The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-12-17
Chapter IS
THE Typewriter

ALONE with the unconscious
81 grill read the note once more
There YVES something familiar
about the typewriter letters | be-
gan to saarch the lines feverishY
Yes. the was out of line, and the
crowded me letter that followed
] droppc1 the sheet of paper ard
stared et the bare white wall. It
was unbaa-ably hot here close 10
the roof Hardy aware of what |
was doing. fumbled with the
frogs ano buttons at my throat.
along the shoulder. under the arm
As | slipped out of the mandarin
coat | was conscious of intense re-
lief. as if It typifed all the heavy
? bIackness. all the evil of the night
E. / hung i carefully over the back
of the chair. for. after all, it was
gorgeous garment and il was not
mine Then picked UP the letter
and held it close to the light.
staring hopelessly at the d~f tive
type. as familiar to me as the pat
tern of lines on my own hand, and
remembering exactly. wildly.
scene in the two-room apartment
share with Eileen-a scene near
ly a.year old.
! was proudly showing my new
noiseless typewriter to Charlie
Charlie on his way to join the
regiment, his ring very new and
strange on my finger.
'Look. Charlie. it's red!"
"And pipe the streamline
curves! Don't I'D me, lis a tricycle.
or something. That thing can't
write"
mo, | do that"
chaslle was shaking his head
mourpiplly.A ,o -
& THE old gray mare amt what
she lister be. What ever became
of JGEandpa's old Oliver? Now
fhereo was q typewriter!"l
= YOhs I've got battered old
wreck too, They wanted to give
ME Ten dollars for 1t. but it was
too much like parting with mem
bcrof the, family | thought might
still use Il OCCASIONALLY, but of
Counsel won't" - et
ef@I'I1aRfpe yoailatten spot for it. .
9fASigh, unseen7 After what I've
done tn1it-eand on it-Iodoubt if
its worth IL" 4iag m.n.ao
s.tYWell. need something. that
win set down one letter after an
other You know my fist. = 4,ssse /.
ut couldn't help be more legihle
than that-aftet all. IL saw me
through college You'll treat ii
gently land give ii new ribbon
occasionally? ! really ought to put
1t out TO pasture after all these
years
After all those years was II like.
~ that ! could be mistaken? Was
il likely that two old typewriters
would have the same defects de.
fects that soeckled all the early
manuscripts that still overlooked
nydesk drawers?
II might as we'll face it. That let.
FER the darnnsb.Y caIlous letter
thax The pQor stricken girl had
hEoIght witii hsr. had beeh writ
tenN4kn1 Charles s typewriter
Charles s that once was mine.
Worse Than Murder
MY Naturalization to shield him
VI wavered. II he had written
that letter be was not the boy
Rrewsllp With Aud what could she
be-to him THAT stigmatized figure
of>zagaeedyssSa slight. so worn. So
a&n8e thai sac must trust to the
c4mpassion of any passing stran-
Ger when TIE sglA. ed mechanism
II her body BETRAYED her2
) If she weFe Charles response
bslity-bus now could she be?-
then he must ask no quarter from
fpe. Worse than ho.headed murder
was the callous Indifference of
sameone who knew this girl was
here-alone And the letter had |
bFEn written on Charles type
vxAer
xas through concealing clues |
Fne- presence o. Ethel Curtis put |
sUavef complexion on things. |
Something evil was stalking |
throngh these corridors tonight |
sesaaething Self.centered and ruth |
les q personality began TO take |
snane in nv mind.
- closed the door softly behind /
re ana erept 10 the head Of the /
sz4lIs. could S,ili hear her IL she |
snE1fd. ! could hear. too. Adams |
Nlce below ne. and could riistin. |
Euish most of the questions and /
answers
After amcment | recognized the