The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-19
OLD HOME WEEK MURDER
by Phoebe Atwood Taylor

communist, to become a town off,
Ger like anyone else, well, as said
to my wife, that is stretching the
democratic form of government a
little too farI"
well. yes" Asey said. seems
that way, don't it?"
His bland expression never wa
vered as Brinley looked at him
sharply.
well" Brinley said, "you will
restrain him, won't you? Why it
was disgraceful last night, The way
he was ranting around about that
brush hrei All over town. Some of
our guests were most disturbed,
and indeed they had every right to
be! It's what comes. as / said to
Bessie, of letting"
'Uh-huh. But after all, his studio
did nearly burn up, an he charred
his hand. Sort of had some provo
cation. don't you think? He wasn't
just rantin' for the sheer love of it.
was he?"
why, L"
"BrinleyI" Vincent Trip beck
oned to ]. Arthur from the door.
"Brinley, quick-er-quickly!"
]. Arthur hustled off, and Asey
followed leisurely to the large as
Sembly hall. which was overflow
ing with people. Old Settlers, he
assumed, since most of them
looked both old and settled.
Up on the stage Sara looked cool
and poised and unperturbed. jeff,
sitting directly beneath the Ameri-
can flag, was picturesque and i'm
posing, and more of a McGuffey's
statesman than ever. He caught
sight of Weston in the background,
issuing orders like a major-gen-
eral.
Home And Mother
THE welcome" j. Arthur was
saying, "the welcome of the
town to you former residents who
have returned to do honor to Bill
ingsgate, the welcome is the well
come your mother would give, and
so Mother Billingsgate extends it
In this changing world of ours,
with its noise and confusion. its
airplanes and fast cars and tall
buildings and - er - streamlined
trains. still two things remain sa-
cred Home" he paused. "home
and mother A mothers love is the
most beautiful and sacred thing in
life. The Older we grow. the more
we cherish the associations OF
childhood. and our old school
friends and our old school days.
And so, those of us who have
stayed here in Billingsgtte, so we
sent the clarion call out to you.
who responded by travelling from
all parts of our country, and some
of you from foreign lands, to come
back home. Home to ,Billingsgate
Home for this week of celebration
All of us here have banded to-
gether in one great thought tc
make this home coming a real
welcome to you. welcome"
ASey'S eyes met Aunt Sara's.
Hurriedly. he edged his way
back to the roadster.
But it was not Brinley's oratory
that puckered up his forehead. II
was the absent Slade. Brinley was
substituting for Slade. Why should
a wordy fellow like Slade pass UP
a chance to talk his head off
without interruption in front of
so many people? Something was
wrong. After all. why fish in 81
lence when an audience that size
was waiting?
"Mr. Mayo!"
He hardly needed the badge to
identify Mrs. j. Arthur Brinley.
Like her husband, she was short
and fat and pompouS, and her face
was red and perspiring. He knew
it would be. She reminded him
somehow of an old table someone
had given his father, table made
of sixty million different little
chips of wood. Perhaps it was her
three strings of beads, or her rings,
or the buttons on her big-figured
chiffon dresS-anyway she had a
built-up look.
Il do hope" she said, "that my
husband has seen you? He has?
| And he told you about that Slade?
You will restrain him, won't you?
Rushing around with that shotgun!
1t was disgracefull A town officer,
brandishing shotgun. with all our
guestSl People were shocked! !
said to my husband. Arthur. ]
said" i
Look" Asey interrupted. alet's
get to the bottom of this. You an
Mr.. Brinley tell me that after the
brush fire last night, Mike Slade
was uptown. brandishing a shot,
gun. Am right up to that point?"
well. ne wasn't exactly BRAN
diShing it. but he had a shotgun
with him openly. and it upset a
number of people, including many
Old Settlers. 1t upset them very
much. Naturally it is upsetting
| when"
Eyes. But what did he have a
gun along with him for? Decora-
ton, or use, or what?"
Didn't Arthur tell you? Arthur
tried to restrain him, and Slade
was very rude, and told him to 20
away and lay an-oh, he was just
as rude as you'd expect someone
like him to be. He said-why, the
things he saidl"
Eyes, / know. Outspoken sort
An old spade caller. But what ex-
prnation did he give your hus-
band?"
"Why. il really wasn't an ex-
plation, at all, really. The man
was either drunk, or crazy. He said
he had shotgun with him, and he
intended to carry il with him as
long as he felt like il, and certainly
until he got the chance to shoot
back at whoever had been shoot
ing at himl"