The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-01-25
Chapter 40
Under The MagnoIias

chapter 40
Under The MagnoIias
AS II BY common agreement Philip
and Sally took the garden path
20 the little clearing under the mag
noiiaa The grass was deep and the
unelipped hedges brushed their hands
and faces. oh $40
This place is a wilderness" said
Philip. I'm always forgetting to have
the grass cut" ''' A.l1at
With q little sigh of contentment,
sally found the wicker chair under
the biggest tree and sank into it.
Philip sat down on the grass. The
smell OF the yellow jasmine was over
poweringly sweet A little wind
rustled the still leaves of the mag
nolias.
) When sit here with you like this"
confessed Philip. what l have to say
doesn't sound important enough to
talk about" He stirred restleSsly.
-Yet-we do have some things to ex-
plain TO each other"
Sally would have stopped him II
she could She did not want to know
what he was about to tell her. She
guessed that he had loved Mary and
lost her. He wanted to be friends
again. Sally would not let her pride
stand In the way of that If she could
not have Philips love. then his friend
ship was a thing to be grateful for
Only. II he did not speak and put the
words between them. for this one
time she could pretend that he was
lover instead Of friend.
You're still going away?" he
asked. after time.
Day after tomorrow" she told him,
wondering how she could be so calm.
He had only to say he wanted her
TO stay. and nothing could drive her
away from Warrenton.
Il didn't know. until today, that
you were taking another position"
said Philip. Il took it for granted
that you meant you were going away
to be married"
1-going to be marriedI' Sally
sat up straight with establishment.
Whatever gave you that idea?"
Some time ago Mary told me. when
you were staying at her house, that
you and Bob had fallen in love with
each other"
~But-surely - you you couldn't
have believed thatI"
Il was q fool to believe it." said
Philip soberly. "But you seemed to
be out with him great deal. T.
felt that he was nearer your own
age-that he had a great deal to
offer you-and that had no business
trying TO make you-care for me-"
That was stupid" cried Sally.
Surely we were good enough friends
you could have talked to me about
It." Tears Of anger and relief came
TO Sally's eyes and she did not try
to stop them.
Z Was A Stupid Fool
IIyE were good friends" said
w Philip. But when a man is In
love. he ceases to be friend. He
loses the reasonableness he had in
friendship"
~But Mary said you and she had
an understanding" Sally went on
miserabiy.
$50 we did," admitted Philip. IAN
understanding that was not to allow
the blackmail story to get to the
newspaper. An understanding that
she was not to come to my house
again, alone. at night"
But she did comeI saw herl"
Eyes. she did come, after she had
promised not to. said Philip. MARY
imagined herself In love with me,
but she never was. It was first sort
Of infatuation born of boredom.
Afterwards. she stuck to It because
her father objected so strongly. The
last time, when she came to the house
that night she was simply hysterical
with the excitement of the trial and
her fathers illness"
But you were in love with her."
said Sally uncertainty. you went out
with her. You stopped letting me
share the work with you-never
called me into your Office" All the
hurt she had suffered for the weeks
past came out now. That night you
found me at the lodge. you were
angry. You scarcely said word"
i was wrong. was stupid fool"
said Philip. y shut you out of the
Mcdonald case because your father
asked me to. l didn't want you to
lget mixed up in it any further. I