The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-10-20
Chapter 10
Exit Jerry

were Saylngl@ sS1
Wei, you haven'tl To ro,, -.
t !. would you be engages
y one girl and try to rake 1--we 5vss
anytner1 Is that the condr1ef
60 honorable mann OF a perxnr,
$50 gsen deserves to be called 4
man Iherel II was o1It ana -
hurt. 49, sonceaa us
Is i my fault" Jerry de-
LANDED Hereby, that / blundered
80 an engagement before I'd
-ohna me girl / really loveS? Is II
~ 1ault the girl who's wearing
ny ing won't release me?" He'd
neen startled. He hadn't kno- (
ram was aware OF the engage
Menk between himself and Freda
LEI ne might have known she
would hear of it.
And Pam, with a feeling AZ dis
may realized that Freda had not
released Jerry after all. Freda
nad not done what she promised
one might have expected that.
No." Pam said colby. I
suppose nothing is your fauIt.
NoInlng ever would be y1ur fault.
I couldn't see you ever taking the
Diane for anything. Not you"
Youn eat those words young
lazy. Jerry's voice was e1-ed
with anger. Il didn't plan this. I
didn't expect T. come down here
ana fan in love with a young
tagress. But / kavel And I'm going
% do something about il"
Tigress? I'd rather be one any
DAY than a worthless human
bcingi Stop calling me names and
get out CT herel"
II suppose started this name
scslling?"
Get out, saidl On your way.
! can't bear the sight Of you. l
don't want TO have to look at
you'll"
Jerry's eyes were -.azing with
repressed anger.
The time viii come. Pam" he
said in a low carefully steadied
tone. "when you'll ask me to come
into your mouse.
He turned then and walked out.
Blaze stood looking from one
to the other. and finally. with her
tail and head down. wake d
slowly after Jerry. After all, he
was her master.
And Pam, left alone in the ia
miliar room, put her head down
on the table and cried. Pride and
courage were all right as long as
Jerry was there looking at her.
But they were poor balm to an
aching heart. Melita came noise
lessly to the door, her eyes warm
with sympathy, but she moved
away again without speaking.
There was nothing one could say
to heartbreak, no healing words.
Pam had thought. while Jerry
stood before her. she was doing
The thing she wanted 70 do. She
had thought sending him out of
her life and turning all of her at
fentiOn back 10 familiar activities
was what she wanted. But now
that the thing was done. she was
not sure. She was suddenly aware
of cold emptiness in her life.
Pam lifted her head and turned
% her work. There were things
she must do.
She had felt that carrying on
her life as she had lived il, doing
the things she had been doing, /
was what she wanted and needed |
most. But with Jerry gone she
wondered drearily If she had |
been right. II was hard to get /
back to work.
Little Basket Girl
IT WAS noon when she was |
\ ready to deliver a wide
brim m e d cocoanut hat to a |
woman at Casa Marina. Pam |
started resolutely. She dreaded |
going there. 1t might mean an
ether meeting with Lenore. Or |
Jerry, And she felt unequal to |
IGNORES chill scrutiny, or to fac
ing derry calmly. 1t took all the
courage she could summon not
70 throw up her hands and decide
that she was beaten. But Pam
hadn't come from stock that gave
up easily.
She walked along the winding
drive and into the shadowy lobby
OF the hotel. She left the hat at
the desk. with the clerk who had
been instructed to pay her. The
i've dollars that she folded and
put in her purse gave her chin a
decided uplift.
When she reached the door she
looked out into one Of those sud-
den showers typical of the place.
1t seemed to drop from a sky that
opened as a spigot might, so sud-
denly did it come. Pam had never
ceased to wonder al these brief
showers and the lovely FIR sh
sweet smell they brought. 1t gave
the world a sense of starting all
ever again.
She waited until the rain
stopped, and then started along
the wet sidewalk. Near the street,
under the dense foliage of a great
Spanish lime, Lenore and some of
her crowd had gathered to wait
tho passing of the rain. 1t was too
late TO turn back when Pam saw
them. Il would look too much as
Ii Ignore had frightened her and
was winning at her little game of |
suubbing, so Pam. forced herself |
Go walk calmly past, glancing at
those lie the group that she knew |
ard liked.
SOh . she hoard T .anora,c voice !