The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-12-10
Two : cmpan4
By MARGARET CuIoN HERzoG Y
RET CulON HERZOG

willingness on my part. It's |
question of
please don't say kindness,
again."
| "Of common sense"
"Oh-h-h!"
Don't be s. bitter, angel, jus
because you're hurt. JOINT be hurt
either =. Even when one is ter.
ribly in love, one must keep one.
head =. Aside from everything
else, Nina, darling, how could
look after you? My income is" he
smiled, "well, limited, to say the
least! As far as money goes, you'd
be worse off with me than you are
with David :. :"
He was trying to reach her, tc
get her in his arms again, as though
once there, he could cast his spell
over her -. make l-eF feel as he
felt, see as he. saw.
But Nina had walked away, to
the other end of the veranda.
She looked out over the calm
river, and she thought how clean
it looked from a little distance and
yet how full of orange-peels and
peanut-shells, and rubbish itreally
was, when you got close by.
Dirty" she thought. And she
thought: Like you, Nina. Dirty,
inside"
Richard had followed her.
| He said: nina +. Nina, why
should this make any difference
We've suffered-we deserve to be
happy -. We can be.
She wheeled round toward him,
just as he was reaching out for
her.
Il suppose you want to know
what I was thinking, Richard
don't you? Well, I'll tell you =.
might have been thinking about
your nasty scheme, and what a
fool ] was to have ever imagined
/ loved you but wasn't think
ing of that. ! was just realizing,
that Of all the people who might
have suspected, it was you who
really saw me as the cheap
thing am ="
Nina's New Resolve
TT seemed to Nina that she was
l always coming in and PUNK
ing herself down on one of the lit
tie straightforward chairs. and
thinking, for hours on end, about
the complicated tangle that was
her life.
This evening, she did it again
that is, she plunked herself
down on one of the little straight
backed walnut chairs, but there
was nothing complicated about
what she told herself.
There were bowls Of white
chrysanthemums on the two coffee
tables. Honey had given them to
Nina, because the 74th street house
was so full of flowers.
Honey's presents-the indies
the linen, the perfume LAY in
their pretty boxes on the day-bed.
Button played innocently with
his ball.
To all outward appearances il
was snug, charming little home;
and yet I. Nina thought Of the
Hudson river so lovely from
across the lawn so full Of dirt,
really.
On the CHASTITY ride home from
Tarrytown, she had said to Rich
ard: "Please-don't let's talk. 4. i.
No, strangely enough, | don't seem
to feel angry toward you Frankly,
of course, / don't think very much
of you now, Richard, but it's me
myself = that I'm disguised
with :. !" And she lCouldn't talk.
And all the long, strained, silent
drive, she had reviled herself. Now,
she summed it up:
In the first place, Nina, after
all that Daddy had said to you, be-
fore his death, about looking after
Honey, you allow yourself to fall
in love with the man who is really
making your mother happy.
Then, as an outlet, you drag
David--the incest, finest person
you know - into it, to protect
yourself from your own weakness.
"And then, having done this to
David =. and to Honey, first of all
you haven't the CUTS to go
through with it--but turn around
and actually offer to destroy both
OF them. by going away with Rich
ard.
And the very last straw: that
you should have picked aioh q
man, Nina, who held you so
cheaply -
Oh, she was cheap, she knew it
i, but not as cheap as all thatl
Not enough to give herself to
Richard, Skulkingly, sneakingly,
and accept all that David had to
give, besides. No.
She thought: And this morning
/ pondered on the deadening effect
of housekeeping, living simply :.
just being a wife! thought ii had
made me forget all the worth
while things in life-Richard and
excitement -. why, il made me
normal, and wholesome. for the
first timel'
And she thought. ooh David.
Davidl | do so admire all you
stand forl / do so want to be like
yuu--worthy Of you. ! Will"
She felt sick and deutschland
yet, in q strange way, happier than
she had felt in months: because
now she had reached the end, the
very bottom, the lowest 10 which
she could sink. She could begin
working Up now
"Oh. David =
She made her beginning then.
Copyright. 1857. Ner0arss HerxogI