The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-01-15
Chapter q
SHORT AND SHARP

SHORT AND SHARP
THE man took the girls hand.
/: Il "Oh, don't be a nuisance" said
Puff.
Willett stood up.
Behave yourself" he directed.
"Who're your"
Nobody you know. but l think
I've seen enough of your face"
That started it. The three at the
bar piled in. Willett saw that be was
being mobbed and broke chair over
Christy's head. Ned tried to tackle
him football fashion and nearly had
his brains knocked out by the piston
like action OF knee.
Willett fought as he had in the
Coliseo in Propionoire. grimly, dead
ly, ruthlessly.
Walters came running. people
: yelled above the blare of the orches-
ira. and finally all the members OF
the orchestra deserted their music
kaud stood on their chairs to see bet.
ter.
Police came in and the four foot
ball players went groggily off to
Night Court. Puff. Terry. and the
manager went along too.
Names and addresses were re.
quested. Puff gave hers as Jane
Browning. Hotel for Women, to
cover any possible embarrassment TO
the United States Senate.
On the managers testimony the
four football players were stuck
with charges of disorderly conduct
and everybody else dismissed. And
the Manhattan sky was tinted with
crimson as they rolled homeward.
Puff's head upon his shoulder.
"Have fun. darling?" she asked
sleepily.
"Sure." said Terry. Lots of fun"
But he hadn't. Two lousy evenings
in a row. that's what it had been.
Even the fight hadn't been particu.
larry exciting.
He guided Puff to her room and
she stood on tip-toe to kiss him good.
night.
"Still Galahad. darling? Yes. see
you are. Oh. well-'night!"
In his own room Willett lit Gig
aret and stood thoughtfully at the
window. smoke curling up between
his fingers. The first flow of the new
days traffic was beginning and the
sun was creeping up the facades of
the Buildings. and somewhere a girl
was asleep who'd made him feel he
was missing something In life.
Missing what? He'd been offered
a lot of things today. Or was it yes
terday? Yes. it was yesterday. Today
was tomorrow. That didn't sound
right either.
Go to bed. you fool, you don't
know what you want.
D AYBURNE WEST had lodged
~ unpleasant issues all his life.
His standard was comfort and he
had been equipped to maintain that
standard by reason of a good con.
stitution. a reckless carefree nature,
and fortune.
A stable corps of doctors and ath-
letic trainers had charge Of his
health and legal staff absorbed any
worries about his estate.
But the arrival of Ramon LAMAR
that morning should have been def.
mite proof to Ray that he couldn't
dodge things he didn't like forever.
LAMAR had discovered where he
was through the butler at Westlands
and when he walked into Rays suite
at the Racquet Club 1t could have
been considered a piece of unmiti.
gated insolence.
LAMAR had been in constant at
tendance on Nell West all through
South America and Ray knew 1t:
he'd been Indifferent because he'd
found great deal to interest him
as far as he was concerned and be-
cause he and his wife had long since
followed their own separate inclina-
tions.
But when LAMAR told Ray what
he had to say his insolence was alb
solutely unmistakable. recognizable
even to man who's been previously
Indifferent. He tried to freeze La
Mari out as though he were an i'm.
pudent valet. but LAMAR held his
cards and played a smiling. unrufled
game.
You're one OF those things that
crawl through muck. LaMarr," he
said finally. as coldly angry as he'd
ever been in his life. but it's your
damned gall that gets me. always
knew you were an adventurer and
gigolo. but didn't dream you were
such an out-and-out swine" e 3
LAMAR ssighed with weary pa.
thence.
"We accomplish nothing. is It not
So?" he said %Please do not be melo-
dramatic, Mr.. West. I have some