The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-30

/ awakened, for no reason ap.
parently, except that felt
tenseneSs in the air, the way it is
in the summer before a thunder
storm. Lying there stiff1y, l
strained my eyes towards the fire
escape.
And then came the crash that
almost made my heart stop beat
ing.
1t sounded as though something
heavy came hurting through the
open window and broke into a
thousand pieces on the floor.
It must have been a couple of
minutes before | pulled myself
together enough to get out of bed.
How / finally moved I'll never
know. The sheets, when l pushed
them back, seemed to crackle like
paper in the hush that followed
the crash. Cropping across the cold
floor on all-fours. l tapped on the
pipe three times with the heel of
one of my red leather mules. It
sounded loud enough to wake the
dead.
l crouched in the corner wait
ing for the answer.
1t did not come. There was no
sound from the room above me.
Strangely enough my first re-
action was not of fright. | chung
feverishly to the idea that both of
the men must be sound asleep. So
clutched the slipper again and
banged this time even louder and
more urgently.
waited there in the dark, my
hands pressed against the cold
floor to steady myself. 1t seemed
more like hours than seconds.
Still there was no answer from
the third floor. There vas nothing
but an awful engulfing silence.
What had happened to Dirck
and Richard?
Surely one Of them would have
wakened the second time if they
hadn't heard me before.
The third time l raped
knew. fearfully now. that it was
useless.
Either there 1UdS no one up in
that apartment or something had
happened to them.
A Faint
I TRIED to think what to do
l. next and finally forced myself
to crawl across the floor to the
window.
On the small rug below the sill
my hands closed on moist earth.
Moist earth and sharp, jagged
fragments of pottery.
Toby's large pot of geraniums,
that I'd forgotten to take off the
window sill before l went to bed,
was broken. That was the noise
I'd heard.
But how could it have hap
pened? There wasn't a breath Of
air stirring, not even enough to
move the curtains, and the jar was
very heavy.
was certain it couldn't posi-
bly, have blown off onto the floor.
Cautiously l got up and with
my body wrapped in the chintz
curtain l peered out of the win.
dow. For a moment. blinking in
the dark, l couldn't see a thing.
After a moment there came a
muffled sound from below. Fear
fully. l strained my eyes down.
ward and in the yard ! saw two
figures moving about and heard
footsteps scraping on the cement
walk. AS l bent forward one fig
ure seemed to look up towards
my window and. in a muff1ed
voice, called my name.
Afterwards all l could remem-
Der was that | recognized the
voice so it must have been the
great relief l felt that made me
faint, much to my shame. for the
first time in my life.
When | came to in a pool of
mud and water and red gerani-
umS, the lights were on and Dirck
and Richard were kneeling be-
side me. pouring water all over
my yellow pajamas and the rem
nantS of the plant.
Thank God. you're all right"
Dirck said in a choky voice.
Chris, I'll never forgive myself
for frightening you so badly"
| couldn't even give him a re.
assuring answer. My voice was
lost some where down in my
chest.
He helped me crawl out of the
debris. My pajamaS were plas-
tered to my skin. and with eyes
averted he handed me my bath
robe | tried to laugh and failed
miSerably. And when with Rich
ards help they finally got me
into chair and closed and locked
the window. | managed to sum-
mon voice enough to ask what
had happened.
They shook their heads. refuS-
ing to speak. Richard pulled a
b | a ket off the couch and
wrapped it around me. while
Dirck mopped up the water and
did a gentleman'S best cleaning
up the bits of broken pottery and
geraniums.
Wen talk later" Dinck said.
You're as white as sheet. Have
you any whiskey or brandy up
stairs. Richard?"
Richard frightened. "A bottle
of cognac, It wouldn't hurt any
of us to have a drink" 4e.7.f !
That's swell Will you get it?
We've got to get her back on her
feet"
looked down at my drenched
pajamas. you go, too, Dirck. I've
got to climb out of these things
or I'll mildew."
Take it easy now, Miss Ho-
warth," he smiled. you've had a
pretty bad shock"