The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-10-07
Chapter 80
In The Dark


GECILY said, Yesterday, I made
~ up my mind that | had stirred
up a situation out of whole cloth,
imagined something important -
even though / didn't know what it
was and that it was silly, sense
less thing to do.
Il put myself on the carpet and
went at il analytically. My result
ing conclusion was that ! wasn't
quite bright. l decided that / was
as romantic as any foolish heroine
of cheap love story. Just because
didn't know anything about the
man I'd fallen in love with,
clothed him with all sorts of back
grounds of most lurid past"
"Cecily, when women fall in
love. they always do that. A
woman never takes man for what
he is, as she does other women;
she always makes him into what
she wants him to be-"
We're getting away from the
point. wanted to tell you that,
having faced this whole thing, !
finally got what thought was the
right value: simple situation /
had made into melodrama. And
then, having decided this, all of
sudden great big mystery-a real
mystery-breaks over my head.
It's like nightmare. No explana-
tons for it"
Laura took one of Cecily's hands
into her own. Listen to me, Cecily.
I've got more to lose, probably
she was thinking of Donald-"than
you have I'm going to ask you to
believe me. Your bunch that there
was something peculiar going on
was intuitively correct. There is!
And I'm as much in the dark as
you are"
But Locke? You said ="
Il know. / said that / was bound
TO secrecy, and l am. But I'm al
most as much in the dark as you
are"
Cecily let her breath out in a
long. patient sigh.
But. Laura, why did you say
you'd turned your ankle?" "
Now. Cecily. act your agel
What else was there TO say?"
There was moment of heavy
silence.
Then Laura said with dignity,
''Cecily. | won't attempt to explain
anything else to you. I'm sure that
you are quite we'll aware that
had good reason for not coming
back to my own place last night.
And that there was nothing inn
proper in my not doing So" .-i. -
Il know it. Laura You need not
say anything more to me. May |
ask you one more question:"
Certainly"
did Locke say anything &.
anything personal about me?"
Laura wanted to give her some
crumb of comfort but she an
swered honestly, mo, he didn't,
Cecily. But whatever you're
thinking. l don't want you to
think" she finished rather inco.
herently.
Cecily wasn't payin. much at
tention to Laura's last words. A
pail of finality had settled upon
her
You're looking pretty tagged,
Laura. think I'll run along"
"Pcr?" Laura asked, holding
out her hand
par" Cecily said. sealing the
word with a handclasp.
Only A Dream
a PAIL of finality. An accep-
n lance that her Dire I'M was
only a dream. Lines she had read
into a blank page. Music heard
where there were no notes. Face
the bIankness, the silence. the
void. Cecily Stuart Strange that
there could be such emptiness
wien there had been nothing more
than a dream to occupy this now
empty space.
Be good sport abou. it, Cecily.
Think Nth your mind and not
tcifh your heart. Pay your losses
tgith dignity and go on to some
thing else. Nothing stands still.
You hare things TO do. You haze
one business to tDind tlp and an
other to start. Be alert. Be gay!
Cecily made arrangements to
have her furnishings taken to
Darelea for winter storage. to
have her stock packed to ship to
New York the first of October. She
maze a careful inventory. She
mended book-backs, filed letters,
catalogued er cards.
She wrote to Hilda Froman.
Keep a weather eye out for a
spot for me in our old neighbor-
hood. | won't want a big place, !"
she wrote, land / won't 90 il for a
large stock of new books. The cir
cuiating department and a maya
zine stand should provide rea-
sonable living and that's all | want.
Aunt Olivia has said that she
would prefer having me stay with
her in New York to going back to
nv own apartment. so I'm leaving