The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-10-30

walk away absent-mindedly, with
| out remembering even to thank
Tim, or he'll hook a friendly arm
through his and bring him along
back here to dinner. The one thing
you can depend upon his not doing
is to ask Tim his intentions"
Buff shook her head mournfully.
II know them all too well. He's
made them perfectly clear to me.
That Iris person has turned him
definitely against marriage. Added
to that, he's in debt and he thinks
I'm an heiresS. Also he believes me
to have left kindergarten year be-
fore last and consequently I'm too
young to be taken seriously"
'He knows about your plays
your short stories?"
The girl shrugged. 1.-THE achieve
ments of a precocious child-if he
thinks of them at ALL She left her
chair and came to curl up on the
floor at her mothers feet. Eleanor,
tell me! How did you know
whether you were in love with
Lance or not?"
The older woman put a tender
hand On the golden head.
Darling, if you're in any doubt
about the matter you simply aren't,
that's all. Being fond Of a man,
wanting to look after him-that's
not enough. The old rule of not
considering whether you can live
with him but whether you can live
without him still seems to me the
best tombstone. Buff, can YOU
can you live without Tim?"
There was a moments silence.
then Buff raised flushed face.
Head Over Heels
MOT happily" she said. her eyes
y meeting Eleanor'S squarely.
IF that's really the tombstone
then I'm sunk-head over heels
about Tim. When | wake in the
morning try to imagine where he
is, what he's doing. When / plan
the meals think what he'd like or
not like, even though | know he'll
not be here to eat them. When he
and George come to dinner | seem
to hear only what Tim says, though
it's George who does most of the
talking. "A sort of light comes
into the room with him, the sound
of his voice makes me SILVER lit
tie. His face-and know with my
mind that he's really not at al
handsome!-SeemS to me the most
attractive I've ever seen. Does
does all this make sense to you,
Eleanor"
There's no sense in an attack Of
first love, Buff dear. wish ! could
feel this is only that; an attack Of
sentimental measles from which
you'll recover"
But you don't think so?"
Mrs. CAROLS face was sad. "I'm
afraid not, my Buff. You always
were a loyal little thing. You've
held on to your friendships
through travel, change of any kind.
Oh, how I wish I'd never let you 60
out to close up the ranch!"
wait till you see Tim," was the
confident reply. "Then you'll be
dancing perfect jigs of rapture that
fate sent him my way"
Not even mental picture of her.
self indulging in this form of ac-
tivity could Danish the look of
worry from Mrs. CAROLS face.
Buff, darling, before this goes
any farther-before you settle
down to what really amounts to a
Siege-use your common sense. If
this man doesn't love you-and it
would seem that he doesn't in the
face of what he's done and said
the wise thing, the only thing to
do is to leave here as soon as pos
sible. A change of scene, new
friends, your playwriting - you
need them all to cure you of what
may be merely infatuation for the
only man who's needed you besides
Lance; or for what may be genuine
love, unrequited." She smiled
family at the old-faShioned word.
He's just recovering from an UNI
happy affair with a woman. USu-
ally mans heart is rather easily
captured on the rebound in such
cases. If it isn't, then he's pretty apt
to go through life without marry
ing. Better come back with us to
Chicago for a while, deariel"
"Mother"-Eleanor started a Lit.
tie at the unusual form of address
don't you believe it's really the
woman who selects the man rather
than the other way about? Think
back to your own girlhood. Hadn't
you decided on Lance as a husband
ages before he-proposed to your"
An unwonted pink crept into the
older woman'S face.
Yves; but then he'd been paw
ing me marked attention, Buff:
counting me, as we called it then"
Nevertheless you had settled IL
in your own mind before he spoke.
You made it easy for him to see
you: You employed all sorts of
feminine arts to win him even
though you weren'. honest enough
with yourself in those DAYS to adj
NIT what you were doing. True?"
True. I'm afraid. But Lance
wanted me. and this Tim Cor
liSS-"
as going to want me, too. You
wait" predicted Buff confidently.
Continued tomorrow.