded
the grass.
Scarcely knowing what she did,
she threw out both hands and
caught Allan's with them. drawing
him closer to her. He had made all
this heaven possible. He had given
her a chance to have the freedom
Of this hidden. exquisite garden,
high-hedged and dreaming and
beautiful. ~
ALLAN, Allan, how shall / thank
you? You've brought me to live in
Paradise!" she breathed. Its the
place I've dreamed of all my lifei"
Happy, rapt. innocently as a child
would. she pulled his head down
and kissed him.
He did not release her at once.
She had forgotten that he would
kiss her. too. When he did. he said
breathlessly. not at all like the cas-.
ual Allan of every day:
q Good heavens, what sort of a
girl are you? A witch, or a devil, or
an ingenue. or an old-world lady,
or all of them together?"
"All Of them together" Iris said.
laughing. little frightened at what
she had done, but still so enrap-
tured over the garden that she
could think of little else. Aren't
you used to impulsive gratitude?"
mot that kind. but like it."
ALLAN, what really did happen
here? I'd rather hear the story from
you"
4 LLAN looked a little annoyed.
\ as if he'd rather not think of it.
Eyes, l suppose you've heard all
sorts of tiles. 1t was simple enough.
Uncle Frank was bit of a bounder
along with his dynamism. 1t goes
with the type. l suppose. And his
business methods got old-fashioned.
They'd been all right for ten years
ago, but they were little slippery
for these times.
$50 an annoyed and mentally I'M
sound depositor. who felt Uncle
Frank had ruined him in the nine
teen-twenty-nine crisis. shot him
one fine day, about - year and half
ago. My aunt, fortunately, had died
some years before. My cousin had
just become engaged to Georgia
Blair. He was a quixotic sort of
fellow. He insisted on giving back
everything his father had obtained
dishonesty. according to a lot Of
fool professional exposers. You can
imagine how that irritated Georgia.
She broke with him. and he disap.
peared. He was found drowned a
few weeks later. It's about a year
now. Left everything to Granny"
"Oh. how could Georgian"
81 don't blame her. exactly. AS
she said. Jim's name was clouded.
That and no money together were
lot to ask her to stand"
81 don't think so at ALL" Iris said
holly. Even if she hadn't loved him,
she owed him loyalty and honesty.
| think she was hard and greedy,
and Inbred"
We'll. you two never did like
each other" said Allan gayly. you
should have been Jim's girl. not
Georgia. But. as he's dead. you'll
have to put up with me-"
He caught her ungloved slim hand
and swung it. Now let's stop being
sad and go visit the stables. Frank
had this place constructed on the
plan of an Elizabethan manor house.
stables and all. The house rambles
off into a few Spanish spots and
Louis Fifteenth bedrooms. but in
the main it's all for good Queen
Bess. Showplace, really"
1.-THE grounds are big enough for
township. But they're wonderful.
never saw anything like them,"
Iris said with her usual frankness.
They finally returned, through the
very impressive front doors. They
could nave driven in with a motor
bus. Honora was directing a man.
servant to lay a picnic lunch on an
Elizabethan refectory table. A fire
roared in a fireplace. where a coat
of arms. all red and gold and lions
and uniforms. stood out from the
paneled wall above the mantelshelf.
Two Titians, a Madonna and a De-
scent. fianked the enormous fire.
place. Iris gasped, then laughed ir-
repressibly.
''If you don't mind my criticizing
your uncle and my aunt, it's cross
between hotel and a movie palace,
only all real" she said.
"Showplace." Allan said coolly,
but he laughed too.
And then Pima was entering
from another door. marshaling a
bored Owen, filling the place with
the whirlwind of her driving inten-
tions-upkeep. renewals, necessi.
ties for setting the estate going
again. Pima treated Allan with
what was for her docility. When he
finally rose to leave. she went with
him to continue discussions of ways
and means.
| (Cotr,ssh'. 1855. Margaret WiaSemsrJ
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