The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-09-19
Chapter II
Picnic


Picnic
/ AFTER the road was a darl.
II brown carpet between the trees
Of green velvet forest. The woods
were filled with sounds. There was
the twittering of birds close by in
the trees. the distant caw-caw of
deeper-throated birds. There was
the rush of startled wings and the
ripping of a brook. There was the
creaking Of dead wood and the
stirring in the leaves made by the
little creatures who lived there
undisturbed.
Look. Cecily. at the plume of
smoke from the farmhouse beyond
the hill. -"
The scars on this old tree
trunk ]"
The pines on the cape and the
ssnd-dunes -"
"At the music festival at salz :
burg
Have you ever been to Pa
lermo
you go to the village for coffee
st FIVE and on the way back. you
walk a lonely path. On one side
you see the bright colored sails.
On the other. the olive trees in the
sunset
Sometime, Cecily, when we are
IN New York. I'll take you to the
Battery al dusk on a foggy day
Wen share a bag of peanuts and
listen to the symphony of fog
horns and watch the wells of pur-
pie. gray and blue swirling in the
lights from the ships.
Conversation. Conversation
while her step match. d his. Word
pictures OF things they knew and
liked DISCOUNTED little things
eagerly proffered thai one might
share the others past pleasures
V:gnettes revealing. one to the
other. the background each had
known.
But nothing that told Cecily
anything definite about Locke He
had been educated in Colorado. his
birthplace He'd been Europe
Mexico and Canada. He'd been a
newspaper reporter. a cowboy He
knew how to set a broken bone
dance rhdmba. shoot around cor
ners Al least. thai was what he
toll Cecily
Thon ne velvet forest fell away
as thGu9i II were curtain at their
back and they came into the open
where the water spread deep and
blue before them The slow roll
crs came IN and broke on white
besch where the bleached stones
were rubbed smooth by m !
tides The water and the sands
stretched IS far as their eyes could
see Il was ali immense theater and
Ce~'lv and Locke were alone in il
"iiungry?" he asked. finging
down the knapsack.
Getting to be-" she answered
The carly dusk was beginning to
fsH ne sky deepening swiftly
Then YOU get 10 work" He led
her 10 a place on the sands where
there was a great dried log Beside
II there was large tin box the size
q hamper.
- came out yesterday to exer-
cise Careless Grace" he explained
as he opened the box. land brought
. few supplies"
Cecily was thinking: He was
locking forward to this. too.
lie brought out the few sup
plies potatoes. ears of corn. q
sack OF coffee. wooden tub oil
fresh butter small bags of salt ano
sugar. box of matches. Then
with the air of a magician produc-
in2 the proverbial rabbit from g
silk hat ne brought forth a bat
tered coffee pot. two long sharp
pronged forks. steel knives. two
paper plates. two sturdy cups.
Chill Night
IVHAT do do?" Cecily asked
w eagerly.
why. you do the hard work
gal You build the fire."
And don't think | don't know
howl" she retorted. "rm the best
little fire builder you've ever
met"
He took one of her hands and, as
II lay supinely in his. he looked al
IL with his eyebrow raised in his
ouiZzical. amused way He felt the
sof. skin of her palm. looked at the
delicate pink nails. He sighed:
They don't look like the hands
OF worker to me. So you can col
lect kindling. I'll do the heavy
work"
The beach was rich with dried
driftwood. The two of them soon
had a great heap gathered back oi
the log that was to be their table.
Cecily sat cross-legged, enrap'
with Locke's preparations. There
had been charcoal in the tin ham
per. and with it he soon had {
glowing fire. He showed the pota-
toes and corn beneath the burning
Goals and joined Cecily.
The smoke got in her eyes anC
made them sting. Hearty hunger
was beginning TO gnaw at her rib!
but she wouldn't have changed
one single moment of il.
when you're about to fain'
from hunger - and ! believe the
roasted things have gotten a star
I'll get the steak on" Locke
teased her. :.
"Pm about TO faint" she sale
eonvincingly little later.
They cooked their steaks, hold
ing them in the fire at the ends o
the pronged forks The thick