The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-11-17
After A Mans Heart
by JEAN RANDALL !.

breast, listening to its tortured rise
and fall. He knew pleurisy when
he saw it. The question was: could
it be checked before it went into
pneumonia?
docs it make you pant to turn
on your side?" he asked anxiously.
''No. Tim"
There's no effusion then, thank
God Now listen, Buff. I've seen a
lot Of this kind Of treuble-among
the men in mines, you know. and
elsewhere. don't dare wait until
I could make it to Eoveland or
Boulder for a doctor. Will you let
nae take care Of your"
Anything anything" she
murmured. breathing as lightly as
she could.
Tim took immediate charge Of
the situation. He set Webby to
making mustard plasters and ap-
plying them faith fully. He
watched Bluffs temperature as
well as he could Ly the throbbing
of the little vein in her temple.
the touch of her hands. When he
judged it was growing too high.
he ordered an alcohol rub for his
patient.
Gradually the pain lessened- BY
morning it had disappeared and
Buff slept like a IT, ed child. With
the coming of daylight the snow
stopped and Simons was sent in
Tins car to find a doctor.
mot that she needs one. LIT
want to make sure she's all right, !"
Tim said. He was sitting in the
kitchen, drinking cup after cup of
the strong coffee the housekeeper
had made for him. Nov tell me,
Webby, how long Miss Buff has
been here? How did she catch this
cold?"
Actual Hatred
CHE come the day after left
~ Boulder" was the surprising
answer. ''She fixed it all up with
me beforehand. She was taking
Miss Iris to Chicago"
ITO Chicago? Why?"
Webby pursed her lips. She'll
tell you what she wants you to
know. Mr.. Tim-about Miss Iris.
I mean"
"I'm sorry! shouldn't have
asked. It's none of my business, of
course. But Miss Buff is my BUSH
ness!"
The fat cook sent him shrewd
glance.
"Mebby-mebby not; that's for
Miss Buff to say. But anyhow
that's how we had it fixed. Miss
Buff told me to stay on in the
apartment till the first of the
month. then come out here and
she'd Join me And she done it,"
Gall this time-out here!" Tim
was dumbfounded. He had thought
of her in Florida. in New York.
even abroad: it never entered his
head that she might have sought
refuge in. ranch house within a
score of miles of him.
"All this time, out here. We got
along real well, too. Miss Buff, she
had some writing TO do. | cooked
for her and Sirnons. he kept the
road clear of snow and done the
chores. IF it hadn't been for that
letter."
"What letter."
Webby considered. IT guess I
better tell you about it, after all.
It'll save Miss Buff talking. It was
that DeMuth girl again." she ex-
planned. bitter accusation in her
tone. Miss Buff got her a job in
Chicago. Something to do with
clothes. ! don't know Just what.
She wears her clothes real we'll.
I'll say that for her. And you can
bet Miss Buff didn't stop there
either. She leased a little apart
ment for her, she introduced her
to some of her friends. You'd
think" she went on acrimonious
ly, "that was enough to satisfy
anybody. But not that Iris De-
Muth! She wired she was tired of
working and was coming back to
Denver. Miss Buff drove in to meet
her"
"In this weather."
an this weather. OF course It
wasn't showing so hard then, but
it was plenty cold. She stayed two
days and got that Iris girl talked
into going back to Chicago. Then
coming back here it begun to snow,
and poor little Miss Buff had to
fight her way to the house."
Tim shuddered. remembering
his own struggle of yesterday. A
twenty-ysar-old girl, alone in the
storm, getting out to scrape the
frost from the windshield, battling
with drifts. chilled through and
through. =. The papers were filled
with stories of travellers who had
died under such circumstances.
Buff. his little Buff
And all to help Iris DeMuth!
A dislike for her which was akin
to actual hatred took possession Of
him, A hundred IriSes would not
be worth the risk of one Buff Car
roll. Nor did he believe Iris needed
help. She would always land, cat
like. on her feet no matter what
the circumstances. How like her
to abandon the comfortable apart
ment, the pleasant work Buff had
secured for her. to come back to
Denver. her unsuitable egotism
directing q new appeal to Buff,
perhaps even to Tim himself.