The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-10-01
THE WORlD-A~V@sS
WITH A FENCEH8H
NewN Novel By
Q Nev Novel By Msrias Sims

dead-because Of her. -. She
laughed, and the sound was queer
and mad.
"She chose the only possible way
to keep us apart, didn't she? Really,
it was terribly clever of her. :"
The sound faded and she heard her,
own teeth chattering.
She sat down. staring at the floor.
He leaned his weight against the
table and looked at nothing.
II have to go down there" he said
to the floor. There's train in three
hours" g,
"How-what did she do?"
"Does it matter?"
He wanted to spare her whatever
horror he could. He didn't want her
to see Irma as he would always see
her. slashing her wrists with razor
blade, and perhaps smiling small.
secret, triumphant smile.
Their thoughts were stumbling
along the same black path. Because
the suit was filed this morning, they
knew. Because she must have wired
or phoned his lawyer to know II he
had been in earnest, and found that
he was. Because she had to defeat
them, even with her life; she had
to have the center of the stage-the
last word. -.
Blake moved restlessly, like man
struggling to escape the tolls of
nightmare, and looked at her.
"She left a note" he muttered,
"but thank God she put all the blame
on me. l made them read it to
me.
Irma had been content, then, to
take half her revenge in secret. Her
vanity had lived as long as she; had
forbidden her to tell an avid world
that another woman had beaten her.
Blake made heroic effort to pull
himself together. "I'll have to go
now. Have you-any sort Of sedative
hereH
She lifted her head as If it carried
a great weight. mo. 1t doesn't mat
ter. :"
., "Will you phone drug store and
have them send you something's"
Eyes. 49,"
She stood up and held out his coat,
as if she passed it across a chasm,
and he took it without word. He
made no move to touch her, but his
eyes were sick with pity and love.
He said brokenly:
"Carol-you won't go away? You'll
be here when-I get back?"
She realized that flight would sure
~ damn her If she was not already
damned. Only the guilty fed before
they were accused. eyes, I'll be here.
But you can't come and see me-"
"I'll arrange it-somehow."
His eyes compelled her. and she
met them finally, and read in them
all the things he could not tell her.
The measure of his own suffering
pierced her SO that she went to him
and gave him her hands.
"I'll be there, Blake, every min
ute. II that helps any"
He lifted the hands and kissed
them slowly. "It's the one thing that
will help. It's what I've been praying
to hear and couldn't ask you to say"
He went out, closing the door soft
ly behind him.
CHE made herself read the morn
| ~ ing paper, and realized that it
had been kind. The story was rele-
gated to the inside pages. Mrs.
Thornton. the account said generous
", had been in bad health; she was
in Florida for that reason. -.
She dropped the paper and went
to make coffee. Her mind was merci-
fully numb, so that she felt nothing
mot even misery. The only sensa-
tons of which she was conscious
| were a dull headache and a strained
feeling about her eyes that came
from sleeplessness.
The telephone elamored and she
looked slowly towards it, wondering
IL she could bear to answer it. And
then she knew she had to.
The voice over the wire was Cor
nelia's; crisp and matter-of-fact.
"Carol?"
Eyes"
81 wondered il you'd have dinner
with me tonight? Either at home OF
uptown"
She knew then that Cornelia had
read the paper. and that Cornelist
swift mind had grasped a great dsal
that had been unsaid. And she knew
!. that Cornelia's interest was far more
than morbid curiosity; Cornelia't
D contempt for gossip and personali
ties amounted almost to loathins.
She said: I'D love it-but please
). come here instead" Where / won
2 have to see people. and wonder 4
. they know. -.
Il Copyright. 1888, By Mdrian ssmG
corneIia delivers some SOUND