The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-01-04
Chapter IS
FLIGHT AGAIN

Chapter IS
FLIGHT AGAIN
uER father always had been able
! to do that-distort things Will
polite sarcasm. Made them appear
silly and valueless and theatrical.
Allaire said nothing. He picked up
his tumbler and sat back, viewing
her keenly.
81 suppose this new-found ambi-
ton has something to do with your
turning up youl little nose at Steve
Perry. Well. you'd better think again
We're going broke and if real estate
values and market securities don't
pick up there won't be an awful lot
in the old sock for you.
whats the matter with Steve?
Just because he probably wouldn't
be caught dead in covered wagon"
aside from the fact that don't
love Steve" she said TRANQUILITY,
shat has a 10, to do with 1t. Marry
ing Steve would be a nice easy way
for US both to go to hell. I've seen
what happens to these marriages
made in heaven.
Look at you and Nell. Your mar
riage wasn't founded on anything
but society headlines. You were the
best of your respective crops. but
that was all you brought each other.
"And in those days while ! was
being shuttleI back and forth be-
tween You for six months of every
year. l made up my mind I'd never
marry unless was certain my mar
riage was going to last. Oh. |
thought | was in love several times.
but there was never much of glow
about it.''
"Value yourself pretty highly.
don't you. Allaire?"
She nodded untroubledlv.
"Plenty. Ray"
proud as Juno" he commented.
"And now you wait for the glow?
You'll wait a long time"
She looked past him, smiling to
herself.
"I've had it. The glow of rivers to
cross. and battles to win. and some
thing to accomplish in life"
He paused with his drink near his
lips.
"You mean you fell in love with
somebody"
mot" she said with swift surpris-
ing ferceness. 81 didn't say that"
In the silence that followed this
brief outburst her mouth seemed to
curve In something like angry scorn.
and her father watched her. touch
ing off his drink with quick short
sips.
81 have an idea" he said finally.
"your pride went for a slight bump.
Something got under your skin.
Don't tell me somebody snubbed
the queen at the tourney"
Put it any way you like" she said
with a return of her usual calm. 81
learned something and I'm still
fancy free"
81 think" Rayburne West said de-
cisively. that you are going to end
up with a mouthful of fog. YOUR
too hard to please. You want men to
cross rivers and fight battles and
you won't find any who will. You're
beautiful. my dear. and you'll al
ways get play from men. but life's
too short to sweat"
LIE NODDED to her and refilled
l. i his tumbler from the decanter
Allaire watched him as though he
was a fairly capable amateur, ma.
gician. He set his tumbier down
empty, pulled loose his dress tie, and
opened his collar.
Pardon me-" he said. Feel that
last one"
Allaire wouldn't let him shake
her. She knew what she wanted. had
known ever since her return from
South America.
A sense of breathless tingling life
that she'd seen that night in the LIE
CATION Club gardens VIXEN a tall
young man came striding down a
garden path and George Fox got set
to wave the lamp of reason.
That tall young man had run out
on her. ruined an ideal: victorious
invader who with the castle ready to
surrender had blown tin bugle and
ridden away, and she detested him
for Il.
Yet she had seen enough of the
real underlying values of life that
night to have made her existence
since seem Ike a ride on a tinsel-
bedecked merry-go-round. But one
session in this house and she felt as
though there was nothing genuine