The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-09
Chapter 80
Back To The City


ONCE or twice | thought she
" was going to speak, her lips
opened almost forming words,
then with a half sigh she pressed
her teeth against her lower lip
without saying anything. In few
minutes nurse appeared, a dour
old soul, who looked at us sus-
piciously.
'Mr. Macdonald will see you. "
she said curtly.
We followed her up wide, I'M
lighted stairway to room directly
at the head of it, a room so large
that even, the massive walnut bed
against the far wall seemed
dWarfed.
l knew, of course, that Mr.. Mac
Donald was i'll. but l wasn't ex-
pecting- to see the frail, wasted
figure that lay there on the bed.
Friends of Richards" he said
In a high, quavery voice, the voice
we'd heard down in the parlor.
He stretched a wrinkled, bony
hand out to US. Friends of Rich
ards" he repeated. why doesn't
he come home? Why doesn't Joan
come home to me?"
l felt my knees go weak. Dirck
put an arm across my shoulders.
The poor old man hadn't been
told, but it was probably better.
He seemed close TO death himself.
"Tm worried about JOAN" he
went on. "She isn't happy" Then
suddenly his voice gained strength.
THAT man-that mamie means
no good to her. l know"
Gasping, he turned his head on
the pillow and as the nurse hur-
ried to him, she motioned us to
leave.
In the hall / clutched Dirck's
arm. What did he mean? Who
was he talking about?"
We looked at each other, then
Dirck shook his head and we
started downstairs. At the foot of
the stairway Mrs. Macdonald met
US, and after a few words we told
her good afternoon Again had
the impression that she was going
to say something, but as we left
she only warned us about the
snowy roads.
It was a relief to get away from
that house, even though the path
back to the car was enough to
daunt a mountain climber. The
wind was bowling in the trees so
we couldn't talk. And the path was
only wide enough for one, so |
just stumbled blindly after Dirck,
cold and miserable. Snow got into
my galoshes and down my neck.
1t melted under my collar and ran
down my back N icy trickles. At
last we crawled gratefully into the
car
It took Dirck a couple of minutes
to get started. because the engine
was cold. He seemed nervous and
impatient As we drove down the
road he said. "I'm afraid we've
been wasting time, Chris, | had
no idea Mr. Macdonald was so i'll :.
And then he added thoughtfully.
That is quite a house"
We'd gone half a mile or so
when we came to sharp curve in
the road where the snow had
drlfted. Dirck raced the engine, but
We stuck on an upgrade. We got
out of the car and worked fran
tically. but the tires couldn't get
any traction. Dirck seemed like a
man possessed.
We've got to get back" he kept
repeating.
The snow was so thick and wet
that it blinded us and the back
road we were on was completely
deserted. There didn't seem a
chance in a thousand that anyone
would come along on such day.
II was after four O'clock and snow
ing harder than ever. No one in
their right mind. would come out
IN a car ia such weather.
Finally / got back in the car and
Dirck left to go back to the Mac
DonaldS' for help. / waited, and
waited, cold. damp, and anxious
about Dirck. It seemed finally as
though he'd had time to make the
trip half a dozen times.
Pretty Jlttery'
THEN ! heard a Shout and Dirck
ran up with a strange man and
a boy and | wondered how many
servants they had at the MacDon-
aids. Finally the three of them
managed to get the car started and
we were on our way again.
"A funny thing happened"
Dirck told me as we got back to
the comparative safety of the main
road. 81 went back to the ,MacDon-
aids and couldn't get an answer to
my knock. And Tcould swear saw
that old colored man looking out at
me from the parlor window. 1t
made me pretty, jittery, can tell
you, when I saw. him and. he made
no move to let me in. After all,
we'd just left the house. Where
was Mrs Macdonald, do you sup
poser"
looked at him. Good. heavens,
Dirck."
Anyway" he continued, Il
went on down the road to a farm
house and got them to come back
with me-"
It t0dS strange. Certainly Mrs.
Macdonald wouldn't have refused
to help US. Particularly since she'd
mentioned the bad roads. I thought
IT over during the drive back to
town, but got nowhere in my own
inimitable fashion.
By the time we crossed the
bridge the streets were fairly free
OF snow, so we made good time
going downtown. Dirck was pretty
much upset and when finally we
IMpATIENcE- COSTLY