The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-04-06
Chapter Nine
PARTY

PARTY
4 S Iris wiped off the big wooden
kitchen table with the wrung.
out dishcloth, and rinsed 1t under
the faucet, she asked Miss Ella.
hanging up the rinsed dish towels
at the other end of the long room,
one sudden question.
Didn't any of you try to get my
brother Owen back?"
And Miss Ella answered as mat
ter-of-factly. standing on tiptoe to
stretch the damp towels along the
rack.
after took you out of the baby
carriage in front Of the boarding
house where the Ross girls were,
your mother came down to try to
get you again. But yodr fa+' r had
the law on his side, and they had no
money to fight. They were just two
ordinary little dressmake: who had
settled here, and entrapped my
brothers!"
Iris crossed the room, her eyes
blazing.
You're talking about my mother.
] don't care what she did, she was
a good, kind. lovely woman. | re-
member enough of her for that"
"All right. child. Perhaps /
shouldn't have said it." said Miss
Ella.
Iris stared at her. This was so un-
like her aunt!
When she followed it up with her
old suggestion that Iris might be
able to make something to wear to
Katherine divers out of her own
only best dress, Iris breathed again.
That was more normal.
She refused the offer. mechani-
cally. Katherine Oliver and her teas.
which had doomed so important,
seemed to matter little now.
She met Morgan in the hall.
"I've found out all about it that
he knows" he said. BE kind to him.
It was-oh. well. your Aunt Ella had
a brother-complex. and smashed
four lives on the strength Of it.
that's all. That's how l figure it
out"
"And now what?" Iris said eager
ly. She knew liz e ABOUT completes.
Nov I'm going to put things In
motion. But don't hope too much,
child"
"Oh, you're so good to mel"
But she spoke az she might have
to an uncle. or to brother.
He was stung into answering with
some of his old bitterness.
Don't blame me If you're sorry.
You're in a place where there's
peace and beauty and honesty and
love, and if you had any sense you'd
want to stay here and not investi-
gate"
"You aren't fair"
81 suppose not. It's hard to be
fair"
THE months went on; the sum-
L mer drifted by. Uncle Will still
was not very well.
Hes nave been the same since
the accident" Miss Ella said, trying
to spare him. Morgan noticed. in
everything that meant waiting on,
but not at al. as regards suggesting
that he do less work. Saving for the
deei brothers memo 'al came first
with her.
Morgan stood by. He had never
known what it was to be needed be-
fore. He was an unoffici. partner
In the old mans law practice, and
the genealogical work that meant
extras. More and more He became
a part of the household. petted
f1ercely by Miss Ella, leaned on by
Uncle Will. Iris's comrade and
friend.
He had not told Iris that he loved
her. He would win her. first. And he
would be sure that she was as dis
interested, as crystalline. as she
seemed. A little of his old bitter.
ness remained.
Iris was restless at first. She
would come to him every day or so
and say. mo news about OwenT
But by degrees they both lost hope.
The detectives he had hired worked
faithfully, but they had no results
to report.
Presently. he thought. Iris stopped
thinking about it. She went on. busy
like the rest. She did her exquisite
place-cards and her perfect embroi-
derry for sale. She went on giving
her French and singing lessons TO
the little sisters of her acquaint-
ances.
And to Morgan's suppressed