The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-08-14
II &c II r I'D E
BY frances Hanna

1 " Tie PIOpGI GulOL1Old1 OGEIGe
and she lifted her fragile, pointed
face to his.
Regarding her, his black eyes
were cold, inscrutab1e, yet a smile
turned up the corners Of his
mouth. Meeting you again, being
with you. is the best thing that
ever happened TO me-" he repeat
ed what he'd said last night to
Jan.
Then I am forgiven" she
| pouted.
"You are blessedl" he answered
her. Il went through my own pri-
vate emotional hell after ! found
you out. I'd lost my feeling, my
touch, for music; I'd lost my faith
| IN you and, l thought then, faith
in everyone and everything else.
/ even tried to destroy myself.
Jan pulled me out of the water
and showed me what an ignorant,
egotiStical food I'd been. She put
me back on my mental as well as
physical feet. If it hadn't been for
her my Concerto would never
have been written nor played.
But, LenOre, / wasn't really my
own man again until ! saw you at
the beach and realized what you
are and that you probably can't
help It. There was nothing left of
my emotion. either love or hate,
for you. You can't touch me
again. Lenore. ever"
Famous Last Words
uER long nails curved in against
IL her palms. 81 suppose its that
stupid, childish artist, Ricky. She's
so obviously in love with you"
chuckled. 'You should have seer
her, such a little bit of thing,
driving me to work, clubbing me
into scraping carrots and washing
d dishes, threatening me with
starvation if ! didn't bring home
board money, giving me hail CO.
lumbia for getting into a fight and
telling me ! was ShiftleSS and no
account! She made a man of me
in spite of myself. But love me?
What utter nonsense, Lennie.
We're good friends, that's all"
Famous last words" Lenore
thought, and said, 'You loved me
terribly, darling, and / hurt you
so. don't blame you for not
trusting me. I'll make it up to
you, 1 promise" She slipped her
slim white arm over his shoulders,
locked her hands behind his neck
and pressed her lips to his mouth.
He suffered her a moment be-
fore roughly disengaging her
clasp. He heard a door slam;
heard heavy footsteps.
We'll" demanded his father,
tossing his cigar into the garden,
showing his hands into his coat
pockets, ARE you going to marry
Lenore?"
NO" Derek declared violently.
I'm not. Nor anybody else"
Lenore gasped. Il don't know
what's wrong with him." she COM
planned, dabbing at her eyes with
a wisp of lace. Perhaps his sue.
cess has unbalanced him"
Il hope So" said Gregory
Knowles. "Give the Countess my
best regards when you see her"
Lenore glared at both men,
turned with stiff dignity into the
house, leaving them alone.
where is JAM" Derek asked,
suddenly wanting to be with her,
his heart still thudding strangely
from the shock of IGNORES aSser-
ton that Jan loved him, even
though he didn't for a moment
believe it.
Jenkins Is driving her home.
She came with me just now to
tell you goodnight. but evidently
decided not to intrude on the
charming scene you presented
with Lenore IN this prop moon
light Derek, you're a foolI' He
stamped off into the garden.
Derek rested his long. law
length on the wide railing. not
feeling the chill breeze on his
face. not hearing the noise from
within the house. So Jan thought
he and Lenore-could Lenore pos
sibly be right about Jan? No. Yes.
Perhaps. Damn it all. he didn't
want Jan laboring under false de-
lusionsi And why didn't he?
His eyes closed. He was again. in
fancy, living in the old red house
surrounded by crouching ham,
burger stands and riotous con-
fusion. He saw Jan, a battered
straw hat over her sunburned face
coming In with a mornings catch
OF fish; Jan, miserable and forlorn
over Lance and Rose and Norma;
Jan, dancing in his arms. six
dances for a quarter. Clinging to
him on the roller coaster. Telling
him he was no good. Adopting
him into her family. adding his
burden to her already heavily
loaded young shoulders, ordering
INN to work. to practice, to re-
habilitate himself, and all of the
time knowing nothing about him.
taking him as was! Wait-that
night she'd bawled him out
hadn't she said-"I wanted to help
you. / had faith in you" Yes. she
had He'd forgotten, lost himself
IN his music, put her words away
In a safety deposit vault Of his
mind. determined for months to
think of nothing but his beloved
Concerto, his gift for creating
which had miraculously returned.
And not so miraculously. either.
Jan had awakened him. given him
spiritual as well as physical life.
What if something should hap
pen to her, all alone IN New York?
He stood up, trembling all over
with imagined shock and horror,
feeling empty and lost and alone
IN a world he neither trusted nor
liked. -z
Il love her." he said out loud,