The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-11-19

Kathleen Gregory.
A hand reached for her bag.
"There, lass, come in"
Balmy had been standing on the
trail, his white head held in lis
tening attitude. There's some
thing fey in the wind" he told her.
"Come back to the terrace and
tell me-"
He seemed talking of two differ
ent things. Obediently Kathleen
followed and once there she burst
out. "I'm going home, Balmy. You
see, they don't need me anymore.
Bridget is going to marry Donald,
she just told me. She was fathers
secretary, she understands all
about the mine, she'll manage the
right-of-way somehow"
aye" agreed Balmy in a half
comprehending. half-puzzled tone.
The light from his window re-
vealed the heartbreak visible on
the young face before him. Quick
ly he diverted her thoughts.
"And now, lass, that you've seen
fit to tell me you're The Golden
Girl; you'd like to hear about the
Kathleen looked UP. She hadn't
actually admitted it. She didn't
care about the feud. She only
wanted to get away; to get away
from Donald. But Balny was talk
ing.
do you know my dear, that one
of your forebearS was one of the
first white men to come to this con-
tinent? Before the time of the
English and the French. soon after
Columbus returned to Spain, a
party of Spanish grandeeS with
adventure in their blood, and, in
spired by the tales of gold to be
found in the new word, sailed for
the Americas.
The Counting Shirt
II WON'T go into their history.
Prompted by the Gulf coast
Indians, they came inland. Only
one man was seen again and he
told of the wealth they had cached
in the painted hills.
Generations afterwards, one of
his line. finding his wealth in
Spain dissipated. decided to search
for that wealth. He came across
the plains with a daughter. When.
he reached the frontier settlement
we call Carsted, he was old and i'll
and penniless. His daughter, this
Castilian gentlewoman, worked at
lsanything she could fnd to do. to
|leare for him. ifAsf fIs
Soon after. their arrival. two
I young prospectors came to- the set
from Scotland. Macdonald
and MacGregor. Women were.
scarce and not of the kind to in
spire men like these Scots to
thoughts of matrimony. Ehey both
wanted this girl. -
Macdonald thought he had the.
inner road for he was unmarried.
Mace regor,s young wife had died
before he left Scotland and he had
left children there. He thought he.
had i the inner road, for what
woman could refuse to mother the
nnotherless? - y
1.-THE girl listened to both and
considered neither. They were
penniless proSpectors. She wanted
someone to care for her father. At
lslast she laughingly bargained. She
said she would marry the first
man who would prove he had
struck. gold"
Balmy paused to light his pipe
been living in another world for
the moment.
you know the history of the
strike" Balmy continued. "How
Macdonald and MacGregor lived
in the cabin they had built the
previous fall: how they started
out on the same day and struck
gold on opposite sides of the ridge
at about the same hour.
"MacGregor had the best OF il
by moments He came up over the.
hill on run. They had one dress
shirt between them. He was GO
ing into the settlement to Gle
claim and 10 claim his Emilia mia.
He must wear the shirt.
> He'd washed. trimmed his
beard and had one arm in the
shirt when Macdonald appeared
Before that time they had taken
turns at wearing. the counting
shirt Now they fought for IL. D
bitter fight that rent the shirt. and
each wearing his half of the bloodv
garment, they started for the set
Element"
Kathleen's eyes were immense
pools of interest. "And my grand
father won, and Macdonald never
forgave him. But Balmy, why
didn't Old Angus forgive MacDon-
aid. why did he feel such bitter
hatred towards the man he'd
bested?"
Balmy stirred restlessly. He
walked to the edge of the terrace
and stood listening. Kathleen
waited. She could hear nothing
but night murmurs. wind in the
trees and the thrum OF chicadees.
There's nae happiness In a war
won by bloodshed. nor by a hard
bargain. Donna Emilia was an
obedient wife. She kept her word
to the letter. but she had no love
for Angus. And Angus. frustrated.
believed she loved Macdonald"
Kathleen believed she knew how
her grandfather must have SUI
fered. She wondered, vaguely. If
she was suffering for her grand
fathers hard-turned bargain. II
Old Donald Macdonald In that
fourth dimensional world was d.
recting the fancy OF his grandson.
his enemy's granddaughter was
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