The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-10-31
Chapter Eight
Hate At First Sight

Hate At First Sight
pLINDLY Kathleen hurried from
the hotel and blindly crossed
the, street. She would stife If she
drew another cubic inch of Mac
Donald air.
The insolence of the man! He
was spoiled :. Probably by the
women Mayme had mentioned.
But what made him think he could
talk to her in that fashion?
She walked on. The pavement on
the Gregory side of Neutrality.
stopped at the end of the business
section. The Macdonald pavement
continued on.
Kathleen took the dirt trail
which ran parallel with the road.
She rounded a curve and found her
side edged by cottages which hud-'
died together as though to hide
their tattered shame from the neat
stone bungalows on the opposite
side.
Kathleen's hands clasped tight
Iy behind her. The Gregorys
shamed by the MacDonalds. she
thought. With militant step she
STROBE on, unaware of .quickening
eyes behind the windows of the
Gregory cots"
She had noticed the windows.
They were iIicongruities; gallant
panes of shining glass edged Ey
frilled white curtains and brave
ported plants.
The Macdonald homes were
modern. Kathleen could sense
vacuum cleaners and electrically
equipped kitchens, furnaces and
tiled bathrooms.
"But our cots are more pictur-
esque," she defended stoutly. They
were. The. roofs jutted out at all
angles. Pocket handkerchief flow
er gardens biazed with late fall
flowers.
No artist would choose a Mac
Donald house," she continued.
looking at the wide yards. flower
borders surrounding the bueolic
heads Of cabbage and kale: shrubs
only half-concealing the chicken
runs in the rear.
The road wound on up the hill
ard s,osss Az. FAraer1,,.x, <.<fe taaa,,,a
abandoned hulks. Roofs were
cayed in. Stone chimneys spraWled
from base to roadside; windows
stared on the ruins with vacant.
paneless eyes.
Only one Of these had been re.
habilitated. Kathleen stopped be-
fore IL. She was confident no one
was az home. An old black and
white shepherd dog alnhied out to
sniff at her, wag approval andre
turn to stretch in the sun.
Tiptoeing around to the rear she
found a tiny vegetable plot and q
miniature chicken house for few
miniature chickens. Still tiptoeing,
Kathleen approached the cottage.
There were no curtains at the VIM
dows but the sashes had been
painted soft blue green. One gave,
view of the interior. and revealed
q tiny place. There was a cot with
patchwork quilt. an old rocker
pulled before an iron stove and
nearby. a table with q shaded kero-
sene lamp Bible and a pair OF
steel-rimlned speetacles.
II wonder who lives here" she
murinured.
She had reached the trail again
before she realized she was still
on tiptoe.
House Divided
A MOTHER turn in the road and
Ashe stood still. There was q
arofesdue building ahead on the
highest ledge of. the hillside, II
kiraddifd the Termination OF the
an S1d sisscaiaisT rSad I IN The.
middle il was low and built Of
1oes. To the left the LOGS gave way
10 stone foundations with hcFi-
zbntal clapboard walls. To the
riaht the logs, continued but here
was q log cabin Of today; a lodge.
the windows gay with Indian ser.
eThe House Of Hate,n she said
with sudden understanding. There
wss the Iog cabin which had
housed her grandfather and the
grs1dfather Of MaeD Donald before
Their feud had started. And be-
cause neither would give in 70 the
olher they had built their homes
beyond the divided halves Of that
srhe stubborn old rascals." she
chnekled. and made her way % the
vide Gregory veranda, 70 curl up
IN the sun and sit dreaming OF
those other days.
TIE viewswas magnificent kath-
leen felt she had been lifted to an
other realm. Neutrality YVES VIZ
ibie below and seemingly as peace
f,,l "a its name. Beyond were the
eolored ellis and beyond thesA
mountains. their sides dark with
fir and capped with snow