The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-16

Cummings. bending over him,
obscured the mans face.
"Who?" Asey asked blankly.
"Who is it?"
"Win Billings" Cummings said.
He-Why, Asey. you look about
done up!"
81 am. Win Billings-you mean.
Win Billings?"
1.-THE last" Cummings ripped in
two strip of adhesive tape. "the
last Billings of Billingsgate May
be you can get word out of him.
We can't. Nice clean wound, Asey.
You're one of the few men know
who can shoot someone up with
out making a nasty mess for me
There You'll recover, Win In fact,
you got off about as easy as Kay
did"
Asey sat down in a chintz- COW
cred arm chair.
doc, this is sort of mixed up in
my mind. Just what happened
here?"
ASK VIM" Cummings said.
Maybe he'll talk for you. He won't
for us. You'd think he'd taken a
VOW, or something. Not peep out
of him."
Asey looked over at Win.
Lane" he said, "you an the
doc clear out for a few minutes,
will you? Maybe l can settle
this" 8 49,.
81 don't trust him., Lane said.
I'm going to stay. He's playing
posSum. He's not anywhere near as
weakly as he looks. And he's So
ber-"
Run along" Asey said.
Kind Of Fed Up
THEY left reluctantly. Asey took
j out his pipe and then remem-
bered he had no tobacco.
He looked around, forgetting
that there would probably be no
tins of tobacco lurking about in
an exclusively feminine house
hold.
in m pocket" Win said. Goats
on the chair"
Thanks" Asey fshed around
in the coat pocket until he found
an oiled silk pouch. pretty swell,
that" he said. Present. | guess?"
mo good" Win said. Don't
taste right"
Same tobacco | USE" Asey re-
marked
Same | use, too. but gimme
t'bacco from tin. | says to them
wimmen. l don't want no sashay
bag!" .f
''Kind &C fed UP with Old Home
Week. are your" Asey inquired
Win Billings sat upright on the
couch and spit with great accuracy
into the fireplace
He was tai. and straight, and
remarkably we'll preserved for an
old fellow. particularly one so
rarely sober. His hands were amaz-
ingly steady. and his voice firm,
and the stubborn iutting of his
chin interested Asey. A hawklike
nose. a high forehead and stub
born chin were Billings character
istics. to judge from the Town Hall
portraits. but hitherto Asey re-
membered no trace of such stub
bornneSs or force in Win.
Huh" Win said. leaning back
against the wall. Damn this Shout
der, it's worse'n rheumatic. Look
now, Asey Mayo. Did / ever ask
anythin' of EN-? No. House? No.
Food? No. R'lief? No. Pension?
No Never asked nothin' of nobody.
'cept maybe t'bacco. an done
work for that"
IAN they washed an dressed
you up" Asey said. IAN they"
AN made a show of mel" Win
said violently. wont stand for it.
Won't stand it no longer. Said no.
Mean it" He drew a pipe from his
pocket. Gimme that pouch"
Asey filled his pipe and lighted
it for him. ~
"Win." he said, "what'n time
happened tonight?"
'Put me t'bed. they did," Win
said bitterly, "seven o'clock,
Locked the door. lgot out the win
dow. Got out b'fore, if you want
to know. This time / was through.
Teller give me a ride up here. Nice
Teller. no nonsense about him. ]
says, gimme a lift, an he did"
"Headin' for the ice house, huh?"
Win nodded. well. kind of lost
m'bearin's in the fog. Men first
thing ] know, someone starts
shootin'-one. two, three. Right
to me. Says to me'self then, I says,
b'golly. AN through! Won't stand
it no longer. They can shoot me
full of holes like sieve I they're
a mind to, | says. but no more
shown off for EN-. Why? Never
asked 'em for nothin'. Why sh'd
| have to dress up for 'em? That's
what says to m'self! Celebration!
They don't know how to hold no
celebration. Aseyl Take like when
the Central come. Turkey red car
pets. urns full of flowers. silk hats
an Prince Alberts, plenty to eat,
plenty to drink Asey, | thought
it all over. an it amt right. They
can shoot me all they're mind to,
but it amt right Won't stand for
it no more. neitheri"
Conf;nuad snvnarrnxy