The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-04-29
Chapter %
TORTURE

TORTURE
MRS. MORGAN'S eyes. hawklike
Az still, softened. Il used to sing
when | was a girl" she said. "All
young ladies did. then. as part Of
their daily lives. 1 suppose these
might be some of my songs"
would you like it? l do hope SO.
They were my own grandmother's."
She hurried upstairs, for the cow.
boy was in the midst of a song
which began merrily,
"As walked forth in the streets Of
Laredo
AS | walked out in Laredo one
day"
and she did not know how many
streets there were in Laredo, but
she did know that the corsets and
fitted boned hooked bodices in Hon.
ora's suitcase took some getting
into.
They were exquisite costumes.
She had read of such dresses N old
novels and magazines in the attic.
The first was a race-costume, deli
cately coquettish; a dress that must
have taken NJ. Worth in his heydey
weeks to contrive and other weeks
to fit.
All one could think of in dress
like this would be lovers and par
ties, and ways to ensnare more
lovers and more parties. Iris's vari-
able spirits rose, as she saw the
conquering fiirt in the glass. 1t was
fun. Little Iris from Persia. all
dressed up like this, and going
downstairs to show off before a lot
OF people!
She paused at the turn of the
stairs; and she heard voices below.
Cowboys all right, but what on
earth is this folksong girl?"
Madame Phina's niece. from Du-
buque, Iowa." a girls voice drawled.
"Georgia's passed the word round
that she's a scream"
Iris. angry. and yet not knowing
what else to do but go on, came
down the stairs. A tall mirror across
from her treasured her little; still
she was trembling as she went into
the center of the room and, standing
before the piano with a small
cleared space to move in. performed
to that most difficult of audiences.
a group in a private room.
The first songs she sang were out
OF a book from someone named Har-
risOn Willard. passionate. sentimien-
tai. romantic-but with real sweet.
ness and appeal. She stood there,
smiling, winning. gay. and began.
CHE had the men from the begin
~ ming. She would have had the
girls, too, she knew.-for audiences
other-if it had not been for Georgia.
For the first stanZa she held them.
Then Georgia. crouched on her
cushion. a little way out of sight.
began to whisper. as Iris could tell
by the low ripple of inattention and
amusement that started to go
through the room.
To sing these songs adequately
Iris had to evoke a mood in her lis
teners. She had done it at home. She
knew she could have done 1t here
But Georgia was evOking another
mood. hostile. ridiculing. And the
group were Georgia's friends. not
hers. Iris sang on. valiantly. sweetly
Mrs, Morgan. erect in her chair.
was taking the songs seriously: so
was Allan; and Dicky Hamilton.
easily moved. a little affected by
his drinks to begin with, had his
eyes full of tears.
But fight as she might. when she
came to the end of her first group
of songs Iris knew Georgia had
spoiled her performance for her;
and Furthermore. that from the be-
ginning. egging her on to sing for
them. she had intended to make a
fool of her. She hadn't known there
were girls like that. =.
Mrs. Morgan held out a hand as
she passed her.
THANK you. child. you brought
back some of my youth" she said.
Il used to sing those Willard songs"
Her old voice was moved.
She answered mechanically as
she went upstairs to change to the
costume for the second group OF
songs. She passed through the
group again: and she paused DELHI
erately to hear what the speakers
on the stairs were saying.
"'Long. long ago. next. l sup
pose." said the girls voice. land
that horrible CHEEKY enc about
Cousin Jedediah coming to tea"