The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-23

L
the stairs, she hears someone.
Turns around, sees cone.
Someone menacing. She recog-
nizes the fact that she is in danger,
and hurls at the person her only
weapon, the shears she has in her
hand"
Lane ridiculed the doctors
story.
"If she had scissors, and recog-
nlzed someone as a menace, why
didn't she wait and use them to
stab with? That's the logical thing
for anyone to do" he said. "Why.
throwing the scissors at someone
would be like throwing a loaded
gun instead of shooting i'll"
"A Futile Woman
nR. CUMMINGS sighed. "Of
~ course. Lane, of counsel That's
just my point! That's what logi-
cal person would do. / agree. So
does Asey. But you fail to take into
consideration the fact that Eloise
is not logical. Never in this world
would it have occurred to her to
hold her ground and stab her as
sailant. Never. It's a perfectly
characteristic gesture for her to
hurl the shears futilely-de NOR
tuiS and all that sort of thing, and
of course the woman had many
good points, but she was none the
less a futile woman"
"All right, all right" Lane said.
BE psychological, if you want to,
but it's the practical things that in
terest me. Why, if someone pushed
her, is the swinging railing intact?
She had either to be pushed
through it, or if she was on the top
step, on her way down, she'd have
been clinging to it-and her grip
on it would save her, or the railing
would be down there with her.
One thing or the other
Lane" Cummings said plain
lively, you just simply do not un-
derstand the type of woman in
volved. You claim she pestered
you-can't you tell, couldn't you
tell. that she was a futile individ-
ual? Can't you tell from what you
know that she never knew which
way to turn key to unlock q
door? She couldn't tune a radio to
save her life. She couldn't unscrew
a dead electric light bulb and put
in new one. Did you ever see her
try to drive that beach wagon?
Man, she was a menace to public
safety when she drove that vehi-
Gle! Your trouble, Lane, is that
you're practical. Eloise is not prac-
teal. You'd grab the railing.
Elolse would not grab the railing.
Put Eloise in a shipWreck. Throw
a life preServer to her. Would she
put it on? No. She'd try to sit on
it. Lane, can't you grasp this?"
The woman tripped and fell"
Lane said doggedly. That's that"
'The woman" Asey said, twas
pushed an thrown. Lane, walk
over tothe head of the steps. That's
it. Now, what do you do first, start
ing down. before you touch the
rail, even?"
PUT on the light, of course"
Lane said impatiently.
That's what I'd do, too. But the
light was off You can say she
started down, turned to put it on,
an fell. But that's the one way she
couldn't have fallen, because she'd
have to be leanin' more over the
rail. She couldn't help but save
herself if she started to fall then"
"Whyn't you tell me about the
llghtS?" Lane demanded.
You never gave me any chance.
l think she started down. was
reachin' to put on the lights from
the top step, an heard someone.
Turned around, there on the top
step. Someone comes toward her,
from over there by the stove, an
she throws the shears. He rushes
over, takes her by the shoulders,
an hurls her down"
There were the marks of your
rubber soleS going down and COM
ing up" Lane said mo marks for
her, but then she came across the
wooden walk and wasn't in the
damp grass. But if someone threw
her down, wouldn't you think
they'd have gone down to make
sure she was dead? And if they
came from outdoors, why can't we
find some marks? Any marks. here
Or
"Give the Teller credit for stock
in feet" Asey said. "B'SideS, after
hurlin' her straight onto a con-
crete floor nine feet blow, he
could be reasonably sure he'd
achieved his purpose. He could
have made sure by snappin' on the
light an lookin' down. Let's go
down there again for one more
look"
The four of them went gingerly
down the almost perpendicular
steps.
why are so many cellars on the
Cape circular, like this?" Hamil-
ton wanted to know.
I'm the old days, bricks was
scarce an expensive" ASey said.
"a circular cellar took fewer
bricks than square one. Most are
semi-circular, Mine at home is"
"But this is new. Those concrete
blocks aren't any old time thing"
"Prob'ly laden against the old
brick" ASey said, when they
made the house over"
To the right of the steps was an
electric pump and a water tank.
and near them an electric meter.
Behind the steps was neat pile of
corrugated paper boxes and an
other pile of folded sheets of
brown paper, all obviously sal
vaged. Apparently Mary Randall
was a thrifty soul.
Continued tomorrow.
Copyright, 1887