The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-08-13
The CargOyle and the Griffin
BY NINA LESLIE cALLEJA

and even if that didn't quite ma
terialize, just the announcement
of the engagement would suffice.
II felt that would have done my
duty as matchmaker,
My two prospects were cou-
pie of wonders. You couldn't
find two nicer, or uglier, people
on the face of the earth, The
woman was a hospital nurse on
vacation, with a beautiful, syelte
figure, exquisite arms and neck,
auburn hair and splendid teeth.
Only one thing was wrong with
her. Due to some skin allment,
her face and nose were dread
fully pitted, giving her somewhat
the facial appearance of ore of
the gargoyles of the Cathedral of
Notre Dame. But she was such
fine woman. intelligent, sweet.
tempered and nice-mannered.
Any man. / figured, would be
fortunate to get her for wife.
The man / had selected to be
her spouse was ugly too, and not
attractively so. as so many ugly
men are. He was just plain ugly,
in spite of having big, athletic
frame, wearing his good clothes
extremely we'll and making a
wonderful appearance as long as
you didn't look at his face. He
was college professor, intelli-
gent, well-thought-of, wealthy to
a degree, and thoroughly fine and
nice. But he looked like grif-
fin.
Somehow / had the idea that
these people would be good for
each other. Being so ugly them
selves, / figured they couldn't
very well object to ugliness in
eacl, other, but would instead be
impressed and pleased with all
the other sterling qualities they
each had. Why, their reading in
terests were even alike. / had
distinctly seen each of them read
ing Marcel Proust the same day.
That was enough right there to
mark them as natural life-mates,
because how many people read
Proust?
The dining saloon was festive
with its decorations and the cos
TUNES of the passengers. There
were Mephistopheleses and Mar
guerites, sultans, harem beauties,
Pagliaccis, Cossacks, Elizabeths,
brakes, Tsars and Tsarinas of all
the Russias, pickaninnies, mann
mics, Old Black Joes, Evas, Top
sizes, Simon Legrees, Nell Gwynns,
Carmens, matadors, picadors,
bunny-rabbits, peacocks, Mae
Vests, sheiks, and even a Lady
Godiva, who made triumphant
entry minus horse, but was hus-
tied out of sight with startling
rapidity, later reappearing as
fully clothed but not nearly so
interesting character.
My two prospects were costgm-
ed very nicely as a Venetian
nobleman and a Bavarian peas
ant-girl. / had personally select
ed their costumes to bring out
the fine points of their fine fig
ures. Both masked, they We're
stunning. / Unanswered them
together to the buffet, loaded
them with champagne and final
ly shepherded them to the two
strategically- placed deck chairs.
Then / decided to let nature take
its course without any further
prodding from me, and hurried
back to the ballroom, where /
had urgent and exciting business
of my own pending with a GER
tain blond Cossack.
Several times during the night
l caught sight OF them dancing,
still masked, and / heaved a sigh
of satisfaction, because if / ever
saw two people wrapped up in
each other those two were.
Taken by and large, that was
large evening, and nobody
showed themselves publicly the
next morning until practically
lunch-time. / promptly got busy
looking for my lovebirds. l found
the female sulkily pacing the up
per deck. "That was fine. thing
to do to me-" she told me angrily.
Getting me mixed up with that
awful man. When he took his
mask off he looked like alike
griffin. l never saw such an
ugly man. Who did he think he