The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-02-15
Chapter Is
Love At Last

Love At Last
IF SHE was vaguely disappointed
L that Eric allowed her to go
without protest. she fought down
the thought. She had the feeling
that she had been handling, igno-
rantly, a current of high voltage.
An exciting business but danger
Gus one. Better give thanks it did
not concern her.
Still, she was far from surprised
when his name was brought to her
the next afternoon. She glanced
down at her floating draperies of
chiffon, the color of winter oak
leaves. Had she put it on in the
expectation of his coming? But
when she was home she nearly al
ways dressed for possible tea time
callers, she defended herself.
1t was the last coherent and self
accusatory thought she was to
have for weeks. Day after hectic
day arrived, Whirling her closer
to the hour when she found her.
self in Eric's arms, shaken with
a deep thrilling passion Of which
she had come to believe herself
temperamentally incapable.
No recollection of Bob re-
proac e d her. Conscience was
dead or, if it was not. it was
drugged into acquiescence by emo
ton more potent than itself. Duty
was a word without meaning,
marriage was a half-forgotten
dream, the world did not exist.
Nothing mattered except love.
There was no one on earth but
Eric.
Unbelievably, nobody suspected
what was happening to her; not
Bob, nor Allen, nor Barbara, nor
even Patsy. The very openness
with which Eric'S calls were made
disarmed suspicion. The town was
delightedly aware of his presence
by now. The happy accident of his
cousins illness and the happier
one Of the great mans charming
devotion to his relative were ac-
cepted complacently. Dinners
were given in his honor. Clubs
fought for/one of his rarely de-
liVered lectures. His aloofness
added to his prestige. The rumor
got about that Bob Trenton had
known him in New York, and it
was taken for granted that the
lion should spend much of his time
at the house north of town.
Bob said admiringly: Gosh,
Sue, | didn't know you were so
ALFRED brainy! I'm free to admit
| don't know what this Farraday
guys talking about half the time,
but it's plain you do" He chuckled
dryly Every body wants to enter
tain him but | notice they're all
willing to use you as a shock alb
sorber. Don't you get tired being
put next to him most of the time?"
She smiled dreamily and shook
her head Bob was the shadowy
person who lived in the house
with her. who was so absorbed in
business these days that he had
little time for anything else, who
was proud that she could hold her
own with the distinguished visitor
and relieved that he could shunt
the conversation on her on the
rare occasions the two men talked
together.
Even the usually clear sighted
Barbara only commented: Rather
you than /. Sue dear! That man
gives me cold shiverS down my
spine. | suppose you know Wen
all see ourselves mercileSSly an
alyZed some day in his COMPOUNDED
column" And added affection.
ately: Even an Eric Farraday
couldn't find anything that's not
fine in you. darling | suppose
that's why you're so fearless with
him"
Sue smiled. unheeding. She was
feverishly reckoning the number
Of hours that must pass before she
and Eric would meet again.
Her queer little face was full of
authentic beauty during til e s
brief weeks. A velvet bloom rested
on her cheeks, her lips were tend
erly. endearingly curved. There
were low notes of music in her
young voice that made people
glance at her. startled. at times.
Decide
URIC, on the contrary. grew thin
IL and h aggard. A perpetual
frown caught his brows together.
darkened his eyes. His forbidding
dignity blinded even Allen to
what was happening to both man
and woman.
Farraday went punctiliously
each morning to the hospital to
visit his cousin. He sent flowers to
the few women at whose homes he
consented to dine. He was the re-
luctant guest of the Chamber of
Commerce at luncheon, and stroVe
to overlap cynicism with courtesy,
the result being a cryptic series of
sentences at which the members
laughed with some uneaSineSS.
"Clever chap" they told one
another on relieved breathS as the
meeting broke up my wife says
he's the literary sensation Of the
decade. Bridge tonight, feller?"
It thrilled everybody to read the
Farraday column every Sunday
and speculate as to whether it had
been written weeks beforehand or
actually while the author was in
town. There was some talk Of pay
ing him honor, formally, in a civic
way, but as no one could think OF
a fitting manner they let the idea
slide