The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-12
Chapter II
Not Enough To Go On

01tdHtSK ~
Not Enough To Go On
WHEELER sat down abruptly in
w a leather chair beside the big
table. fumbled in a breast pocket
Of his dinner jacket and, producing
two cigars, one of which Adam
curtly declined, proceeded elabo-
rately to light up.
Whats this about your mother
saving you from Anne Carewe?"
Adam asked with a dangerous
CLINT in his eyes.
Wheeler's occupation with his
cigar failed to disguise the fatuous
look which contorted his sharp
features. He leaned back, watch
ing the smoke that rose from his
small effeminate mouth.
That's a LOT Of rot." he said airi-
ly. 'You know how women are.
I'm quite able to protect myself
from that type Of skirt"
Adam half rose from his chair.
his knuckles white on the table,
but thought better Of it.
Explain that" he said CURLY.
there's nothing to explain. She
made pass at me and ] let her see
! wasn't having any. She's shame
Less
Eyes blazing, Adam rose from
his chair. leaned across the table
and slapped Wheeler deliberately
across the mouth.
II had to listen to your mothers
filthy insinuations," he said saw
agely. Slut I'll teach you to keep
clean tongue in your head"
Wheeler turned sickly white
and got to his feet. covering his
mouth with his hand.
Il forgot - I forgot she was
dead" he said painfully.
There was a long ash on his cigar
and he began to hunt for a place
70 deposit it as If it were a stick Of
dynamite.
II was obvious that Adam had
forgotten all about me, He spoke
to Wheeler tersely and with some
heat, employing pungent language
TO describe exactly what was
wrong with Wheeler and what to
do about ii.
Wheeler heard him out with a
suffused count0nance in which
dumb gratitude struggled with re-
sentiment and shame. They parted,
II not amleably, at least on terms
Of better understanding, while Il
wondered, in a kind Of daze, how
much Of this ] was supposed to put
in my notes.
lstill have those notes--a cryptic
tangle OF unorfhodox pothooks and
jaw-breaking elisions, incompre-
hensible TO anyone but me; and
even ] am baffied by passages that
look like nothing so much as an
Gent Sanskrit. They are written
in pencil on sheets Of cheap sta
tionery. stamped with the regi-
mental insignia. which had been
supplied in the reading room for
use of the enlisted men.
] don't know why have kept
them. They're macabre souvenir
Of q night ! don't particularly want
70 remember but am not likely to
forget. No doubt the tabloids would
have paid me for them - hand
soniely. As It was. their headlines
were to be strangely top-heavy.
Triple murder and suicide a. Fort
Ravens. HoInicidal maniac - that
was the explanation dished out by
Adam. and they had to accept il,
for no one else would tell them
anything The united front in time
OF trouble -.
A Question Mark
4 KNEW the exact moment Adam
remembered my existence. He
paused in his Gagged pacing. stared
fearfully at the curtains, turned q
rich pink and sat down suddenly
behind the big table.
Miss Cornish?" he called din
dently.
! came out rubbing my eyes. |
I'm afraid I dozed Of. Did miss
afler-after Mrs. Wheel
er leftfs
He scowled at me distrustfully |
for q moment, began to grin and
slipped into helpless mirth.
There seemed to be nothing to |
say on either side. Adam sobered |
slowly, found . pack Of cigarettes,
supplied me and himself md got |
back 70 business.
"Tkis Is rank slacling." he said. |
glancing at his wrist watch. aAnd |
It's one o'clock. Shaw IS holding
back the horde q. he door. Whom |
shall see next7s
I eonsidered.
You sent the musicians away7"
sYes. after questioning them |
briefly. The Light was against them |
III during the balloon dance--they |
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