The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-13
Chapter IL
A Different Slant

A Different Slant
you knew her." Adam said sim
L ply. For some time I have
thought she was unhappy, tor
mented. Do you know why?"
She made a little artificial ges-
ture with her long, brittle hands.
"Anne was not the coniding
sort. One knows, of course, certain
things from experience. It is not
always easy to choose between two
men. One falters from infiicting a
severe hurt. Have you ques-
toned young Spencer"
/ missed Adams answer. The
blood was singing in my ears. My
pencil rolled free in my lap and I
had to tumble for it in the semi
darkness. BY the time I found it
Adam had launched a counter
attack.
"Your husband and Nelson were
classmates, I believe. Did you
know him at the Point?"
There was a perceptible pause,
but the answer, when it came,
seemed candid-almost too cam
did.
Eyes. I had been engaged to Phil
for some months when I met Bar
ney. said Just now that ] could
understand Anne's problem. Be-
lieve me, ], too, was very unhappy
until / found the right solution. !
tell you this, of course, in the
strictest confidence. Not for the
world would have let Anne know
Of it. was very happy that he had
found the right girl at last-in fact,
! may say fostered the romance.
Poor Barney! One might almost
believe it an adverse fate!"
Adam made clucking noises and
searched her face with his brilliant
eyes. He had another question for
her. Confidentially, what did she
think of Barney's brief furry with
Elizabeth?
She got out Of that one rather
neatly without casting a shadow
on Elizabeth, who, after all, was
the daughter of the commanding
officer. could not help rejecting
that Mary Shaw would have made
an able wife for a diplomat.
According to her the thing was
vastly overrated. Anne had sent
Barney away until she could test
her own feelings and make up her
mind. Barney had sought compan-
ionship and sympathy from Eliza
beth until Anne dismissed Charlie
and called him back. This she adj
mitted to be surmise; Anne had
confded in no one.
It was a singularly apt surmise,
1reflected. II true-and ! admitted
the theory was plausible-Charlie
was the only logical suspect.
Suddenly my mind was illumi-
mated BY q fash Of memory. Was
Il .eally only that afternoon that |
had leafed through the HoiDitzer
and found Barney's and Shaw's
biographies? Clearly recalled the
last terse, descriptive phrase UNI
der Shaw's picture:
''Chief claim to distinction: the
man who tried 10 spoil Swede's
beauty"
/ must tell Adam about that at
once. I gathered my closely scrib-
bled sheets and waited. tense, for
Mary Shaw to effect her hnger-
ing departure. Certain formalities
must be observed, mutual sympa-
thy and helpfulness expressed. ]
rose impatientiy and stood Just be-
hind the curtains, while Adam
tremendously ushered her out.
short, Bulldog Figure
pUT I had no opportunity to i'm
- part m, scrap of information,
for the subject Of il followed Adam
uneasily into the room, wearing
his most petulant, defensive scowl.
II sat down again and studied
nina short. bulldog figure who
might be effective in q scrap. Why
had he mixed with Barney? Over
Mary? But what connection could
that have with numbering Anne?
Once more watched, with envy,
Adams peculiar talent for putting
people at ease. Shaw did not refuse
q cigarette. Adam leaned COM
fortably back, legs crossed, and
talked through the smoke that
made blue veil between them.
He asked no questions; he told
Shaw what he had been doing,
with an air Of thinking aloud, and
presently the younger man re-
laxed bis defensive attitude and
put in q word.
Say, what did you do to Wheel
erf He came out looking like he
had seen q ghost, and they hadn't
got out Of the club before that
hattle-axe mother Of his was
pumping him hot and heavy
did she get anything out Of
him." Adam asked idly.
Not that ] could hear" Shaw
admitted frankly. "His law was
shut like q steel trap. What was Il
all sboutlS
He just talked out Of turn"
Shaw xnickered. 81 figured II
might be that. He'd be sure q
hringitup."
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