The Key West Citizen Newspaper, March 18, 1947, Page 3

_.. Chapter 2 SPITE his bewilderment and sense of foreboding, Jeff Irs- ® caught himself whistling fly as he urged Pacheco’s palo- mo mare across the desert the ‘xt morning. _ ‘He hadn't realized until this nhoment how much missed of Arizona’s wasteland, the gaunt ‘saguaro cacti with its tortured yet pec liarly ' féathery blue of smoke trees and sotel hugging the arroyos -that / @tosserossed the road. Seeing it / albagain was like quenching your thirst after a long parching pe- riod of drought. It. was good too to be wearing bg own loose cowboy clothes tead of a civilian suit that four years of soldiering had made too small for you; good to be riding our own silver-trimmed saddle. acheco had kept them both in condition, As he neared his old home Jeff's keen inquisitive eyes, as black and gleaming a: his hair, stared ahead, watchful for the changes that time and strangers might have made. The cottonwood tree by the spring loomed up a nee twelve feet taller than he'd last seen it, its thin silvery leaves fluttering together in the faint morning ‘ breeze. That seemed. to be all. The small squat adobe rancho with its long low covered porch still hugged the rufous earth al- most seeming a part of it; a thin blue wisp of smoke drifted from thé chimney. From the shade of the porch a sleek black and brown hound do came to greet Jeff. Even care an feeding couldn’t hide the fact. that he was a badly-shaped pariah dog of uncertain pedigree. He gave a few sharp barks to announce the stranger’s arrival then ¢apered back to the shadows and sat down, his tongue lolling in a foolish grin. Jeff. dismounted and took the three steps to the porch in one long stride. He was about to knock on his own door when it opened suddenly and a giil came out. It seemed to Jeff that she took unusual care to close the door tightly after her. She smiled up athim.... “Mephisto isn’t muck of a >ro- tector but at least he lets us know when we have visitors.” “Mephisto?” She pointed to the hound. “We called him that because he was so black and raised the devil when we got him,-His heart’s.pure gold though—he’s almost too friendly.” As she talked Jeff studied ‘her interestedly. She had a trim little figure. clad. now in a blue and - Designs Sets F or ‘The Guardsman’ Mrs. Barmine, who participated cement aens ewe 0 per cec ture dee we ieee ont ee an cere anette ees creates a ee | PERSUIV: DETROIT, Mich. — Evidently pei. | Walorhid. pet ‘spake owned" by ., HUNAN” | tes.” Matilda Miltdm, an Indian in the, Jayshee Fashion Show, | the First says she will reveal another of}has left for Miami on business. her accomplishments to the Key | West public. bs Mrs: Barmine, working in col-} laboration with Mr. and Mrs. Bowman Cutter, has designed the new sets for the Key West Play- ers to be used in their forthcom- ing production, “The Guards- | man”, which opens at the Barn Theater April 7. Fhis will be the first time the Players have staged a_two-set production. All others have been done with just one set. Mrs. Barmine’s sketches of the | set have been approved by the Players and their construction has | been started to have them ready | for opening night. eens } { , . ! (a ee nN ee enn mene Valdezes Have Son Dr. and Mrs. J. A. Valdez, 1224 of a seven-pound son at 4:15 a.m. | today, at Municipal Hospital. Brazil’s unit of money, the eruzeiro, is named for the South- ern Cross. EO EEEEIC LE TNE TIE SERIES EERE SRE, Let the Kiddies Play Outside!! Sears Offers You These Items at . Spring Savings! Husky All-Steel PEDAL CARS DeLuxe VELOCIPEDES ALL SIZES e Priced $f 89 from up It’s Convenient to "Use Sears Ecuy Payment Plan” ORDER OFFICE PHONE | ROEBUCK «x co. 360 Simonton and Fleming Streets THE KEY Wesi C the vast unin saned wistances human . shapes, the oe There was a look of pleading in her face. green plaid cotton ‘shirt .and}Th tan jodhpurs. Her honey-colored long hair was sun-streaked and done in twin braids wound high on her head. in a coronet.: Dark lashes fringed challenging blue eyes above a small pert nose that was spattered with a dusting of freckles and the pink of a fresh sunburn. Now her brow puckered. “What can I do for you?” Jeff flushed slightly; he sud- denly felt awkward and mean. Hell, he couldn’t say, “This is-my home. I’ve come back from war and you'll have to get out’—yet this was what he’d come for. “You’re Miss Hardy, aren’t you?” “Yes, I’m Linda Hardy.” “Ym Jeff Irskine. I’d like to speak with your father.” She seemed to catch her breath a little. He thought he saw fear shadow her eyes. “Can’t you tell me what it is?” “I’m afraid it’s men’s business.” HE made no move to ask him ‘7 in, instead she sat-down abruptly on the step ahd stared up at him: There was a look: of pleading in her face. Agta. “Please sit down and tell fe about’ it,” she urged. “My—my father is an invalid. If it’s»some- Tae ie c He sat down, his long legs cov- said reluctantly. “You see, this my property. I’ve been in army for four years and I: one permission to rent i ; » She fred him solemnly and eover his embarrassment — grinned. “You don’t seem exactly surprised.” . aoe “I think I’ve always. known: you'd turn up some day.” PB you knew this was my place.” “No. Mister Coulter told us he wes) Owned it, but somehow I never believed him. Somehow the cot- :|tonwood tree, and the spring and the fireplace with the ox skull over it and the Navajo rugs don’t o go with his personality.” | . “Navajo rugs are a dimé a dozen. Don’t you like Coulter?” fore answering. “No, and I’m not sure why. He’s been very nice, to ~ nly charging thirty a month rent.” . Jeff whistled. “Thirty a month!” “You don’t know .how desper- ate we were, Mr. Irskine.” “Desperate?” i “Yes. You see my father was a commercial artist when he was stricken with this illness. I was | away and he didn’t tell me about it until it was pretty far gone. e doctor said he must get right out of the atmosphere of cramped studios filled with the fumes of aint and turpentine. It’s—it’s. his — you see.”. Jéfi nodded slowly; this was a familiar story to westerners. “Well, there are all sorts of commercial artists. Dad wasn’t one of the top-flight ones and we didn’t have a great deal put by. He needed sunshine’ and desert air and this place was just a god- send: to us.” “Has it helped him?” “TI don’t know.” Linda’s eyes filled quickly and she looked away, When she faced Jeff again she had regained control of her- self. “He seems much happiér here. We’ve both grown to love it and I think. his illness may have been checked a bit.” As if to refute her words_a dry cough echoed through the win- Ow. Jeff saw the quick misery in her eyes and swore inwardly. What a.mess ‘this was! He cer- , tainly couldn’t evict a dyihg man — and his daughter, yet this was his ‘home, He'd ‘spent’an’ exhausting and painful’ four years jin the arRas sand ina pe ds ‘@ rest .on his own property, if was, a poser. : thing unpleasant you he ze to i 2 I'd rather you’ as ce as Linda studied him gravely be+« erin, e three steps. : there's pee a mixup,” re Re leave the place empty. i ne. ts | the -hot summer months - cause | Gitih hineakcdevels: end-epniiee puttition, plus liver and irom ‘+ te reakdowns and-spoilage: |, ve we s + Pick Up'and Delivery Service| 77% $259 6 Hees mont Phone 739 for Fast, Efficient 288 s $7.95 | KEY WEST ELECTRICAL REPAIR CO. { Duval street, announce the birth! uw | (Tq be continued) + | Rev. Avery. In Miami ; woman, was too sensitive to .un- Melrose S. Avery, minister jof! dergo the ‘gaze of the, curious Presbyterian Chureh _ public. After one day of: strang- P "ers staring-at her, , flash bulbs d flashing in her face and'a court "| appearance, the king snake gave up the ghost and died. To And From Cuba Pee NS OR Net Tia SASS ETE, a SE Recent arrivals and departures | elte Lopez, Cuban Consul Martin of Key West residents on Aero-} Llarildi. vias Q planes connecting Key Departures: Jose . Machin, Al- West and Havana: Arrivals were} fred Machin, Evelyn Cabot, Ern- City Commissioner and Mrs. John} est Perez, W. Johnson, E. Na- Carbonell, City Commissioner Al- ranjo, Jose Perez-Cato, Mrs. W. bert B. Cooper, Mr. and. Mrs.} Anuez. Cecil Carbonell, Lee Mason, Mil-! ton Henriquez, Mr. and Mrs. On- He will return for the week-en Prrelest UIA, OL ENAMINS Electric Motor O ey, Twe tiny copsules contain ectri oO ner Soie,ie the Geesto eetshattion | ALL VITAMINS your ~- MOTORS... Do this before | known to be essential to human Factory Reconditioning GARDNER'S PHARMACY 1114 Division St., Cor. 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