The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-07-31
Chapter "a
Recognition

Chapter "a
Recognition {
IAN led Norma to her room
y while Derek undressed Lance,
examined him for injuries, found
nothing but a few slight bruises,
and settled him into the deep. soft
bed.
Norma huddled down in a chair,
staring at the lowered blue carpet
with aching. hurting eyes. Her
fingers twitched at her sensible
gray tweed skirt. picking out lit
tie nubs of wool You heard him,
Jan. He hates the sight of me. I'd
better move my things out and
get away from him. School will
be over in three more weeks and
I can go away somewhere"
mo" Jan was firm. you stay
here, Norma. know Lance bet
ter than you know him. He'll be
sorry. Norma. He's Ill. mentally
sick. he isn't quite responsible
now. Give him time to get well
and just avoid him for awhile.
You love him. don't your"
Eyes. But he doesn't want me.
! irritate him lately. get on mis-
nerves. I'd make myself over if
/ could. but don't know how.
Jan thought. Il know how she
feels. We're in the same boat. all
right. I'd make myself over. too.
/ want Derek so terribly"
please stick it out. Norma, II
you can" she begged. HE really
needs you, even though he doesn't
realize 1t now. and I need you.
VIII you stay with us?"
Norma nodded agreement. IN
happily. IN try to get some sleep
now"
Jan, returning to Lance, deter
mined TO speak frankly to Rose
in the morning. Ask her to stay
away from Lance, perhaps ask
her to move.
Derek had dimmed the lights
and sunk into a low. comfortable
chair beside the bed. He had
propped Lance up on pillows and
lighted a cigarette for him. Jan
shut the door and curled up on
the end of :he bed. waiting, for
she knew Lance must talk this
thing out and if he didn't mind
having Derek hear. she must not,
either.
Her eyes, almost black with sor-
row and sympathy and deep ten
derness, dwelt on her brothers
haggard, Swallowed face. you
shouldn't have talked to Norma
like that" she reproached very
gently.
Il know" His voice, thin and
feverish, ran on: I'm little mad,
/ suppose. know, ieep down,
she's worth a dozen of Roses
kind. I'll get over this in time. I
don't expect you to understand,
Jan. Rose made me come alive.
Made me want to be a man
again" His voice died out; his
brilliant, shifting eyes grew dull.
He'd never talked to anyone. ex-
cept little to Frank, concerning
his crack-up. For two years he
had represSed memory until now
1t leaped like fire from the hidden
places in his brain to his drained
white lips. He had to talk. He had
to tell someone.
The Crash
T'HE ship was a beauty" he
L said. "a commercial passenger
job, twin-motored, designed for
conversion to a light bombing
plane in case of war. Carried six
teen people. She had a ceiling of
twenty thousand and cruising
range of two hundred and fifty
miles an hour She'd passed every
ground test with flying colOrs. be-
haved perfectly in the wind tun-
mel | asked to take her up.
wanted TO feel her come to first
life with me at the stick. Test
pilots fall II love with ships, did
you know that? Well. | was in
love with her before she left the
ground. She was trim and proud
and glamorouS. Tickle. too, but
didn't know that. A test pilot
chooses his work because his ma
ture Graves something new all the
time. something strange and un-
tried and suspenseful. He knows
the danger, but he doesn't think
about it.
at was a perfect day. Clear sky,
sunny, good head wind. | put her
through her PAGES and she re-
acted like trained jumper. I saw
photographers and newsreel cam
eraS swapping her when | pulled
her out of the power dive. Shed
passed every test but one-spin-
nlng. | took her up twelve thou
sand feet-She was designed auto
matically to come out of a spin in
turn and a half. she had had a
spin chute on her tail rudder the
rip cord was in the cockpit
when l started her spinning down
| never felt so glorious in all nv
life. But she didn't come out Of
the spin. saw she wasn't going
to. pulled the rip cord and moth
ing happened. ! saw the ground
rushing up at me. | tugged that
cord hard enough to break il. |
felt her nose lift, a scant hundred
feet above the ground. knew the
chute had opened and checked the
spin. but Ii was ton late too
intel"