The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-01-22
Chapter SO
SUPP Rise


SURPRISE
TERRY turned sideways Just In
time. LAMAR retreated a few
steps and picked up table lamp. He
flung It at Terry's face.
Again Terry was Just split sec.
ond ahead of Hill. And always he
came on steadily, relentIessly. half.
blinded by the blood from the cash
In his forehead, but always coming
on.
A table went over. a chair was
broken They mixed it in the middle
Of the floor. LAMAR trying to lab a
thumb in WiIlett's eye. gouging,
fighting with fists, nails. teeth. and
knees.
But all those tricks had been tried
on the tall authenticated American
at one time or another; some Of
them had worked once, but never
twice.
He weathered the savage. desper-
ate onslaughts with the sheer fury
of his iron fists and the spirit that
had been born from many fights In
many places with all kinds of op-
ponerts.
Terry beat LAMAR to his knees.
LaMarr's left eyebrow was hanging
loose and cheekbone was shattered.
Willett grabbed him by the shout
defs and hauled him to his feet.
LAMAR sagged helpless in his grip.
his knees buckling. his breath and
heart and strength gone.
Willett saw that he was through.
He released him and LAMAR sank
down and fell over backwards.
something Gravity and shapeless and
half blind.
That's that" said Willett.
He wasn't in such good shape him
self. His head reeled dizzily. one eye
was blinded. and his ribs on one side
ached from a bruising kick. but
LAMAR had learned not to deal with
a roughneck.
4 ROUGHNECK! Yes. it was in
her eyes. the eyes of a white
faced girl staring at the scene in
that shambled room in borror. Good
God! Had his brain been Jared loose
from its mOorings? Why. she was
standing there on. the. threshold
AIlaire West! He must be crazy.
But he wasn't crazy.
"Allaire!" Fox and Rayburne
West nearly shouted the name.
The girl looked at the battered
thing on the floor and then at the
tall man standing nearby with blood
streaming over one eye. his face still
set in fighting mask.
Disgust and shock and horror.
There went the works. Her father
was trying to get her attention.
Where have you been-?"
ter mouth curved OrleDy.
eff | told you. you wouldn't be-
lieve it. l can hardly believe it my
SELF"
Terry Willett looked at her. fitting
his head back to clear his vision.
$50 you disappeared. Just like
that. Just went off without a word.
and now you come back and can
hardly believe it yourself. Where did
you ever get the crazy idea you
could do things like that? Or don't
you care about the worry and
trouble you cause. detectives run
ming around all over the place and
people tying themselves in knots
trying to find you? But you prob
ably will never see that. You're too
used to doing what you want and TO
hell with everybody else. And now
good night. ALL"
Wait a minute. Terry" It was
Fox's voice. You can't go out like
that. Your head"
Attaboy. George. the lamp of rea-
son.
Mere scratch" said Willett
briefly.
He strobe out of the room and out
OF the house. Outside. he drew a long
breath of cool night air. He needed
It. Well. that was that. all right. Boy.
he'd certainly shot the works.
But what difference did it make?
Fox was there-and Fox wasn't a
killer or a roughneck-he was a
gentleman and a rising young For
eign Officer. He was of her world.
born to the purple, and when he
saw snake he stepped over it and
not on it. Good old Fox.
Look out. Terry. he's armed"
Fox would die in his bed surrounded
by great-grandchildren. The lamp of
reason.
Terry was bareheaded and ne
knew he probably looked as though
he'd Just returned from the wars. but
he hailed taxi and bore the driv
er's astonished stare with com
pSSure.