The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-07-13

why" he demanded sudden
back to you? Why did she choose
to stay with your father? Yes.
read the log book"
The remainder of the story
was never written" Jan said So
berly. "She didn't stay with him.
At the last moment she left him
to return to Lance and me-but
her lifeboat was lost The other
survivors told lis. What made you
ask?"
Just wondering if there is real
ly such thing as mother love-"
"Of course there is. The women
who seem exceptions are usually
women who, by temperament.
were never intended TO be moth
ers. If you bothered to study the
subject, you'd find just as many
exceptions in the animal world"
She wanted to ask him of his own
mother. his childhood, but she
could not ask, remembering: "Wo-
men and their hateful curiosity
They walked in silence along
the beach front, the climbing sun
warm on their faces. Still I'M
speaking, Derek started out over
the sand, taking her along with
him. Pausing at the uneven mark
left by high tide he drew her
down beside him on the deep
warm sand.
Work is a nuisance" he unused
out loud. ut keeps people from
doing everything interesting in
life"
"Such as?"
Baking in sun like this.
Dreaming. GreedineSs for money
causes every trouble in the world.
if may repeat a trite truth. Most
of the world endures labor and
struggle and poverty so that the
remainder have richest"
Two Mothers
"COULDN'T you do better on a
~ soapbox?" she asked. is the
prospect of working so terrible.
or am | the bloated plutocrat who
will lol in luxury from the sweat
of your brow? Most people find
work necessity to peace of mind
and body"
They are obliged to-" he said
with strange vehemence. ''They
scurry and hurry and worry TO
make money and If. by the time
they amass some, they aren't
dead, they're too entrenched in the
habit of work to enjoy idling
Therefore work seems pleasant to
them; idling unpleasant. A grin
broke through the cloud on his
face. Don't worry, I'll take the
job. bet I'll make a swell fisher
mani"
eff you don't start batting old
Cap Tupple instead of the fish,
ION my honor"
She stirred uneasily, disturbed
by his closeness, his young vehe-
mence. 1--WE a lot to do at home
she excused, springing up "Stay
here if you like"
II like" he agreed, his teeth
shining white against his tan skin
Leaving him she trudged off
pausing at the edge of the side
walk to empty the sand out of her
sandals. to look back at him. He
lay prone on the beach. his arms
crossed behind his glittering RED
head, his long length relaxed as
basking animal. Again she won
dered why he had asked that about
her mother Ellen Merriner. Jan
could remember so much. almos:
too much. She had been sixteen
when Peter decided this next
would be his last trip before re-
firing. Ellen would go with him
on this final voyage Ellen, still
pretty, still adoring her husband
after thirty married years. had
been so happy to think that at last
she would wrest her husband from
her rival. the sea.
Peters wife had been a quiei
little school teacher. She had beer
swept off her feet by big, hand
some Peter Merriner. then a sec
ond mate on an ocean liner. HeI
temperament, thankfully. did no.
permit too much restless unhappl
ness while she waited long weeks
for ship to dock. Lance and Jan
had helped, too. although Ellen
laughed to Peter. they were much
more his children than hers. They
were noisy adventurous young
sters with headstrong wills of thei,
own. Ellen. trying to understand
them, not able to, just loved Il
was she who patiently taught them
appreciation of poetry. Of music
Of art and literature.
Some day, Jan thought, maybe
I'll tell Derek more about my
mother.
Derek, lazily summing. was think
ing of his mother. sc brittle. so gay
ever striving to be young. to be
beautiful, to forget her grown son
He could not, even now. remem-
Der her without bitterness. The
last he'd heard she was the Coun-
tess Won Lurwitz. Her third, OF
was it fourth. marriage? He ha6
seen her two years ago. He had not
liked her. For years she had used
him as pawn to get more money
from his father. But at fifteen, an
impreSsionable and lonely age, he
hadn't known he was pawn and
he had been pleased and happ;
when she took him from Elton 20
her villa at Cannes for the summer
My son." she would say to peo-
pie. "a little boy. really. in spite
of that gangly awkward length o:
his. ! was such a child when he