The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-02-18

"Petrell What are you doing?
She looked up, startled. But it was
only James Randall, the cause OF
the trouble. leaning over the gate.
"Wiping up Peters blood" she
answered. Petronella Malone was
not angry with James.
Aunt Maisie said if Peter fought
you again she might send him to
camp. She's fed up with all the
things he's been doing" How had
Maize known he had been out
ali Monday night, watching the
gipsies from the fair move camp?
Petrol had let him in so quietly in
.he gray dawn. It had been another
of Peters experiments. He wanted
TO hear the things they said, and
learn the trick of "Beheading the
Lady" She was the only person
who understood that his adven-
lures were sensible. q sears...,z.
Few people meet their fate.
when they are six years old. Pc
tronella mad, when she leaned
over the shipTail three years ago,
and saw, Peter and Aunt 'Maisle
waiting on Tiipury dockside. She
had been afraid. What would he be
like? She remembered Mother
reading letters from Aunt Maisie;
laughing at the naughty things he
did. Father used to get angry, but
she asked him what he expected,
with an Irish Father and a Russian
Mother. She had said MAKE up
your mind to it, Peter is born 20
troubled"
Mother, dead! It frightened Pc
'tronella. After it had happened,
in the white Indian hospital,
Father had asked Mr.. and Mrs.
Grant to take her home. Soon, she
would have only Peter.
But suddenly she had seen him.
It was all right Why, he was not
even a stranger! She remembered
that little dent in his chin, and
that he had dusty eyelashes. Her
brotheri She was happy again:
@@Sorry if he gets into trouble"
James started to help her.
"He never bleeds for long. But
could you teach him to fight?"
mo, he's lighter, that's ALL"
James felt a pang of jealousy.
Petrol was good, for girl. Peter
didn't know how good she was;
bowling to him for hours in the
hot sun; letting him in at night.
He'd have been killed in the tun-
mel, that time he wanted to dis
cover what it felt like when the
train came through, if she had not
reached him just in time, to tell
him about the shelters, followed
in the walls. Peter said the rush
Of wind had pulled her skirt, and
made her scream and scream.
There was a hooting at the
corner of the private road. James
ran. It was Maisie Mason.
@Gate please, Petrell" she called
crisply. Sitting bolt upright at the
wheel she swept past, and pulled
the car up with jerk. She had
eeen James disappearing.
@Petrel, come here!" this taut
woman, with the hat set straight
ON her gray head. could produce a
voice Ike a Sefgeant mayor from
within her small dry body. Pet
ronella's heart hammered.
'sWho wont" Maisie demanded.
~J-James" gasped Petrol.
81 thought he WOULD" In dumb,
warm gratitude, Petrol climbed in
beside her. :.
To look at Maisie Mason, il
would have seemed impossible
that she could be a good foster
neither to two children. But it was
30. Fer those who knew her. her
very charmlessness possessed q
charm Of its own. She had been a
school teacher. Fifteen years ago,
she had inherited money, and had
taken the neat, white gabled house
IN the Forest estate. above Ball
field village.
Life had given Maisie none OF
the things she had set out in youth,
desiring. Her pretty younger sister
had married the man she loved.
She had taken Peter and Petro-