The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-12-02
The 9293jf1E: Man


I self they'll be ugly?"
II amt got nothink to say about
Fit, num-"
l Tuck turned away in despair,
and encountered the gaze of Miss
Alix Lissey, who had come into
her own back garden. and was
Eleaning ON the hedge.
I Whats that idiot deing?" she
asked, none too quietly.
Tuck went closer before she an
swered. He's making rockeries,
Miss Lissey," she replied sweetly.
II think they're wonderful, don't
you? So picturesque"
"Hmpf. Who told him to-"
"Tm sure l don't know. What
person has charge of the gardens
out here?"
"He has, mostly. But the mans
a fool. He has the brain of a hen"
She changed the subject abruptly.
81 suppose you had a wonderful
time last night?"
eyes, I did. It was awfully nice
of Mrs. Deane to have us. Lovely
party, wasn't it?"
There were suddenly a great
many more wrinkles. in Miss Lis
seys face. "A lovely party" she
repeated distastefully. "A lovely
party-yes, the way wormy ap-
pie is lovely"
ugh. :. Surely -"
Alix Lissey's eyes were sharp.
How did you like Mrs. Murchi-
SOM" she demanded. 81 notice you
didn't spend much time with her"
81 didn't have the opportunity.
think she is very beautiful"
Beautiful" She stared at Tuck
for a moment, then turned away
from the hedge. II suppose she is.
if you want to think So" She COM
pressed her lips angrily for a mo-
-ment. "I'm going to ask about
those rockeries," she said briskly.
II won't have any in my garden. II
he tries to unload his caSt-off
stones on me I'll throw them at
him."
Licked To A FRAGILE
IT was a thoughtful Tuck who
greeted Michael when he came
home at lunch time. Bunny was
spending the day in town and COM
ing out with the District Attorney
later; so Tuck and Michael had
lunch alone, and she told him the.
whole long story of Charlotte Jean
and Higgins and Miss Lissey, and
all the minor complications. Mi
chael did not seem as worried as
she wanted him to be.
"I'm afraid you'll let everything
get on your little nerves, honey"
he said. people have their indi-
vidualities. you know. All of them
aren't bound up in mystery. Prob
ably Higgins had too much beer
last night, and talked through his
hat, and has hang over, and I've
told you what's the matter with
Alix Lissey. She's jealous. Too bad
all the women who live in this
house are beautiful. And by
George, Mrs. McBain's beauty
too. She's got Mrs. Murchison
licked. in my mind. Licked to a
| fragile. It's like comparing q little
French dressmaker's model with
Greek statue"
Michael" said his wife severe
ly, Eve will now change the sab
Iect. What happens to things when
they fall down the cold air reg
ister? Do they 60 right spang into
the furnace without a pause?"
us this rhetorical question, or
does 1t require an answer"
"Ineed an answer. It's my neck
lace. ] dropped it last night and
down it went, whoosh, somewhere.
looked into it as far as could
stretch, but / can't see it."
Which register did it fall into?"
1.-THE one in the little dressing
room"
Probably the pipe has a crook
in it. will investigate"
Gould it have gone into the
furnace. Michael? Or some place
where we can't get it,"
"Rest assured, my love, it could
not. Even if the furnace were
burning, it would be quite safe,
curled up snug and warm inside
the jacket" He was running down
the basement stairs as he talked
and Tuck followed him.
Lets see now" he muttered.
He wandered about locking at the
ceiling, his hands in his hip pock-
cts. It'll be in the southwest cor
ner &. that rooms right over the
study =" he put his hand on
big square pipe that ran fiat along
under the floor for several feet
and then took an abrupt bend to-
ward the furnace. Here's where
your beads will be-" he decided.
"This is the study ventilator, and
the dressing room probably con-
meets with it somewhere up above
in the floor"
"Can you get them, Michael? It
looks awfully solid"
Michael got a screw driver and
performed a minor operation on
the ventilator, at the angle where
it entered the basement He peered
into the opening. He put the screw
driver in and moved it about.
That's funn.'," he said. "Are you
sure that's VIII ere they went,
Tuck?"
"Of course I'm sure. I Just
dropped them right bang into it."
| Michael peered into it again. He
prised the opening wider, and put
his hand in. The ventilator was
empty.
Couldn't they be farther along,
Michael?"
81 don't see how, unless they
had feet. That pipe runs fiat for
ten feet before 1t takes another
bend. They'd slide some distance,
of course" As he spoke he was
pulling the sheet of tin loose along
one side of the pipe. and watching
inside it.
The necklace was emphatically