The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-10-02
Chapter %
Unlucky Cecily
THERE was that young feller."

THERE was that young Teller.
Il said the baggageman.
"Oh. has he gomez" Cecily's hear
sank painfully. IT hope he's no
going TO stay. He. he does excel
lent carpenter work. / hat
something else / want him to do
Did he say when he'd be back?'
Nope. AS I remember. he come
n here bout i minute fore sht
pulled out. Didn't have no time
even TO git his ticket"
Cecily got up. well" There
didn't seem to be anything else Il
say. Locke was gone.
'T'n let you know. Miz St'rt
when your stuff comes. Amt git
ting as much as you ulster. are
your"
mo. Joe. the season is nearly
over"
$50 its. Seems like twas only
yistiddy you come in here fust
Lots goin' on before you leave.
reckon. Comm back next year
amt your"
Next year? | don't know. Joe.
Next year. Next year was an
other age to Cecily Stuart that
September afternoon.
She thought: I'll think of Doug
and the autumn. Doug will be in
New Haven. The Kendalls, bless
them. will see to that. He won't
have as much money as he used
%. but he won't need it. I'll be in
New York. I'll see faces and peo-
pie who won't remind me that
found Already in a little summer
colony. ! have nearly five hundred
dollars and with that | can find
myself a niche somewhere and
have a modest book shop.
III see my old friends, go to
concerts. hear Aunt Olivia in her
trlumphs. 60 to parties with
Gloria's friends. Oh. I'll have
plenty TO do and ma"be some day
I'll forget the sound of a voice, the
way mans eyes crinkle UP when
he smiles. Some day when I'm
ninety-SiX.
II will take long time and I'll
start right now. Before he came
into my life had plenty of things
TO do. plenty of things to think
about. I've grown richer in friends.
in activities since I've known him
and not because I've known him.
Only haven't paid any attention
20 them. From now on I will.
Cecily's resolution was noble;
the execution of it was not. At
least not for the next day. She put
books onto the wrong shelves. She
overeharged, Stammered her apol-
ogies and repeated herself. She
answered vaguely when spoken to
and found herself straining toward
sounds in the street beyond the
window. Every football made her
look up with hope. The tinkle of
the dOorbell made her start each
time she heard it. She couldn't get
over the feeling that surely Locke
would come back. come back and
explain everything.
! had TO 90 to Bangor be-
cause" He weuld tell her his rea-
son. II would be some acceptable
reason. Then she would tell him
what she had wanted to tell him,
warn him. and he would say that
he would 90 to Mrs. Brewster i'm
mediately.
Oh. il would be quite all right,
because Locke would come back.
But Locke hadn't come back. And
. black-browed man, with no lug
gage but briefcase got off the
train from Boston and asked to be
driven TO Mrs. Brewster's house.
Sleuthing
HECILY paid a visit to Locke's
~ cabin. A shameless visit. Not
only did she steal down the North
road furtively, hoping that no one
would see her. but when she got to
the shack. she Shamelessly pried
open a window and went in.
She apologized silently to Locke
for the thing she was doing, and
then she prowled. There were very
few things there and il was neat
as the proverbial pin. A single cup
and saucer. a few plates, a mixing
bowl-all neatly arranged on a
shelf in the spotless kitchen. Three
shining pots at the back of the
stove A few potatoes and a tur-
nip in the bin.
Cecily hesitated before drawing
the curtain that divided the shack
into two rooms. Nevertheless she
parted II and went in.
There was an army-cot bed,
meticulouSly made up; an old arm
chair. straight chair and a make
shift table. On the table there was
q locked portable typewriter, On
q shelf over the bed there were
twelve books. Tapestry or the Mir
Tor of Civilization. Lord Jim. The
Oxford Book of English Verse.
The History of Crime. The Desert
Fathers. The Detection of Crime.
Roget's TheSduruS. The others
were novels. An odd collection.
Cecily felt she ought to leave.
AT the end Of the room, a burlap
curtain concealed the corner.
Cecily peered back of it. There
hung three suits. the familiar dun
gareeS an old sweatShirt, two
shirts with the sleeves cut off.