The Key West Citizen Newspaper, January 17, 1952, Page 12

Thursday, January 17, 1952 Page 12 THE KEY WEST CITIZEN By Fred ianmelt! WAIT'LE TH CEETLE ‘fou, Lawsy OUTSID ; VARMINT. GITS HERE. | RIDDLE ONE JUMP- TWO JUMP- THREE- FOUR-- FIVE-- KING !! hemes hE en HIDE, R BUT: A KING DURN YORE (OOLES |! TL MEAN-CHUCIC GETTING WELL AND HIS' MOTHER AND Dad» GOING BACK TOGETHER.” Gee,erras— I'VE Gor THE ON A TRIP, I MEAN>~ ‘N' GUESS WHAT S~ Chapter 1 ‘L OOK,” Tommy MacIntyre said, - a desperate gleam in his usu- ally calm blue eyes, “can’t we get away from this rabble? I've got to talk to you, Marcia.” “Rabble!” Marcia elevated an amused eyebrow. “Since when has a swank dinner-dance at Elm- 's most exclusive Country Club sunk to such a lowly level? Besides, you've been talking all evening.” “With some dumb lug cutting in every time we make an inch of headway on the dance floor,” Tommy interrupted glumly. “Here comes Spud now. I recornize that pa in his eye. He wants to ince this one with you just be- cause he and Connie had a fight.” “Oh, if that’s the only reason!” Marcia’s eyes were brown, soft brown velvet, but they could turn almost black. Her shining hair was brown, too, but it had high- lights of red. “Why, Spud!” The smile she turned on, full force, was enough to dazzle any recip- ient. “I'd love to dance with you!” “Hope you don’t mind, MacIn- tyre?” Spud clamped his mouth shut tightly in grim satisfaction as he prepared to walk off with Tommy's girl. But Tommy, who was noted for his good nature, suddenly drew himself up to his full six-foot-two and barred the way. “I do mind.” His nice mouth was grim, One of Tommy's big hands pushed Spud, who was much shorter—and_fatter—aside, The other caught Marcia by an elbow to steer her neatly toward the doorway that did not lead to the dance floor. However, at the foot of the long winding stairway in: the large club foyer Marcia pulled away, coming to a stop as sudden as though she had applied air-brakes. Her eyes were black once more, Her checks held two high spots of color. “You certainly take a lot for granted, Tom MacIntyre! How do you know that I’m your girl? Just because we've always gone around together all through Hi, and on your vacations from college. How dare you!” “I told you,” Tommy inter- rupted once more, not glumly, al- most glibly for him, “I want to talk:to you. Of course you’re my girl, You darn well know it. Ev- } erybody knows it.” “Everybody in Elmwood, per- haps,” Marcia conceded, Some of the anger had died. down in her eyes, but her lovely face still re- mained’ flushed. “As a matter of fact,” Marcia continued, speaking now almost too sweetly and con- tritely, “I want to talk with you, too.. I have something very im- portant to tell you.” Little did he guess, she thought smugly, her- mouth that . was) | shaped.so-it. always appeared to curl up at its corners curling up| ven further, what a wallop was packed behind that simple state- ment. HE had not meant to tell Tom- My tonight, mainly because everything was not definitely de- cit yet. But oh!—her heart quickened at the thought—it had to be! Father simply could not re- fuse. Not when it meant so much, practically the beginning of a; whole new life to her. And Grace,! Marcia pulled away. “How do you know that I'm your’ girl?” Marcia’s ‘stepmother, had» prom- ised to have it all out with Father this evening while Marcia was at the club dance, So that everyone —all her friends, neighbors; rela- tives, people who did indéed teke it for granted -that some ‘day Marcia Lee and Tom MacIntyre} would marry—would haye™ to know that Marcic’ was lea Elmwood for a whole year. May! longer,’ since nobody, least of all Marcia herself, could know what that year might bring. “It can’t »be as important as what I have to tell you,” Tommy returned. His good humor anid the air of knowing whatever there was to know, since he knew Mar- cia so well, was restored~ “This is more like: it.”.“Tom spoke in his usual -confidenhtiat}., tone, one long arm~ carelessly flung across the back seat’ of, the. cab, casually embracing’ Marcia’s shoulders. ‘There ‘was>.no ‘sound save the hum/of tires and motor. They did not break silence un- til the cab had pulled: up"in-front of a restaurant and they, had es- tablished themselvés-in their: fa- vorite booth in the.back. “I've got big news.” The. words popped out as he slid back across from her as though they, to stay bottled up any longer. “T've had it out with Dad, Marcia, I'm not going back to college. Got a late start, anyhow, as you know, on account of being dragged into the tail end of Officers’ ining. I've wasted too. much time as it is—finally got that acroas:ta Dad. I'm starting in Dad's ny first of the month, from the base- ment up!” “That's: wonderful.’’) Marcia) strove to make her response sound as it should. It was fine, since it was what Tom wanted. All ac- carding to tradition, however. Tom would go into his. father’s lucrative business, be groomed to fill his father’s place as president some day. The look in his eyes, as he leaned closer now, trying to éatch sone of her hands over the table top, would have told her what Tommy would say next, had Mar. cia not already known it, “It's more than that.” The broad grin had been wiped away. ‘The direct blue eyes were alto- gether serious. “You know, with- out my telling you, Marcia. whst it‘ means.” . “Do 12” “Of course you do!” His tone rebuked her. The Hut’s proprietor, Placed their order before them, and the moment was left up in the air. ~As soon as he could gather it back, Tom said again “Of coursé you do, It means we won't have to. wait.so long. Long enough, darn it. But Dad's starti out, selling, Short wie, mostly, Good experience. Wants me to get to know:all the traces,” ‘I'm leaving Elmwood too,” The very lightness of the tone in which she tossed in this bomb- shelh:emphasized her words. “You're: what?” he demanded, The line in his nice brow deep- ened into a thick furrow. “Tm leaving Elmwood,” she said'as calmly as she could. “I'm joing away, too. Not juston short Eire For a year.” (Te be sont DAY ONLY! BRAND NEW PRECISION MADE SWISS STOP: CHRONOGRAPH WRIST WATCH Fri, Jan. 19 95 Tax Ind, Reg. Value $29.50 kew Price—Limit 3 To A Customer PECIAL LADIES’ WATCHES ideal for Nurses,