The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-08-01

cow a nome Tor stray cats and
dogs"
Il mean seriously? How would
you like a million dollars CASH."
She observed he was in earnest.
What vagary was upon him? she
wondered. Il don't know" she
said. Not really I have no COM
prehension Of that much money.
don't think money makes peo-
pie happy"
"But lack Of il does"
mot necessarily. If you have a
lot Of money you have to worry
about taxes and charities and op-
portuniSts and people being nice
to you because you are rich and
not because they like you"
Then you wouldn't want
million?"
"Oh, Derek. stop teasing mel
How do | know? wouldn't want
it unless I earned it and that's
impossible. certainly have nc
rich relatives. And stop trying to
get around your lecture. my fine
friend. I'm all set TO nag, hard,
because you've not touched the
piano. / want you to try, Derek."
"You won't tell me what you're
trying to do these days with your
painting" ne parried, achieving
comic expression of injury. i've
snooped into everything on the
roof, but so far / haven't clue,
or is it a leg, to stand on. How
ever, I've noticed a look of very
SNUG self-satifaction on you of
late"
"Pll tell you as soon as" she
hesitated-"as soon as I'm fin
ished."
BE secretive," he growled in
mock anger. You're the first wo-
man l ever knew who could keep
a secret" But she wasn't, he re-
membered suddenly. Lenore had
kept plenty of secrets, and kept
them well, but not quite long
enough.
,JObless Again
IAN" he said meekly, I'm out
- of a job again"
What started this fight?" She
moved her thick, taffy hair back
OF her ears and set her arms
akimbo.
'Nothing-I mean there was NO
fight /, well, ! just decided | was
getting into a terrible rut and I'd
like to take a crack at something
else. I'll get another job right
away, Jan. Now, wait minute
before you unloose your fury"
He reached in his pocket and
brought out all of MS pay
There's enough here to pay my
board for three weeks" be said,
handing her three five dollar bills.
Il suppose it's none of my busi-
ness what you do as long as you
pay me-" she said. 81 am disap-
pointed in you, though. | thought
you liked this job. I-oh, what's
the use Of scoldingl While you're
looking for something else you
can just practice scales and arpeg-
gios, start playing again. Would
it do any good if l stood over you
with baseball bat?"
why should I practice?" An
ironic smile twisted his wide
mouth. $50 can make fool of
myself again? / did once, you
know. I suffered under the delu-
sion / had composed a master
piece, but when I sat down at the
piano-well, per the magazine
ads, nobody laughed-but some
one yelled swing it,"
"Oh, how dreadful"
mo one seemed to think so ex-
cept me-" he recalled. "Oh. |
don't blame them. It wasn't the
time or place. like swing music.
dance music, too"
"All right, Derek. won't try
to tell you what to do" She
thought, Hes afraid to try
again. Why? He must be still in
love with that girl"
She said, Lance is better to-
day. Would you go I'D and talk to
him while?"
"Of course. Say, Jan will you
do me a favor? If any strange
person comes here looking for me,
will you pretend you don't speak
English? I've, a bunch might be
traced here If I'm found, I'll
have to leave"
A week. then two weeks, ran
on to join the first bright day of
June and Derek went to the piano
only twice for a brief while, do
ing little beyond running a few
scales. He was out of the house
a great deal of the time and Jan
wondered where he went the
times he put on his good clothes
and with them. a forbidding
Scowl. He did not tell her that the
first week he had found q lob
plotting rental sail boats at the
| yacht basin in Santa Monica for
ne was a good sailor and had
proved it, but he'd had to quit
the same day he obtained the lob
because Lenore found him and
threatened to visit him the fol-
lowing day with a feet of news
reel cameramen unless he came
TO see her. She seemed ubiquitous.
He could go nowhere on the beach
without humping into her. When
she pressed him he told her he
lived in Santa Monica, keeping
his fingers crossed for luck, hop
ing she would not learn his actual
residence. He was known in Sea
Tide as JAMS protege. was pri-
vately considered her sweetheart
had her friends stamp of ap-
proval; but in Santa Monica he
was just a drifting job hunter
and Lenore, fortunately, did not
connect him with Sea Tide.
To be continued.