The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-03-28

Martin ROWd0n, Molly and her
husband; isn't he awful? Several
people who are home on leave. All
my old friends, in fact meant to
visit Clare Horton. She was sent
home, i'll. She's in a nursing home.
But I doubted whether she'd re-
member me, and I simply didn't
find time"
Then that doesn't answer the
question. There is no one special?"
mo. James"
"You could have invited them
all to the cottage, in turn, and rung
the NetDs. at all hours, about Peter,
without leaving Ballfield. Why
didn't you stay, and try to get to
know me again?"
Because / saw you had been
getting on very well without me,
while was away. l didn't want to
spoil anything" she said briskly.
Il felt what l suppose I am-an
outsider" He flushed. eff you
mean Tamara, you're being abb
Surd. There has never been
thing Of course, I'm very fond of
her I've tried to instil some or
ganiZation into this business. That
is all" He was speaking the truth,
James told himself thankfully.
Not that it had been easy. Tamara
was attractive. He had necessarily
seen good deal of her. But he had
realized that once started, there
would be no going back. If he
made love to her cousin, he would
lose Petrol. That fellow Lance had
let her down, just as he had ex-
pected that he would.
81 knew you'd come back" he
said. He had always run a strong
second. Now, the favorite had fall
en-. But because of one or two
scenes he remembered playing
with Tamara, which she might
have misconstrued. he asked her.
Kisses
CIT WASN'T anything Tamara
L said. which made you go
away?"
mo, nothing anybody said. Just
the general feeling. You've been
so good to her; you kid her, in a
way that shows how well you un-
derstand her."
eyes, it's a funny thing, that !
should understand foreigner, but
I think / do"
"Are you sure she doesn't de-
pend on you more than you mag
ine?"
ITO ask counter question, has
Petronella Malone anyone to de-
pend on, at PRESENT." He was close
to her. She let his arm encircle
her shoulders.
"That isn't fair question. But
I'm doubtful, James. Although,
for the moment, feel this under
mining urge to be looked after, !
may be quite wrong. Up till now,
I've been independent. Probably
shan't feel submissive, for long.
Perhaps I've wandered too long to
settle"
James stopped and kissed. her
forehead gently. $50 long as this
mood lasts. why worry? Poor
sweet, life isn't altogether kind,
is it?"
mot altogether, James" The
next moment, she was holding
him, and he was kissing her. But
there was no passion, only COM
fort in their kisses. He thought,
'She has been gone for a long
time. We shall grow together. She
is still the Petrol knew as a child.
But she is older in experience than
| am. Those experiences will fade"
He remembered the pile of her let
tiers, which he had kept. He re-
membered that she had seen
shooting and revolution. In Spain,
she had seen massacre and hang
ings. Petrol knew the face of
cruelty, disease, famine, human
suffering. Yet, although he had
known none of these things, and
was little timid of his own igno-
rance, he believed that he and
Petrol could find happiness to-
gether. So long as her fear of her
own reStleSsnesS was mistaken. So
long as, within her new, evolved
personality, there was still her old
simplicity. So long as life had not
given her a craving for excite
ment, which their home would not
satisfy.
They heard footsteps on the
landing. Tamara stood in the door
way, staring at them with her dark
eyes.
'Hello, thereI I see you are very
busy, doing much good hard
work." She did not look at Petron-
ella, but at James. Although her
lips smiled, he felt uneasy because
OF what he read in her eyes.
''You have always loved Petrol,
haven't your" she asked bluntly.
eyes, think ! have. You know
how often I've talked to you about
her." Tamara strolled into the
room. She shrugged her shoulders.
She answered with fiippant, out
spoken hardness.
"Oh, yesl You told me often
enough. But in Russia, when a
man tells girl how miserable he
is, for love of someone else, who
is an angel, she knows he is not far
off consoling himself. But in Eng
land, I suppose it is different. You
are dull, cold blooded and faithful!
Don't you think / carei" she shout
ed. For a moment her face was dis
torted. An after thought smoothed
it. There are other men; yes, even
in Ballfield. And I do not feel
about men as Petrol does, about
her Tony Lance. No, thank you! Il
Is not happy to love like that. That
is why ] am glad, Petrol. If you are
now sensible"
copyright. 1858. Grace Elliott TdylorI
Tomorrow: An engagement Is an
nouneed.