Page:Tales of the Jazz Age.djvu/194



"Do you mean to say that your father had them murdered before they left?"

She nodded.

"In August usually&mdash;or early in September. It's only natural for us to get all the pleasure out of them that we can first."

"How abominable! How&mdash;why, I must be going crazy! Did you really admit that&mdash;"

"I did," interrupted Kismine, shrugging her shoulders. "We can't very well imprison them like those aviators, where they'd be a continual reproach to us every day. And it's always been made easier for Jasmine and me, because father had it done sooner than we expected. In that way we avoided any farewell scene-"

"So you murdered them! Uh!" cried John.

"It was done very nicely. They were drugged while they were asleep&mdash;and their families were always told that they died of scarlet fever in Butte."

"But&mdash;I fail to understand why you kept on inviting them!"

"I didn't," burst out Kismine. "I never invited one. Jasmine did. And they always had a very good time. She'd give them the nicest presents toward the last. I shall probably have visitors too&mdash;I'll harden up to it. We can't let such an inevitable thing as death stand in the way of enjoying life while we have it. Think of how lonesome it'd be out here if we never had any one. Why, father and mother have sacrificed some of their best friends just as we have."

"And so," cried John accusingly, "and so you were letting me make love to you and pretending to return it, and talking about marriage, all the time knowing perfectly well that I'd never get out of here alive&mdash;"

"No," she protested passionately. "Not any more.