The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-05-21

Street for the babies woollies-it
would be cold at home now-She
was going home-going home
Everything else was swallowed up
in the miracle of that - Going
home
1t was early twilight when Ju-
dith at the wheel of jeff Shows
old car, pulled out of Camp Site
Number 2. She felt like a fugitive
from justice. If Reuben followed
IF he tried to stop her
1 Every sound on the road, every
trailing car set her pulses jumping.
Let Reuben comet Let million
Reubens come! She was going
home!
Breaking up the mean little
home in Casper Street should
have been a delight, but after she
had put the twins to bed H. the
tiny slope-roofed back bedroom,
Judith was shocked to feel a dull
sort of pain coming alive within
her.
Everything was just the same.
The low smothering ceilings. Wall
paper ugly and depressing. The
old bath tub was just as streaked,
leaky, hopeless and yet the small,
cluttered place was oddly home
like and filed with ghosts. Ghosts
who were at cnce happy and sadly
reproachful: 'sThis was home
you deserted it,"
Old memories came struggling
back. Their arrival here. The bas-
ket of food with the red checked
apples on top-The way they, had
laughed, sworn, cried alnest, tfyr1
ing to lay Cissy's rug y lit
Haunted By Ghosts
lnETERMINEDLY she sent her
- thoughts ahead. Going Home
Not word to Gran of the real
state of affairs between her and
Reuben--not until delay was no
longer poesible-Not a word about
Gary
Garyl His name started tu-
mult-not entirely pure bliss to-
night-tinged by doubt and per-
plexity. Reube.- had lied about
Gary. he was jealous, defeated
and ,et--Reuben did not lie easily.
"A lie or a mistake. lie or a
mistakel" The question swung like
pendulum against her brain.
Through all the years she had seen
Gary without flaw. Why was her
faith wavering now?
ut isn't wavering," she assured
herself fiercely, "It isn't"
II couldn't be. She had to believe
in Gary now as she believed in
God. He was all she had left in a
world gone suddenly awry. Yes
terday, few hours ago, she had
security. home. husband. chill
dren-"
Sensibly she reminded herself
that She still had the children and
as much security as she had yes
sfeftiav = se4af& z 80
Judith made hasty arrange
merits about the furniture with
Mrs. Krans. Then she tried to get
some sleep. She closed her eyes
but could not shut out a vision of
Reuben-rumpled hair, robe tied
haphazardly about him - fright
ened and awkward, trying to be
helpful with a croupy baby. Reu-
ben going down to the freezing
kitchen to make a fire, heat milk,
making her go to bed
Adoring. Gentle. Considerable. A
far cry from the snarling, scowl-
ing man Of this afternoon!
And then. quite without warn
ing, the searchlight of RETROSPECT
ton and self analysis turned full
upon Judith. She saw herself
changed too--not the same cour-
ageous. fair-minded girl who had
come into this room in the murk
of a November night. bringing a
clean, cold air, clean, cold heart
with her. PurpoSely she had kept
that heart cold kept another
image enshrined there--crowding
Reuben out. Reuben had adored
that girl. To him she was a cap
tured dream. through hard DAYS
and leanl
| ImpatientIy she wondered IL all
I women were haunted hy ghosts
or il she was more spineless than
others. letting a laundering,
| gloomy past wreck a welEplanned,
sunshiny future? She hated Reu-
/ ben so that the mere memory of
this afternoon made her feel NJ
sically sick. He had been In exdnAs.
ably brutal. Luckily his insults
rolled from her as easily as water
from a ducks back. II she had
loved him it would have been ter
TRIBE
| And from somewhere q ghost
more bold than the first whis-
| pered: IF you had loved him this
couldn't have happened"
Judith was galvanized into ac-
ton. She got out of bed. started
to dress feverishly. II only il was
time to 60. She wouldn't breathe
easily until she was on the train.
II Reuben was at the Junction
Reuben was not at the Junction.
The little shed was dingy and de-
serted in the raw dawn. The train
was late. II cam, at last. roaring.
painting. Slowed down reluctantly.
A conductor stepped down. He
lifted the babies up. helped Judith
aboard. Waved signal. The train
resumed It's roar, moved on. faster.
/ faSter-She was going home
Gary wouldn't be waiting for
her after all AS usual she would
be waiting for him.
She thought OF Eve driven from
Eden-never allowed to 90 back
Poor Evel
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