The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-04-27
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ing Georgia and speaking to Mrs,
Morgan.
Thank you, my DEAR" said Mrs.
Morgan, patting her hand. She
reached down and tied the miniature
around Iris's throat, unclasping the
rose quartz beads and laying them in
her hand. "It's safer there. And I'm
glad to see that you have one more
accomplishment that has almost
gone out" she added. while Georgia
moved away. summoning the boy
with the guitar. and gesturing Ca
milla with a hooking eyebrow to
Ovens side.
you know how to put people in
their places without visible effort or
unnecessary rudeness. | do not"
said Mrs, Morgan. like the man.
ners and customs of modern girls"
But am modern" protested Iris,
cor hope So"
81 am seldom mistaken in my judg-
ment of people," said Mrs. Morgan.
and Iris knew she spoke the truth.
"And l am especially glad to have
had this talk with you. | am the ex-
ecutrix of the estate Madame Phina
is leasing for you young things. or
so she tells me: and frankly. want
ed to see my prospective tenants"
Here we are" said Iris. spread
ing out her hands gayly. She liked
Mrs. Morgan. even if her name
struck a sore place. After all. it was
fairly common name.
Come, Elsie Dinsmore. let me
have Grandma's knee for a minute"
said Georgia. with that gayety she
could summon when she wished.
Grandma's knee included Allan,
standing sentinel behind her. But
Iris was quite willing. a glance at
Allan, reckoning. and he was beside
her. She was not sorry TO punish
Georgia. for she evidently had
meant to be unkind.
THE last guest. an elderly man for
L Mrs. Morgan. Enthusiastically
lawyer. with a pleasant masklike
regular face and white mus>ache and
hair. entered. and they went i'll to
dinner, across narrow hall to a din
ing room which might also have
come from colonial Persia.
Iris was next Allan, with Dicky on
her other side; Owen had inevitably
been given Camilla He looked with
comic despair at his sister as they
moved around the table looking for
their place-cards.
"Oh. be nice to her. she's so I'M
happy" Iris whispered.
"Oh. Lord. you too?" he said.
"Men are horrid!" said Iris holly.
But she was smiling happily at
Allan in another moment He was so
gentle, so friendly; you always felt
delightful when Allan was near. he
smoothed you the right way. Georgia,
on Allan's other hand Cher cowboy
singer. placidly silent. beyond herr,
flashed a smile at Iris.
isn't Allan a swell host-and
hasn't he the most exciting place you
ever saw"
cit isn't as exciting to me as
mechanistic decoration" said Iris
honestly. because where l come
from we're fatally colonial. But it is
exquisitely thought out"
"Ah. wait till you see my Matisse
room." said Allan. 81 keep my mod
ern stuff away from ali this. because
it would make the ancestors stand
on their heads in agony. And quite
anonymously. | keep there the
horns and heads and so forth that
I've shot"
you've been everywhere and seen
everything. from what l can find
out" Iris said.
He laughed, but he looked fiat.
tered "Not quite"
"In other words, Iris is saying"
said Georgia from his other side,
Beautiful. what makes you look so
beautiful"
Georgia wants to know what you
do about it?" Allan said. He was play
ing her off a little against Georgia.
she thought. and then was ashamed
of herself. for Georgia said. soft
eyed. you are lovely. you know And
a new kind Of girl is so exciting!
Madame Pima is even cleverer than
| thought she was to have this par
ticular kind of niece"
I'm nothing like as nice as Owen, I"
Iris protested. smiling back at Geor-
gia, and turned to talk with Dicky,
on her other side
"Georgia's clever. isn't she?" said
Dicky. "D'you know how she got the
cowboy singer? Never saw him be-
fore. Wrote him a fan-letter and in.
vited him. He called up and said he'd
take chance if we would. Nice, isn't
he?"
He was nice. a gentle long silent
boy who evidently was taking notes
for the folks at home and thought ii
was mighty sweet of them to ask him
to the party. 1t seemed queer to Iris,
but she was beginning to understand
better the snatching casualness OF
the groups social life. Anything for
the amusement of the moment: at
least Georgia and Dicky were like
! that.
! fCo3JfiSii. 1855. 1a,Sa,tf WiSIs~sr)
Ire party grows considerably
roughsr, tomorrow.