The Key West citizen., 1940-09-18
Gas.a,.,el .,.,l . .;M!,l!!a!4zahte1s

BY VIRGINIA HANSON

"Ahl These eyelashes? Now
that's where you're wrong! One
dollar a Set-you can have them
yourself, old fellow. and no end
Of an improvement. if you don't
mind my saying so. Said to
sharpen the eyesight, too. Look
tell you what I'll do. Give you the
address"
He whipped a tiny fiat note
book and a pencil from his breast
pocket and Scribbled briefly, tore
off the sheet and pressed it into
the strangers hand
"Just say Geraldine sent you.
No. no-don't thank mel Only
too glad to spread little beauty
in a bleak world"
The stranger glanced briefly at
the paper he held and his face
closed like a trap.
ok, Geraldine. do as much
for you sometime. Sorry l
dropped the brick. l see now
you're not the guy. It's those eye
lasheS-better cut them, they'll
get you into trouble one day"
Gerald grinned. Just what I
was telling the girls" he said
innocently. He famed hand
vaguely at the man, a gesture
that seemed to mean "Scram!" At
least the stranger departed. He
went back to his table, to his
waiting plate, and concentrated
on feeding but not with his knife.
As far as could see thereafter.
his gaze did not drift our way.
Now that, Geraldine, was
downright piggiSh," Julia pro-
tested. ANYONE with half a wit
could see the poor fellow was
lonesome. and you sitting here
smugly with two glamour girls.
You might at least have pretend
ed to know him"
'I'm surprised at you, Julia. My
grandmother" he added virtu-
ouSly, made me promise never to
take up with strange men,"
Strange? / lowered my eyes to
my plate so that he would not
see the disbelief in them. I felt
a little sick.
Delicate Mission
! JULIA and Gerald began to
- wrangle amiably over the wis
dom of consuming the first oys-
terS of the season in a month
without an r. but she disposed of
the whole question.
ITS all right. We put the in
! the ersters, which makes it per-
fectly safe" she pronounced, and
popped one calmly into her
mouth.
It was not until we had finished
our meal and Gerald had lavishly
ordered a Courvoisier brandy
that he returned to the subject
OF Adams commission.
I've always wanted to do
spot of detecting" he confessed
cheerfully. sWirling the amber
tiuid in its tiny glass. Kay, here.
is a very discerning young per-
son-very discerning indeed. Yes,
| think | may say that | am deep:
| though not everyone. mind you.
would have the wit or the cour-
age to probe beneath my light
and airy persif1age to the dark
and secret recesses of the mans
! mysterious mind Adam is dis
cerning, too. He saw. at once that !
was unusual" he continued mod
eStly. That. / am sure, is why he
trusted me to execute this delicate
mission"
He paused impreSsively.
What delicate miSsion?" de-
manded Julia impatiently. The
trouble with you, Geraldine, you
have Saint Vitus dance of the vo-
cal chordS-they're always in mo-
ton but they don't get you any
where"
Gerald looked at her coldly.
mot discerning person." he
decided. He turned his shoulder
to her and addressed me conf
fidentially. Now you, Kay. will
comprehend at once the delicacy
of the task which has been set
me-"
1t was impossible not to laugh
at the fool. Scrap by scrap we got
1t out of him. On the way to the
train that morning. Adam had re-
called the simple fact that the
chaplain had broker his drive
from Chicago by dining at Field
stone Inn; and that it was near
there he had picked up his un-
pleasant passenger. There was a
remote possibility that someone
at the Inn might have seen the
mysterious pedestrian might
know his identity. or at least be
able to give a better description
than the chaplain. Adam had
asked Gerald to make inquiries.
Such was the delicate mission.
We discussed possible pro-
cedures; but our combined intel
lectS seemed unable to devise any
startling departures in the
realm of crime detection. Some
what ingloriously, we sought the
mistress of the establishment and
asked her a plain question.
"Oh. you're from Fort Michi-
gan!" she said brightly. looking
us over with eyes that quite OBJ
viously recalled the encounter be-
tween Julia and Sandra the day
before. The eyes fingered on Julia.
aren't you Colonel Pennant's
daughter? thought I'd seen your
picture in the paper Wasn't that
dreadful thing-that poor man
found dead on that old barge? And
they say he was murderedl
Though ! must say. / don't see
why it couldn't have been an ac-
cident. I always think it's danger
Gus to climb around on an old
wreck like that-rotten timbers
are always giving way. Did you
know him?"
Slightly" Julia admitted.
"And you want to know about
the gentleman whose car was
stolen" She paused.