The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-04-25


while you were talking with the gen
tleman."
She dried her eyes.
Against the transparent violet and
silvery wrappings lay sheaf Of her
name-fiower. months ahead of their
time. Purple iris. white iris. yellow.
nauve. And Allan BeCkley's card in
the yellow envelope: "Just heard
that you had returned, on my own
arrival. Can't we have that dinner
after all? What about week from
.onight?"
MIR. Beckley, is it?" said Honora.
You're a lucky girl. Miss Iris.
they're all mad for him"
Eyes. I'm lucky" said Iris slowly.
All right, Honora. Tell Aunt Pima
about it. she'll be pleased"
She unwrapped the music books
with a firm hand Or them lay let
ter from her uncle. Towards the end
there was something about Morgan.
"Be tells me he intends settling
here now for good. He is practically
my partner, and is building up the
practice in the most amazing way"
Well. it was true Staying there,
marrying Kay. pillar Of Persia's
society. 1t was all her own doing. II
she had only known how much she
cared. -.
Honora it was, fortunately. who
had come back and found her sob
hing The kind hand was on her
shoulder, and the pleasant Irish
voice said. And what is it. acushla?"
Nothing anybody can help. Homo
"a" Iris said. pulling herself to-
getLer and drying her eyes. Some
thing that's my own fault"
There's nothing God and the
Iears don't help. my dear" HOnora
said gently. "And if it's your own
fault and you can't undo it. why,
tell God so and go on with the rest
of things"
Iris powdered her face and smiled
again. CALAMITY. and stood up.
Thanks lot, Honora." she said.
She had done it all herself. Now
she must go on. And part of it was
tc be as happy as she could.
The next week was so full that II
gave her very little time to think.
Phina insisted on her practicing the
old songs; tried on the dresses from
fashion plates of the seventies; and
finally came home one day with one
of her pretty errand girls behind
her bearing a box which she handed
to Iris with a handful of sheet mu.
sic.
Those songs are all very well,
but you want to have something else,
in case they don't like those. Here
are some of Helen Morgan's. You're
something the type; see what you
can do with them. Would you like
me to get you some body to help you
with the phrasing and so forth?"
Il
stepped at. 1t was a house, in
credibly. downtown. not up. and set,
nestled in a sort of alley. in the For
ties, on land which must have been
worth several millions; it still had
lawn about it. and a high wall to
keep off, presumably. sounds and
ideas of the impihging commercial
New York. An entirely unpreten-
tious old-iashioned brownstone
front.
They went up its steps, into the
narrow old-fashioned entry. up the
stairs. into the front parlor after a
maid had vanished with Honora.
They were the first guests. Allan,
with tall old lady on his arm, en-
tered to welcome them, just as Iris
said in her clear voice, but it's ex-
actly like the sort of thing people
Lave in Persia!"
Allan. with his easy air of tired
lOrdShip. made the introductions.
These are Iris and Owen Lanning.
My grandmother. Mrs. Morgan"
What We're you saying about this
place being Persian?" the old lady
{ ,manded. beckoning Iris near her,
while Allan. signaling for the cock
tails and hors d'oeuyres. turned to
greet Sigrid. whose taxi had fol-
lowed closely
I've always lived in place called
Persia, a little old town south of
Philadelphia" Iris said, dropping
In her white taffeta on a tabouret
beside the old lady. And it's full of
old houses. of course. and people
who haven't moved for two hun
dred years. and furniture and feel
ing like this"
Mrs Morgan eyed her sharply.
Such old ladies always did.
1--we always taken it for granted
that Madame Phina was lrst-genera-
tion immigrant STOCK" she said with
bluntness. Like the girl with the
tleached hair over there. Or aren't
you actually eel niece?"
Iris laughed. and Mrs. Morgan
seemed surprised. Weren't most peo-
pie at ease with her. Iris wonderedf
fcOtyriSLt. 1886. RsrSsrss WiG3s~srJ
iris makes a hit. Monday, IN an
important quarter.