The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-10-18
Chapter II
Boner BY Bruce

voice or Sucn pleasing natural
quality and a definite gift for di-
rectinn IN the same perSon-when
Agar Bruce strolled along and
dropped down beside him
Bruce began talking of An
tones party and then Of girl he
had danced with there. -
z danced with her once. and
then she disappeared. Ny usual
luck was runningl Know who she
iss" And Bruce described her.
THAT sounds like Pam 0ueller-
Ton" Antoine said.
Pam Quellerton2 Is she the
most beautiful thing you've ever
seen7 Does she make you think Of
all the lovely places you've ever
been and lovely things you've
ever done? Is she more like :
flower than any girl you've ever
known"
Antoine smiled.
IF you do mean Pam Oueller-
ton, that's masterpiece of un-
derstatement about her. But il
sounds like her all right But yolir
raving is going TO be Just an
empty echo, lad. Jerry Winthrope
has already staked his claim
there"
Bruce stared at Antoine for q
startled instant.
What do you mean?" he de-
manded finally.
Why, didn't you know Jerry
took her to my party? She's the
local girl he's threatening to give
Freda the air for?"
No, ! didn't know that I didn't
know" ~
well, you know Il nowlp And
Antoine rose to his feet.
Wait a minute!" Bruce urged.
There's something ~ wei. I've
pulled a heck of a boneri I told
her. | told that girl all about the
bet about her. And | thought
something was funny. because
she left me like a shot and I didn't
see her again the rest of the eve
ming. / told herl And she's SO
sweet and gentlel"
Il was Antoine's turn to stare
at him in complete amazement
Are you standing here telling
me that you told Pam Quellertofi
bunch of men bet about her?
Now OF course she'll think Jerry
is Just making sport of herl You
fool Oh, you foolls
Algar's face mirrored all OF. his
Indebtedness. He had liked Pam
too much to want to hurt her. He
had Numbered terribly and with
out intention to hurt.
Jerry and his mother parted,
and Jerry walked on in the sun.
light while Adele went into the
hotel. A bellboy, hurrying across
the grass, stopped Jerry and gave
him a note as he reached Bruce
and Antoine.
Jerry, ! have something to tell
you. It's important" There was
a certain urgency in Bruee's voice.
Jerry glanced at the note and
then slipped it into his pocket,
without opening it.
"Shootl" Jerry said to Bruce.
Haltingly, Agar Bruce man.
aged to make a full confession of
his blunder, sparing himself not
at all. He seemed to writhe under
the startled scorn that grew in
Jerrys face, but he forced himself
TO 60 on,
"Tll do anything, anything
can to make it right. If you think
going and telling her Bruce
concluded, but Jerry was already
racing away, calling over his
shoulder:
you misguided wormp Blaze
was bounding at his heels.
Enter Blaze
DAM came downstairs, Freda's
\ note still in her hand, and took
her place at the table where
Melita had prepared her break
fast. 1t was as if, with Jerry's
friendship, very important part
of her life had gone. Yet she tried
TO tell herself that was ridiculous
She had known Jerry to short a
time.
Finishing her breakfast, she
went to her w0rkfooi1 and sat
down at her table. But the Joy of
doing seemed to have gone from
her fingers. They had lost their
skill and her heart had lost its in
terest. sa5
Melita moved silently into the
room to tell her she was wanted
at the telephone. It was Bill Jar
Wis, long a friend and admirer of
PANS Would she 60 to the coun-
try club with hirn2 It was for the
members, and some of the winter
people had been invited, too.
Pam promised to go, but not too
enthusiastically. She was assured
of a good time, but suddenly
things she had always looked for
ward to meant nothing to her.
jerry had changed all that. As
softly and silently as a snake
swishing through grass something
had come into her life and
changed its entire attitude.
Pam stood idly at a window,
looking out. People moving to-
ward the old mission formed a
veritahIe procession that would
say its prayers in humble graft
tude within the hallowed walls of
the chapel set baoEs ffrom the
street behind "a Royal Poinciana
plantation. Morning sun. shining
through old stained glass win
dows,f would pick out their rev.
erert. earnest features. sss.8s4sA
A man. was carrying a Christ
mas tree INTO one of that row of
little houses I'D the street. Shabby
little houses, but houses in which
living was done with much noisy
gayety and a sort of sense OF
waiting for just the faintest
breath of a holiday as a reason
Tor going into ecstasies of cele-
bration.
payn Io.,oI "a II rr1 -.