The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-04-20

man.
Yesterday: J. Arthur Brinley
and his Uife haze nothing nice to
say about Slade, the artist.
Chapter IL
Disappearance
You don't mean it," Aunt Sara
said. "You can't mean it,
Asey."
u do" Asey assured her firmly.
1You think I'm iokin'? D'you
think I'd try to be funny. under
the circumstances"
"But ] simply can't believe IL"
Sara shook her head as she poured
out another cup Of tea. JEFF was
having O nap after the excitement
Of the day.. Zeb was still al the
store. and Jane and Eloise had not
yet returned from the hollow She
and Asey were out under the
naples in the front yard. Dear
me, ] do wish JEFF hadn't insisted
on our staying to that bal game.
I've never understood baseball. but
II gives me such an appetite, and
itu spoil my dinner entirely to
gorge myself now. Ne. Asey. to
get back to Slade. ! don't think
you're joking. but ! do feel that
your conclusions wrong"
y have hunted Mike Slade,
ASey said. for six hours. All
know i. his best pants an coat is
on his bed. His Old Home Week
badge Is sittin' on q copy Of Karl
Marx, an his brand new buekskin
shoes are out An the rest Of his
wardrobe, what there is of it. is
sort Of strewn around casual"
w h ere's his pocketbook?
Asey laughed. asort Of middle
class touch. He hidden that in
an empty sardine tin an stuck il
IL In his ice box. Anyway, Mike
Slade hasn't been any place he's
supposed to 60. today. He hasn't
been home. his milk's on the door
step. He hasn't been to his studio.
NO ones seen him since last night.
Those are"
"The facts in the case. to coin a
phrase" Sara said.
Asey didn't let her sarcasm
bother him. 'They are. An his
shotgun amt around. an he has
two empty cartons in his book
case. an the labels on 'em say
deer ball an buckshot. You can
ngure 1t out any way you please.
You can figure that he killed Mary
Randall an exited in haste. or you
can figure that the person who got
Mary also got him. There you are. /"
y never thought of that" Sara
said, "the possibility that ne might
be harmed. That must be it. I'd
never believe he had anything to
do with Mary. Asey. what are we
going to do? Don't you think we'd
just better let Billingsgate go, and
let the thing be made public? After
all, suppose someone else is
killed? We've no right not to let
people know Of danger. il there is
The humanitarian aspect" Asey
said. as sort Of muddled. IT'D be
too bad IL anythin' happened to
anyone else. but after all. the fell
low. can't keep up any massacre
on q large scale. An If we let Bill
ingsgate down. pop goes your
whole town. Workin' on the great
est good for the greatest number
theory. Billingsgate an its finances
are the most important"
but II people knew. wouldn't
you be able TO ask more questions.
and find out me things? l mean,
here's the problem Of Slade. He's
gone. II you weren't handicapped
by keeping this quiet, you could
ask around and find out things"
A Born Fighter
CT have. Lane an I have both
I asked around an found out
nothin,."
aBut you keep assuming that
he's alivel Suppose he's dead?
Shouldn't you organize a posse. or
SouStulu$!
sAnd drag ponds, to find him
alive an fshin'? Nope. I don't
4Atukse Is
why are you so sure he is
alivei"
because" Asey said, "if | had
some idea of KILN Slade, an then
I seen him cavortin' around with
a shotgun, as he was last night.
promisin' death an Obstruction 10
the person who had any such ideas,
I think I'd hesitate. That mans
a born fighter. think he'd scare
me Of"
Sara got up from her chair and
walked over to the garden.
Il always thought I was rather
bright" she said plaintively. "But
I don't understand any OF this.
Why. IL someone actually did
threaten him. why didn't he come
to Us last night? He knew about
things. everything but Mary RAN
DALI
Asey chose a bachelor button
with care. and drew it through the
lapel Of his coat.
That's what makes me think
hes all right. P'raps he thought
that By coming straight TO us, he
might give somethin' away. P'haps
he figured IL he could make II
personal. he might get farther into
understandin' things. As I get it
some one did somethin, to him
after I Left the Gre last night
Probably some sort Of warning
Ike the shotguns Saturday. He
warned right back. as loud an
obvious as he could. that he was
ready to meet all corners. Men