The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-07-06
Chapter %
Cramps Trickery

--~-I~ -
Cramps Trickery
IToCELYN jumped up and caught
- bis arm. Thorn, what In the
world are you raving about7 Sit
down and control yourself"
Sure" he sputtered. control
YOURSELF Let's see how you'll COM
troll yourself when ] tell you every
cent OF our money Is gonel Lost:
We're penniless pauperSl That old
fool there talked me into putting
every cent Of our inheritance into
Texas oil land only there's no
oil On Il There never has been and
never viii be. There isn't oil within
miles and miles of It. It's barren,
Gust-covered prairie not even at
for grazingI II happens to be the
identical thousand acres that the
Macks abandoned -. and tce oiDn
ttfs
Gramp fumbled surreptitioLsly
Tor his crutches, his eyes on the
door. He defended weakly: "Now,
Thorn, that amt no way to talk.
never said there was oil on 1t. ]
never told you to buy it. Tain't
fair 70 blame me"
Thorn dropped into a chair and
covered his face with his hands. He
kroaned: "Gone-every cent gonel
I'd like to kill that old fool What
can we do?"
So many words trer lbled on
Jocelyn's hps-angry words, accu-
cations, recriminations - but she
only said: "Oh. Thorn-oh. Cramp
how could you do this to me?"
Thorn,s voice, muffied by his
you say 1t, Lynn Why don't you re-
mind me / had no business judg-
ment7 The money was yours and
Boh's as well as mine. I'm practi-
cally an embezzler. / !. I'm stu
pid fool. Why don't you say those
fhings, Lyn7 You're thinking
them. ! won't blame you IL you
hate mes
Lyn, fighting, won her battle for
eomposure. She said: 81 don't hate
you, Thorn, although you were
foolish. Rather extensively foolish
~. forty thousand dollars worth.
Il know he groanei. "Lyn,
there's no money at all. Not even
enough to pay the servants wages,
or the grocer. or any OF the month
~ bills"
Jocelyn walked over to the win
dows fronting the ocean. The two
men watched her in silence as one
Of her slender hands gathered the
homespun drapery into creases
released IL. then creased II again
Is was her only sign OF agitation
Without turning her face to them
she said at last in steady voice:
talbot Mack Is no fool Thorn
He paid you back with interest fol
every insult and injustice you per-
petrated on his family. He has
made both you and me as poor a.
he Is. Somehow ! can't seem ia
blame him much. We were pretty
awful. Anyhow. that's that. You'll
have 10 sell both of our cars. Thorn
The money will pay the servants
and other bills and leave some ball
ai1ce 20 carry us until we make
plans. Now, II you don't mind, T.
I'd like to be alone for awhile.
Thorr grudgingly picked ur
Champs crutches and helped the
old man fit them under his arms
He thought how delightful Il
would be to wrap one around OLD
Mack's neckl
Readjustment
GORE. amt your" Gramp In
- quired when they were out ir
the hallway.
certainly. Why shouldn't | bel
II I hadn't listened to your lies :.
what's more ] don't believe you're
the least bit regretful. You're glaC
we're as poor as you arel YoI
schemed and planned this FOL
months. you =. you thieving ole
foxI"
~Well," Gramp said cheerfully
seems as IL you got to blame youl
bad judgment on somebody be-
sides yourself. Might as well bt
me. ! been blamed for lots o
things In eighty-odd YEAR, o
livina."
Yes. and I'll wager you de,
served it," Thorn m U Tt e r e d
You're pretty smart. aren't youi
1 underestimated you. You're TOT
smart for an old man. Well. you
plot against the Russells succeed
ed. You've more than evened YOU
score for the way we treated yol
and your family. hope you'p en-
10y our ruinl"
Il will" Gramp cackled. hob
bling into his own side Of tn,
manor, laboriously closing tn,
door between the two Railways.
Jocelyn scarcely heard them 60
was only subconsciously awarl
hat the door had closed and 81
lence enveloped the spacious room
useemed TO her now. as she stares
out e the blue sea, white-cappe,
b. q determined October wind
that her life had been CAREFUL,
built on the sandy beach at Sea
eiiH and had been suddenly tum
hled, topsy-turvy, by crashing
breakers.
She analysed the causes care
fully. Gecfrey. her solid bulwarl