The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-10-13
For The LOVE OF PAM
Chapter Seven
Tragedy For Pam

nne she mad been forced tn
think OF PANS and Jerryss sui.
dent attraction for each other ne
something permanent; somethinr
growing from roots that would
give IL a lasting quality She
looked at Pam. There was some, me
thing about the girl.
She looked down AZ her Lee.
hand. Jerry's diamond was CLEAN
ing there. 1t gave her a sense of
security. Nothing could actuallv
happen as long as she had that
Dance, Freda?" It was Jerry
standing beside her. smiling.
I'D love to-
Who are you making ewes at
tonight" Jerry asked as thew
moved smoothly away.
Freda laughed. Anyhow. vou,u
admit I'm efficientl Why waste
time putting into words things
you can do with your eyes? Re-
sides. what you don't saw. vor,
never have to be sorry for"
'If that's the way you feel
about II. I've noticed that native
lad from the beach hanginp
around here. Why don't YOU picE
on men that might have a chance7
You're not being fair. It isn't nice
Of you"
Jerry, you sound exactly like
maiden aunt" she answered.
still laughing at him.
Jerry was grateful to a cut-in
who claimed her then. Looking
around, he glimpsed Pam and
made his way to her. He lied her
to table at the side of the dance
floor.
Pam, you're lovely" ne said.
as he sat down opposite her and
looked at her. what would your
answer be if / told you / loved
you?" He waited for a moment
for her reply, then thought he
saw 1t in her eyes, though she
made no audible rejoinder. 'T'm
telling you, Pam, I love YOU. ri
love you forever and ever. I'll
love you all my life, little island
flower"
Across the room he saw Freda.
who was wearing his diamond. He
knew he should not have spoken
so to Pam, at least not until that
diamond was reclaimed. Then
Edmund Antoine asked Pam to
dance.
Jerry watched them move
away, scarcely conscious of the
girl who had dropped into chair
at his table, girl from Virginia.
He remembered her. He'd met her
at several smart places. She spoke
In broken little phrases and Jerry
recalled having kissed her one
evening during foolishly roman
tic interval in the shadows of a
Spanish lime tree. She had
seemed lovely then, but now
there was something annoying
about her. She followed Jerry's
eyes with a sort of helpless defeat
in her own. She said finally in her
fragile little voice:
Il understand. I've seen 1t my
self just that way. A man comes
up in your life like the moon in
the sky, and he's just there-and
what are you going to do about
1t? She's like that with you"
But Jerry was staring out at
the dancers.
Lets dance" the girl said. She
was that kind. A man never really
minded dancing with her. but he
never asked her.
Good Time
A ND on the dance floor Antoine
"A had kept Pam only a little
while. A cut-in had taken her.
and then another. 1t was new to
Pam and grand fun. She looked
up happily when Agar Bruce
claimed her.
Hello, pretty" he said.
Hello, yourselfl"
$50 you know the answers.
Come on out under the Royal
Poinciana tree. They'll sound so
much sweeter out there"
ooh, no! Wait / want to hear
this!" So Pam and Agar found
chairs at an unoccupied table.
The orchestra had swung into
melody that cascaded and rippled
through the room. Lenore Win
thrope walked into a little circle
of light that had been cleared on
the dance floor.
She was overwhelmingly lovely.
All in white. Pam reflected that
few girls were naturally equipped
to wear white so. dramatically
Her dark hair was drawn back
from her oval face and fell in soft
curls on Aer shoulders. Her hands
clasped a large bunch of violets.
Pam recognized them. The vielets
she had given IGNORES mother.
Antoine, directing his boys,
brought the music to swelling
crescendo. The winds and brasses
swept the melody clear and high.
The strings echoed it softly.
mutedly. A dramatic pause. Then
Antoine's fingers in that striking
chromatic so characteristic OF
him. And Lenore started to sing.
Her voice was a low, compelling
harmony, accompanied only by
the mellow wood winds, sobbing
softly about a man she'd found
and lost again. -
As Lenore stopped singing Pam
led the applause. She elapped
madly, her hands high III the air.
"But there were tears in her
eyesl Real tears. That girls got
what it takes to put song over,
Pam heard a girl near her say.
Real tears in Ignores eyes? Then
that's why they had sparkled SO.
But why? Why? Pam wondered
She looked then to where espe-
cially loud applause was coming
from, and saw a native Key West