The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-14

MY heavens, Jane, old i!
"You did, and I wasn't going To
dash after you with it. You're so
impulsive, you might have misun-
derstood. Anyway, the guns there,
and I'm here, and all the town
heard me say I'd In the Club Par
lor today that I hadn't a cent ex-
cept what Mary gave me, and that
i was afraid Of being fred almost
any time. Twas joking, but it won't
be a joke tomorrow =
They won't" Zeb said. They
can'tr.
I'm used 70 headlines" Jane
told Asey. 'When father died, I
was five hundred miles away at
school, but you might have thought
I pushed him out of the window.
When mother married the. Spig-
oh, but why go on! I'm used to it.
Shakespeare wrote a sonnet once
about how If you got the worst at
first, then you were more contain
der about the remainder. Or some
thing. Maybe il. was. Nash. Zeb,
aren't you glad ] never decided to
marry you
IF you'll marry me tonight"
Zeb said.
Don't be quixotic!" Jane said.
Think Of your. father and the
headlines. Baked Beans Heir Jilts
Suspect Fiancee. Romance Ends In
Old Home Killing-d'you suppose
they'll call it The Old Home Kill
ing? ASey, don't mean to gable
on so, but / feel wound up. I-well
Il feel desperate, if you want to
know. Oh, Asey, ] simply adored
Mary, and she's been 50 marvel
Gus to mel"
Zeb put his arm around her, and
she cried on his shoulder.
It's The End
IT OOK after her." Asey said. "I
H hear a car"
He went out as DR.. Cummings,
and Lane of the state police, both
calm and professionally expec-
tant, got out of a sedan. In the back
seat was Weston, sitting like a
statue. Despair was written all
over him.
'Oh, come, Wes," Asey said. Its
bad. It's awful. But nothin's as bad
as you look. Cheer up, mani Lane'u
settle this for"
Its the end" Weston said. Its
in the contract"
I'm the what?"
Contract. Philbrick's contract.
We're going on the air as a quaint
old-fashioned New England town.
And if"
IF you amt, you get the air? I
see. Well, come in, an let's see
what we can do"
DR.. Cummings looked around
the. bedroom and backed hastily
out int the hall esfs.sf.igs
Someone. loathed her like
poison" he observed, cor else we
have a maniac loose. So someone
waited outside, and shot at the
shadow other head on the window
shade? What a. Asey I feel re-
Sponsible, in a way. She wasn't
well when she first came to town,
and I suggested among other things
that she 60 to bed early, since she
had her business 70. run during the
day. She kept the early-to-bed
habit up, ! don't know why. Every
one in town knew about it, of
course. There's a book-was she
reading?"
Guess so,p Asey said. men she
leaned forward to get cigarette
from that box. Tell me, what was
she lke?"
Mary was very pleasant. and
she knew her business. Used to be
a buyer for some New York firm,
and IL blew up, and she landed
here. Seemed to enjoy burying
herself out in this hell hole. Said
she made a living. She's got some
fine stuff out In her shop IN the
barn. Had q Iotaof customers, and
did her rubbing and restoring and
finishing all herself. Great worker,
very competent woman"
"Enemies?p
"She got on well with everyone.
OF course she got the women up on
their heels once in while, but
they all like her except Brinley's
wife. That Brinley woman thinks
she knows it all. Took a course in
interior decorating once, and no
ones allowed to forget it. Awful
row over the Club Parlor."
Who won?"
MARY, hands down. Then Bessie
claimed that Mary was only after
a chance to unload her antiques,
and make a profit Lot of fuss.
Turned out to be a nice room,
though. Well, let's get busy. Going
to be nasty for the town. Any way
out?"
"Of keeping it quiet? Maybe"
Asey said. Maybe, if-say. what's
the daughter hke?"
DR.. Cummings looked at him
over the rims Of his glasses.
"rm not psychiatrist, or psy-
chologist," he announced crypt
cally. "I'm Just a plain country
doctor. Win you tell Lane and
Weston to come here, and bring
Lanes camera, and all that stuff"
Half an hour later, Asey went
into the living room.
Zeb and Jane still sat on the
couch, staring at the pattern Of the
hooked rug before the fireplace.
Weston, his face a yard long.
sucked at q dead pipe In the cor
ner. He wore the sort Of express
sion usually reserved for funerals.
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