The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-08-19
vac. -
Chapter Five
BOARDING HOUSE

Chapter Five $500.
BOARDING HOUSE
ITHE meeting was over. Carol
glanced towards the dark girl
and smiled again. and they met In
the doorway. a
Are you walking" Carol asked.
Mary Ellen Sands nodded. "Are
your"
eyes. Should we stay and get met
again, do you. suppose?"
Il don't see why. It's about din.
ner time and I'm hungry"
She would be. They went down
the steps and turned towards town.
Mary Ellen said:
you're Caroline Torrance. aren't
your"
81 was. It's been Carol for a long
time now. Which are you: Mary or
Elem"
Both"
Carol laughed. Don't think I'm
going to call you all that. Which
had you rather?"
ELLEN. guess"
"Ellen it is. then. Thank good
ness for somebody that knows how
to walk"
Ellen grinned. tits my business.
Good thing. too: we'll probably have
q lot Of 1t to do in these nine months.
Is this your first year of teaching?"
"My second. The first was four
years ago: / was drafted into this
at the eleventh hour. Are you new
at it?"
Ellen Sands grimaced. Eyes: just
graduated in June. I'm scared to
DEATH"
"You needn't be. Bluff 1t out"
The pavement was hot beneath
their feet and an occasional tree
laced the sidewalk with shadows.
The grass smelled hot and dusty.
like the golf course at home. Nos.
talgia swept Carol again. washing
away her confidence. She said
quickly:
Tell me about you. Where you
went to school. and all that"
&c. W. c. One sister-younger-
a mother. and a father who's in the
drug business and too generous for
his own good"
Carol matched her Information
and then said: do you know where
you're going to liver"
II haven't the faintest. I just
came this morning. Do you?"
mo. butt get a list of pros
poets. After lunch we might go on a
hunt. -"
THE search was not encouraging.
i The first house on Carols list
was filed: the second frowned on
them as they went up the walk.
1t was a beautiful shell of a house.
with lockwood bordering the walk.
and paint taking from the Doric
columns.
sit looks sort of bleak" Ellen
whispered.
Carol shrugged. Twelve foot cell.
lngs and black walnut Empire
furniture and a two foot CRATE In
each room. know its kind by heart"
She was right. The house and
Its owner gave of the sick. sweet
odor of decaying gentility. They
made Quicf escape.
Carol looked thoughtful. what do
you say to hunting a place that's
commoner and has steam heat?"
"Suits me. II you think our social
position can stand it."
In the end they found house on
the street leading to the high school,
a nondescript house that lived for
the present and cast no longing
glances over its shoulder. The land.
lady was youngish and friendly and
Intentionally blonde. She had two
vacant rooms. she said: a large one
at twenty dollars a month and q
smaller one Of fifteen. They inspect.
ed the rooms. both as nondescript
as the house but light and with ap.
parently adequate heating. and en-
gagged them at once.
The living-room. Carol noticed In
passing. was discouraging: gilded
cat-tails in q pottery jar. q chrome
Of Notre Dame de Paris with
mother-of-pearl windows. an ungain-
lily cabinet radio blaying unheeded
Jazz. All IL needs. she thought. is
Venus with q clock in her stomach.
i. :. But after ell. It wasn't her living