The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-07-02
Chapter IS
Walk On The Beach


TT was at breakfast the new
morning that Julie noticed
with happy satisfaction. that Neil
Bowron was fascinated by Eve
FASCINATED" was the word she
used to herself. She repeated Il
mentally as she observed that
Neil, having asked Eve to pass the
toast. was being purposely awk-
ward about taking it, so that his
fingers brushed the girls.
Il was right all along. Sooner ar
later Eve will have to aclxnowl-
edge it herself" The train Of
thought Weakened by the discovery
OF her own Brightness was too
pleasant to be dismissed at once.
Julie spooned UP her soft boiled
eggs dreamily. Jim Droissard,s
voice cut into her thoughts.
Everybody is so quiet this
morning" he remarked. almost
as if they were worried
IA well, I'm not, for one" re-
torted Julie with spirit. sThis is
: land is really in sight of the main
land. It's only question of time
before some way of getting back
pops up. These things always adj
Just themselves"
"And Mrs. jackson was lust
being silly with her talk Of means
and groans. Everyone knows that
the wind plays odd tricks in a
place like this"
ut certainly does" Gina in
terrupted suddenly. ct woke me
up during the night and could
positively make out wordsi"
What words?" asked Droissard
quickly.
"Oh, ! don't know. didn't try
to remember them. | knew it was
just my imagination all the time
There was one word though that
did seem to keep coming back.
You'll laugh when you hear it,
1t was money Every once in a
while there'd be something that
sounded like: I want my money
The money ! could hear quite
plainly
Gina, you're priceless, laughed
Ham, @Has anybody else been
hearing things?"
II can tell you what didn't
hear. ] didn't hear Lord MacTav-
ish bark. He would bark if there
were anything going on, wouldn't
he?" Mrs. Marbury asked.
"Ffe would if he were in his
own home" said Ham. Hes used
to travelling and hotels though,
and he has learned to keep his
mouth shut in strange places"
Speaking of strange places" "
said Eve. 'I'm going to explore
the one we're in. This is by no
means a desert island we've been
cast upon, and think we might
very well take an inventory Of its
assets"
rs it still raining?" inquired
Julie.
"It's stopped, for the moment,
anyway" said Brett, staring in
tently through the window which
he faced.
''In that case I'll take some
fresh air myself" said Jim Drois-
sard, "and have look around
There may be something worth
investigating on this island"
Eve and Brett started away
together. They went down the
front path to the beach, wet
branches reaching out from the
overgrown bushes to slap drip
ping leaves across their faces.
CDR 1issard went on ahead of
us" observed Brett, watching the
other man make his way down
toward the water. Gle seems to
be heading for that old boat
house"
Lets 60 the other way then"
suggested Eve. "Queer, isn't he?"
ooh. him Brett dismissed
the subject of jim Droissard
! lightly. ,9sI
that line of rocks there. that runs
out into the sea. 1t doesn't look
very promising, but you can't
tell; they may hold clue to the
strange goings-on here"
Exploration
WHEN they reached the foot OF
w the last terrace they turned
with one accord to look back at
the house. as Brett had done that
first time.
II liked it better the first day
saw it, said Eve. Il suppose
it's the rain that has made the
difference. On gloomy day like
this no old, dilapidated place
could look attractive" !.
cts not a bad house, really.
said Brett. "Of course some OF
those later additions will have to
come off. Why do people always
keep changing houses, even Wnen
they are perfect architectural eX-
amples of their type? Just the
urge to leave their own mark on
the structure perhaps, he added.
Eve reached for one of the huge
rhododendron blooms Just above
her shoulder and broke 1t OIL
amid 81 spatter of raindrops. (
NOW that you've got that huge
fioWsr what are you going TO 90
with it?' Brett wanted 70 know,
"Oh." laughed Eve, = maven !
any plans.
s'Here," said Brett, 4 know,
It's lust the size of the new hats
YOU girls are wearing. He took II
from her and slipped the stem
beneath the ribbon with which
the Eve had tied back her soft
cloud of dark hair.