The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-11-24
Chapter q
The Young Irishman

Inv O1
DUT the footsteps were not Rich
- ards.
A tall young man. using stick,
and leaning heavily on the arm OF
an attendant, approached from the
far end of the conservatory.
The attendant. who was short
and bow-legged. and looked like
a retired jockey, raised his eye
broWs in an inquiring way. and
glanced at the empty chair. next
her.
"Of course :" Nina signified
that he might have it, and the
young man lowered himself to the
cushioned seat, slowly and with
evident pain.
THANK you, miss" said the at
tendant: and the young man said:
Quite certain m not intrudine?"
in q Eice voice that had more man
a touch Of Celtic to it -. "A1I right
them Masters. I'M set for 81 while.
The orchestfa played a slow
waltz. and for a while they sat to-
Rether in silence.
It began with the matter Of Gig
arettes.
"Will you have one?"
Thanks, ! will"
MAY II"
please
AS he held out his lighter, Nina
was struck with the young mans
fine, sensitive features.
She was also struck with the
fact. that, though his invalidism
looked like a very permanent
thing, there were none of the dis
contented, drawn lines. one SO Of
ten sees on the faces of cripples. He
was dark, with a healthy brown
skin and heavily lashed eyes,
which Nina was certain were Irish
blue :. though they were lowered
at the moment. and when the fare
of his lighter went out. it was too
dark to tell. He must have been
in his early thirties.
Quite a party" he remarked
eheerfully.
And Nina said: "Yes 5. and you
sound as though you had come to
it from very far off.
ireland ..s Galway. ; Is far
offish, isn't it? /. To :. to come
to a party"
Something about the way he
said it attracted more of Nina's at
tention than she had hitherto given
to the conversation.
She made an inQuiring, encour-
aging sound, which she hoped
would urge the young man to con-
tinue.
1t did.
The Lesser OF Two TumbIes
WELL, you see, as a matter Of
w fact. ii means more to me
than just a Hunt ball" He smiled.
'We have a few ourselves. in Ire
land. you know No. 1t brings
back the past "a very happy one
before all this, of course" His
gesture indicated his crippled self.
II was over here. a good many
years ago, visitin' !. Did you hap
pen to know Horace Detmold?
Since sold his place. believe
Well. we had four weeks of huntin'
such as I'll never forget-Det-
mold was the first M.F.H.-and
then the Hunt bali here at The
Manor i. before my little tum-
BILE"
"You mean here?" Nina was
astounded. you were 2"
The other nodded. s7oioa ida
Just at the edge Of Scarbor-
ough wood. Know it? :. There's a
clearing. with a brook running
through 49, f
Scarborough wood where
she had watched the sun rise that
morning.
But but, must ask you, II
all this happened to you here
mean :. well. frankly. how can
you want 70 travel so far to revisit
this placer
The young man grinned.
Because that tumble wasn't the
biggest thing that happened to me,
by any means. Fact il was the
lesser Of two tumbles."
Nina found herself tremendous.
" interested.
She said: "Ah-h-h. a girl" in her
simple direct way.
And he said: Right you are. !
became engaged here. :"
It was impossible TO prod him
further, but she didn't have to. Her
companion had caught the fact that
she was sincerely interested, and
II was plain he wanted to talk.
Nina forgot 20 wonder what was
keeping David.
The young Irishman sat without
moving, staring, staring out at the
ballroom.