The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-05-29
Chapter Is
JEWELS-RETURNEp


JEWELS-RETURNEp
Hope spelled out the motto.
"Hilariter. 'Merrily.' 1 like
that. too. Is that this house?"
"As it used to be-" said Dirk. "You
see HansYApris wanted to do some
thing big. SO he copied the town-hall
back home. and called the place
'Schlecterhorstveldt.'
big enough!" she smiled.
"Too big for English Admiral
Lowrie. when he married a Joris
and became head of the family. He
didn't like Dutch things anyhow. so
when a fire destroyed part of the
castle he rebuilt it >. in good colo
NAL fashion. Gothic towers and a
colonial wing. We're an awful hodge.
podge. inside and out, Your room
now F.. it has all the Dutch furni.
ture that's left iif'the house. The old
Aa srn: k,.,. . 4
THAT old painted wardrobe is a
kas. There were hasten in all the
bedrooms. Almost everything was
Dutch to start with. But the genera.
lions came and went. throwing out,
bringing in. That mantel there. for
instance, is Italian. And the tapes
tries in the hall are French. And the
drawing-room. you may have no
ticed. is all Chinese Chippendale.
1.-THE only generation that hasn't
changed something is mine and Ru-
pert's. All we've done is shut up most
of the rooms. 1t took a platoon of
servants to run the place. Some
where around here" pointing to the
colonial wing, there used to be a
secret STAIR"
"A secret Stalr!
Dirk nodded Some canny old
Joris built it. either to escape from
his intimates. or to let them in. 1t
wasn't discovered by his descen.
dants until the fire. and then AID.
miral Lowrie tore it out in shocked
surprise. But he did something much
worse when he built the wing"
"lt's all beautiful" said Hope. at
looks as IL there might have been a
moat and a draw-bridge once, and a
dungeon and a keep"
"a dungeon. at any rate" Dirk an.
swered. I'VE call it a basement. I'll
show 1t all to you some day. the old
ballroom. and the Dutch chapel
and the very top of the tower where
they used to watch for the boats. 1t
will take some climbing"
She was looking at another crest.
a shield. hand that held a broken
sword. She read the Latin words.
"My shield is Scared"
She closed the book. Presently she
said.
"That's the motto | choose"
Dirk said. Cant | sell you Mer-
rily? Or Favorable Winds? They suit
you better"
mo. they suit you. My shield is
Scared"
She rose. the book in her arms.
"I'm taking 1t upstairs. May IL"
"Of course. Aren't you . aren't
you a Joris. too?"
Perhaps. That's Yhy l want to
read it. It's. semeahhig 10 .liseu up
to-"
Dirk went upstairs with her. car.
rying the book. He was disappointed.
He had thought they would have the
evening together. At her door he
said,
Don't forget lunch. The Lawyers
Club"
He gave her the address. She
would remember. she told him, and
they said good night.
When the door was closed she laid
the book on the table beside the bed
The bed had been turned down, and
one of her own nightgowns folded
on the pillow. After a moment she
moved noiselessly to the door be-
tween the two rooms. and pressing
her cheek against 1t. listened.
There was a sound now and then
OF papers stirring. and once sharp
noise as if Rupert were knocking out
his pipe.
She stole back. and moving the
lamp. settled herself in the big gid.
ed chair. the History of the Joris
Family" propped against the table.
She began to read the fine. uneven
print.
Reading. she fell asleep. and woke
when the great clock in the hall was
striking midnight. She rose then,
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