The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-07-06

THERE was an awful wait before
= the Shippers level. expressionless
voice went on.
Il was about 10 and Jack must have
have been %. He'd been away at
school, and he'd come home to his
fathers law office, which he hated.
and married a girl his family liked,
only to find out that he hated her. too.
He was wretched. and felt sorry for
him. | wouldn't listen to Martha's
warnings. Neither would Father. He
told her to mind her own business.
'The upshot Of the whole thing was
that suddenly found myself violent
ly in love. He vas handsome kid.
'sIn those days you couldn't divorce
q person just because you hated the
sight of her. Jack had no grounds and
his wife refused to divorce him.
Sounds silly now. but 1t didn't then.
People had habit of being pretty
consistently horrible to anyone who
even mentioned such word. And
she was the sort of person who cared
q great deal about what people have
to say. | didn't blame her much. but
wasn't that type.
$50 Jack and were glorionsly
happy for a short tine, and then
our kid was born. Make no mistake
about it, Mike. You were born be-
cause wanted you. ! knew what /
was doing. You were a cute little
devil, if | do say SO myself ! wanted
to name you after your father. but no
one would hear of it.
at was in February" There was a
smile in the quiet voice. you have
no idea what an uproar you caused.
IN her way ! don't think Martha
blamed me, but she had been tearing
her hair for months. She had thinned
the servants down to the few old
faithfuls among them Higgins. The
entire household knew, and the stage
was set for nice. private. Victorian
scandal-the one thing above all
others that wanted to avoid.
I'VE had some lovely scenes. / in
tended to flaunt my child in the face
Of all society, and Martha's rawlings on
the side Of convention meant nothing
to me. But my fathers did. He blamed
himself for running my life and went
on in awful fashion. Jacks wife near
ly died of shame. She entered the
final count that licked me. She point
ed out that would be playing a filthy
trick on the child. That got me. So
they all took up the refrain and
rubbed it in.
AS a result, old boy, you'll never
find another person who will admit
that you were born here on Earring
ton Bluff one February day. Six
months later an infant named Mi
chael Harrington II supposedly ar
rived from the far south where young
Norman Harrington and his hypo-
thetical wife had met with fatal and
hypothetical boating accident.
THAT ended the chapter-or should
have ended it. II ended lot OF things
for me. at any rate. They did a good
job on me when they set about show ;
ing me what had done to you. Your
father and have never been alone
together since you wer two weeks
old. The risk was too great. made a
little nightmare of my sins to brood
over when the nights were long and
lonely Perhaps il hadn't, this hor-
rible thing would never have hap
pened. But it's too late now"
Then Norman Escaped
CHE smiled wanly. "On the whole
- it, been worth it. or thought IL
had until recently. You're not bad
brat. Mike. / used to fiatter myself
that you hadn't suffered because Of
my pigheadedness. You had every
thing a kid could need. You and your
father were good friends. was
pretty happy old fool. And then
poor Norman escaped.
ave told you about that but
didn't tell you all of II. He turned up
here al night in the middle Of snow
storm. He was-pitiful. Half-froxen.
half-starved and entirely lucid. He
wanted protection from the entire
world-and above all from that
place.
Martha was frantic. II you've been
my fetish, Mike, Norman was hers. /
knew from recent alIenists' reports
that for all his seeming sanity. his
condition was IN reality worse than
ever But Martha wouldn't believe II.
Norman pleaded and wept; Martha
begged and stormed. You see. Father
had left the money and everything
else in my hands and II was up to me
I finally agreed to let him stay for
while. but | intended to send him
back and Martha knew Il.