The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-10-06
81 beg your pardon" Donale

Tor the invitation, Donald. PleaSs
ask me another time"
Ceeily hadn't seen the express
sion on Donald's face but she die
| see tie desolation on Laura's be-
fore her cart rounded corner in
the road.
| Donald and Cecily, speeches.
| for the first few yards. retraced
their steps. Then Cecily said some-
thing bright about the Yacht Club
dance, getting, she noted. no re-
spouse. Somehow she managed tc
keep conversation going until
| Donald escorted her to her door,
without once wondering what his
guest at the inn would think Of
the delay. 1t was then nearly two
o'clock. An odd hour for lunch in
Vickersport.
But would you tell her, please,
1t there was anything that wasn't
odd that day? You meet your best
friend on the road with the man
she knows you are in love with.
Fate, that willy playwright, takes
the moment when you start look
ing for her to turn up that old cot
tonball of a bank president that
she's foolish enough to fall in love
| with.
You know perfectly we'll that
Laura and Locke are not interest
ed in each other that way. Or do
you? Anyway, you know that
Laura is incapable of doing any
| fhin0 uyrnF10 pTs IpTafaiV.
But why did Laura have to lie
about it? And why did Donald
have to hear that odious child say
that Laura had not been home all
night?
While you're asking yourself
questions, Miss Stuart, why did
Laura treat you that way? Why
did she say she didn't need to have
you 60 home with her? Anyone
with half an eye could see that
there was nothing wrong with her
ankle.
What had Locke told Laura?
That man could get away with
anything! At this very minute
Cecily was prepared to think that
he'd murder Laura in her bed to
get away her wrist : watch with
the ten diamond chips.
Also, at that moment, Cecily
would like to have strangled some
one to get rid of the Illustrations
that choked her.
please Come
IT SEEMED to her that day that
I every person who came into the
shop came in merely to find some
one to talk to. She discussed tom
Silectomies with one woman, the
loss of nuances in translations with
another, She picked out love sto-
ries for fierce-browed old lady,
did up a gift package for an in
valid. hurl ted down a copy of
James Elroy Flicker for someone
else. She exchanged books in the
circulating department. Stamp.
Write the date on - q card. Six
cents. Fifteen ce n is. The little
stronghold was filed that day, but
it gave her no satisfaction.
- She got out her cost sheets and
calculated the cost of taking her
new stock back to New York. She
tried to wrestle with the problems
attendant on opening shop in
New York But figures flew out of
her mind She couldn't make her.
self write neat columns.
Cecily was fed up with books.
With people. With Cecily Stuart.
At FIVE o'clock she drew the
Venetian blinds in the window,
banked the fire in the hearth and
put up the fire-screen She tidied
the effects of the days business,
put away her cards and put on her
coat. ~s
She was angrily tucking her
hair under her blue felt when the
knocker on the door tn u d d e d
heavily.
mo more customers" she said
under her breath. "I'm tired Of
waiting on people"
The knoc' ing was insistent.
She sighed and opened the door.
There was a little girl there. 81
gotta note" she said, holding it out
in her grimy hand.
Cecily tore open the envelope.
Please come out. Cecily." Laura
had written. II want to talk to
vol" There was nothing more but
Laura's name.
Cecily felt as though a weight
had been lifted from her heart. It
was bad enough to lose Locke; it
was tragedy to lose her friend.
Cecily said, patiently, "I'm try
ing to understand. Laura. If only
you'd tell me Sonaethingi" =
Laura's face, under her brave
rouge. was white. Her head
t hrob b e d with pain and she
couldn't tell that to Cecily. The
pain kept coming between her and
what she was trying to say to the
other girl She wished that she
could take sedative and shut out
all the imps that possessed her
mind. Shut out the memory of
Donald's cold face.
She had watched it soften dur
ing those weeks that she'd known
him. watched the light in his eyes
grow warm. and in that warmth
she had blossomed.
surely tuSIc ID SnIlplS SA-
planation," Cecily persisted.
"rm trying to give you one. I've
said all there is to say" Laura
made turn about her living-room
and stared out the window mo-
roSely a did go to Locke's place,
or / started to :. that is. as told
you on the telephone. ! did talk to
him. and I feel the same way,I did
when | talked to you in the after
noon. But what was said--well, !
can't tell YOU"
They were right back where
they started from.
Continued Monday.
s4f.~sF4srsss