The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-07-08

her standing alone in the hail
WeilP' Eve exclaimed as the
two men walked out the door. She
sought out Gina, and the two
girls disconsolately sat on the
upper porch looking out at a Sc
rene sea and cloudless sky.
| No reason in the world WHY
the plane can't come back TO-DAY >
Gina was saying. s.I'Il admit the
weather hasn't been any too
pleasant before this. But even q
novice could bring a sea-plane
down on that sheet of water
Eve was forced to agree. Neil
and Brett don't believe the plane
IS coming back" she offered. SAT
least, they're trying to build a
raft, down there by the boat
/ house"
Gina nodded, "And Ham and
4 even that Jim Droissard are help
ing. she added, I'D not trust nv
self TO any raft built by amateurs.
But IT might be all right for a
couple of the men to row over to
the mainland and send back a
boat, | like this place-and Mrs.
Jaekson's ghost stories don't
worry me a little bit. She's lust
grinding her own personal axe
Iyou mind my words. But at the
moment, | think it more polite
to retreat-and come back with
reinforcements."
Gina, you amaze me-" Eve con-
fessed. Every time / see you, you
remind me of an angel strayed out
OF a heavenly orbit. And vet,
you're the most coldly practical
person / know"
"Self-defense," said Gina enig-
matically. Heaven protects the
poor working girl, but no one pro-
tsets her more expensive sister.
We must learn to watch out for
ourselves. And at the moment
Glnas voice rose joyously--
that's what I'm doing. Come on,
Eve, hurry-we'l 60 down and
get a lunch box ready for the
working men,"
Ship OF Mystery
t6APTAIN JONES was furious.
~ He paced the narrow deck of
his boat impatiently and wheeled
on his mate with an ugly look.
Listen here. Feldston," he
snapped, Il don't want to dump a
hot cargo in daylight-and you
know it. Why don't you arrange
things better with that stooge of
yours on the island? Did he take
a run-out on you? Or didn't you
pay off on the last trip?s
Feldston's fiat Slavic face did
not seem to move muscle, vet
his expression was definitely ini-
micable as he said shortly:
II always pay off-as you
should know. And no one has ever
given me the double-cross. May
remind you that if you sail the
boat according to orders, am re-
Esponsible for the cargo"
I'm remembering that" said
Captain Johns. his rudy face set
in lines that had not been graved
by the sea. "And I'm also remem-
bering that on the last trip we
lost both anchors and dam near
drifted ashore. We got clear of the
rocks by miracle. and if it hadn't
been so misty we would never
have got away from the island
without a little session with the
Coastguard.
Feldston looked out toward the
windswept point that was marked
Hearts Haven" on his map. On
other maps, as he was well aware.
| this pin-point was often over
| looked. Then he glanced at his
captain. and decided that the time
had come for diplomacy. He
sighed. Running a cargo of stolen
furs was easy enough, if he didn't
have to deal with such a squeam-
ish lot. :,
/ Listen, Johns" he said caiol-
ingly, would you like to make a
little bonus? Say-five hundred
dollars? If luck is with us, we can
round the point and be at the
boathouse before dark. Last time.
it took us three nights to go to
shore and then get back without
the guard watching. But if we Just
put in there. in daylight, we
might get away with it. Anyway,
we've got supplies-we could say
we were stopping for the old wo-
mans sake. 4.
Captain Johns did not have
much time to protest They were
approaching the point where they
would have to take the channel
toward the island or head for the
harbor.
| As Feldston spoke, the captain
! knew, although be protested. that
there was little chance for sea-
faring man to defy the man in
charge of the cargo. He had sub
mitted to this indignity many
times before: now-as they ap-
preached their port-was not the
time to argue.
"All right" he agreed, but
with obvious reluctance. "We'll
put into the boathouse as we
round the end of the island. But
I'm putting it down on the record
that / oppose stopping, even in the
! face of the wind. at any other
than our home port. Understand
Or do / have to say it again?"
Feldston felt mighty urge to
charge the solid captain. and
then thought better of it. After
all, he might later have no need
of Captain Johns and in that case
battle would not matter.
But on the other hand, he
might need Johns badly. and it
would be more than tactless to
antagonize him. And finally, with
49, 80. l....n. AZ ........