The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-08-02

termination, he strobe in 20 the
piano, his proud head lifted, his
eyes brilliant with emotional re-
birth. His fingers sought keys and
a glorious, rushing flood of music
filled the old house from cellar
to rooftop. He played on and on
with the hunger of a man break
ing fast. It was as if a torrential
sea of music deluged the house
and its inmates, drowning out the
pettineSS of everyday troubles,
breaking the bonds of little slave
sundering the chains Of
everything mundane. laying bare
the inner spirit of all existence
with the sheer, awful magnifi-
cence of sound.
He stopped playing as sudden
ly as he had begun.
1T has come back to me-" he
whispered in a tone of prayer.
"At last I've found my soulI"
Still in trance, not even see
ing the White-faced huddled fig
ure at the top of the stairs. Derek
picked up the bundle of sketches
and went out in the night.
Air Mail Letter
IAN woke late, sat up and peered
y from her window. The sky was
overcast, gray, depressing. No
sound disturbed the quiet of the
house. The tin alarm clock an
nounced the hour to be eight
forty. Either she'd forgotten to set
the alarm. or it hadn't Weakened
her. she thought. At all events,
Norma must have prepared her
own breakfast. Queer that Derek
hadn't knocked on her door be-
fore now with a demand for food.
Suddenly she r EN- m b cred
their quarrel. and its aftermath.
Remembered she hadn't heard
him come in last night even
though she'd lain awake hours.
and wretched and re-
morseful, repenting the horrid
scene. She shouldn't have lost her
temper and flared out at him like
that. And she had been wrong.
He had repudiated her accusation
of failure by leosing flood of
vital. living tone. He had told her
with his fingers of his recovery.
of his gift reborn. He had been a
conqueror playing his own tri-
umphal marchI
"I'll find him and apologize.
with trimmings" she promised
herself. She jumped out of bed.
looking about twelve years old
in her pink. lowered pajamas and
tumbled curls. Neptune lifted his
head to stare at her curiously.
decided breakfast was not too
imminent. and burrowed his nose
once more under the plume cur
tain of his tail. keeping one eye
open. however.
His mistress certainly appeared
upset about something this morn
ing, he observed in his sphinx
like fashion. She seemed to be
having difficult time deciding
what to put on Much as he loved
her he thought her very foolish
and feminine of late. Arising used
to be a matter of jumping into
those blue pants of hers. giving
her hair a lick and a promise.
dousing her face with cold water
and hurrying to cook breakfast.
He sighed an inaudible cat sigh.
Recentlv life had become increas-
lngly difficult. She powdered and
painted and fused with her hair.
and sometimes changed clothes
two or three times before she was
"Neppy." she said, tickling the
furry white patch under his
chin stop glaring at me like that.
YOU tickle animal. This is the first
time in weeks you've deigned to
sleep on my bed. Didn't Derek
allow YOU on the roof last nipht?"
On the wav downstairs. sedate-
ly accomoanied by the cat. Jan
rehearsed her speech Of GEOLOGY.
Goino heSitantly into the kitchen
she found it empty. everything
neatly in place as she'd left it the
NIGHT before. Norma must have
taken her breakfast in a cafe.
Mavbe Derek was waiting on the
roof for her call to breakfast.
But he was not or the roof and
p1 examination of the tent
showed his bed had not been slept
in. Distressed. more worried than
she would admit. she began the
routine duties of another day.
HOPING he would turn up before
lone. He didn't.
Not until the afternoon mail
brought an air mail letter post
marked San Francisco did she
realize. with raw sick terror. what
had happened. For the letter was
from Derek.
"Dedr young mariner: You're
done your pendnce, so I'm re-
rlouing the dlbdtross from round
yoiir neck. Pm en- route to Netc
York By plane. ready to storm
the citadels. If I can do IL you'll
hear from me again, but not un-
til PUe abandoned my tight little
castle of self-pity. I took your
sketches for good luck. Thanks
for eUeruthing. puSs.
Deret. the SdlUaged."
She read the bold, scrawling
letter over and over until they
blurred. Derek-gone!
There wasn't time for even a
good cry. Lance rang for service
and then there was marketing to
do and dinner to prepare and
dishes to wash. When it appeared
she would at last find a moment