The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1932-11-26
Chapter SO
A CLEVER eIRE

Chapter SO
A CLEVER GRE
A ND no more bosaing." Santi
"A barricaded her lips with til,
sheet.
But darling, you've promised
that said Give.
you've been awfully bossy." shs
repulsed him.
20. beg pardon-you,re not refer
ring to your own shortcomings"
well. haven't yon? Her eye
twinkled.
"Bossed you? certainly haven't
The shoes been on tho other foot
II can't salute your lips, your moss
viii do
She forestalled him by pulling tbs
sheet higher.
you can have my lips wher
you've promised
Promised whatg"
mot to boss me-"
II never haye-but promise"
The sheet was lowered.
Young DEVIL" He caught her Il
him.
He left the apartment. grinning
Her ruse had been the revenge OF 9
little capricious girl.
/ The chill November air was brac
Ting. He was in d mood TO count
his blessings. A wife who wor
shipped him. An employer who al
one throw had more than doubled
his salary. Scarcely more than eiz
months ago he'd been that most des.
olate Of creatures. q bachelor.
Marriage to him had been q vision
on the road to Damascus. revealing
life in its fulness. He'd lacked faith
An his ability till Santa had inspired
him. Merely to be her husband had
boosted his stock. He was sitting
on top Of the world. Peaks Of ri.
lumphl
IN the Subway. hurtling dawn.
town, he asked himself what had
been the reason for his soreness. It
boiled down to this; that Santa had
forced him to reach up to stand,
ard which lad been q prophecy.
Shed presumed his success, Any
how, MISUNDERSTANDING were things
of the past. His straight talking
eyen IL It wasn't quite merited. had
cleared the atmosphere.
Seated in his Office, occupied with
facts. q doubt cast q shadow.
Cleared the atmospheric Had it?
met TIL lunch did he permit himself
the leisure to examine. General
Foch had achieved victory BY, q
logic wholly feminine: "A battle
won is q battle which we wit DOT
acknowledge TO be lost Santa had
made the same discovery. In the
moment Of defeat. she had snatched
back all her trenches BY making
him promise never again to be what
he never had been-hossy,
With aroused suspicion that
amounted almost to alarm, be ran
over the progress OF their quarrel.
Santa had retreated. concediug
everything til she had brought him
70 q halt. Shed employed the same
tactics at stratford. Shed been will.
ing 10 agree with him till his afgu-
lments had grown stale through rep
edition; then she went her own way,
dragging him at her chariot.
It became certain that she con-
templated no reforms. She still In.
tended that he should roost in the
home OF her choosing. sit on her
chairs. watched by ali the gods who
had Witnessed her Arst marriage.
A woman who neyer acknowledged
defeat. never acknowledged tina. she
had erred. We're husbands always
IN the wrong. he wondered.
And yet she seemed TO be una,
ware OF her ohstinacy. Her sub
tiety was instructive. Last night
he'd missed BIS great chance. He
shouid have framed a program be-
fore accepting her submission. II
DE were to reopen the debate II the
face Of reconciliation. II woulo be
difncult to keep conversation on q
friendly basis On the other hand,
A. he didn't. he might as well not
have spoken: AFFAIRS would drift
plaeldly into their old channels.
With the half.formed idea OF i'm.
pressing her with his Importance.
he stuffed a stack Of papers Into bis
satchel
what on earth have you therer'
she challenged.
Work. darling
"whas shame."
NO. Santa. A salary OF my size
requires earning. Give me pencil
and paper. Divide the days OF the
year into twelve thousand, I'm earn.
ing just short OF thirty-three dollars
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