The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-11-03
Chapter Nine
A Revealing Flash

A revealing rlasn
WHEN Richard turned around
W and came over to them, us
face was imperturba3le.
Nina introduced him, and after
a moment, the Hallidays con-
tinued on down.
Richard took Nina'S arm. He be-
gan to chuckle softly. His chuckle
was different from most peoples
:. way down in his throat.
$50 Pm the nes heart throb.
am II" And even in the dusk she
could see that his eyes were glow
ing with amusement, probably.
She had to make an effort to an
swer lightly: "You hear every
thing. FER knew such a man.
7 Well are ycn hattered that
they thought so?"
Enthusiastically, Nina. Immeas-
urably.Y yf
'Twas jhstg going to turn round"
But herNleks kept right on walking
ahead, just the same. II thought
you were all tied up with that
crowd, at homer"
"My dear child, when on left,
the party became as a pricked bal
loon. It faded away, Immediately
Honey is now prone, with cold
towel on her forehead, and soda
mint on her tongue. ! knew /
should overtake you"
Nina glanced at him.
'You knew that the air would
do you good"
SER yes"
His legs were not enough longer
than hers to make any difference
in their strides. He was just under
six feet, and tina was tall--a good
five feet seven. It was almost like
dancing she thought, they were so
one.
Darkness came on all of sud-
den, the way it does in the autumn,
and they lit cigarettes and walked
for some minutes in silence.
Nina began to feel an absurd
light-headed feeling; and when
they turned round finally, and
faced the ligh.s o 59th street
glowing in the sky over the dark
outlines Of the treeS-She had an
even more absurd feeling that she
would like to cFyaa little. Quite
happily, Of course because
what was there to cry over?
Just then Richard said: Hap
py?"
But she could only look at him.
Quite without volition, she
squeezed his arm up against her
side, and he returned the pressure,
keeping hers close.
Adventure In Africa!
THOSE lights !. they're quite
L heartbreakingly beautiful,
aren't they, Nina?"
She nodded.
Lights in the darkness have a
soft spot in my heart" He went on:
'Once, IN Africa, ! got separated
from my safari /. +. wandered half
the night through the dense under
brush, with nothing but my ciga-
rette light ana a pop light, to keep
the beasts away :. At first, / could
only sense that something was fol-
lowing me; and then either my
hearing became more acute or my
enemy more sure of himself. be-
cause ] could hear an occasional
twig crackle :. a brancl snap back
that ] hadn't touched +. don't
think / have ever responded to
anything in my life, as I responded
TO the beauty Of those camp lights
twinkiing out into the African
night" He laughed. II had reason
70. The next morning. our lead boy
bagged a huge black panther, not
500 feet from my tent"
The casual way he spoke Of it.
made the horror seem all the more
vivid.
'Those snug little 5sth street
pinpoints must seem pretty pale in
comparison"
'oh ! don't know. They mean
home and safety"
"You mention all these places
Al 9AAkA eAAA 0tAA0AlA
Richard. Budapest Shanghai
What were you doing in
African"
"Oh, / had a place In Morocco
once-with a friend" He looked
amused at some memory.
Nina thought she would never
get his life straight, and sha
wanted 10 not for oney's sake,
or TO get any clue about his char
Rcter, but just--to kf ow.
Sometimes when she had been
q little girl. driving in the big open
car with daddy, she had slipped a
hand into the huge fur glove with
his :. and she had felt as though
she were the same person as he.
She wanted 10 feel that way now.
\ something soft fell On 10 her
face. and another. II was the first
snow the ear.
clock. Richard
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