The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-02-24

usual or Il she felt unable to cone. i
lever telephone myself. 1 break INV
nneernails on those damned dials ana
I've SOL phobIa about broken finger
naliA Arthur did bay me an old Chi
nese nail protector Just to use for
teiephoning. but ! never seem able to
remember 70 pa. II In my baR-not
TIE bag happen 10 have with me. IN
any case. But there you are. That's
The way am"
she rose with groan, catching >
sigma from the head waiter.
-bui what about Toppy2p asked
Anne. detalning her.ah,J
Qh. roppyl Somebody at her
apartment said she'd gone back to
Kansas imagine that. without even
sloppine 70 break her luncheon date
with me. And she'd asked me 10
have loosten Ny cook does II q spe-
cal way hat Toppy finds especially
seductive anc Arthur was lunchiae
cut and the dogs won't touch It. so
ale Loppy's share as well as mine. /
una I'm making Q habit Of over-eat-
INC nowadays Il seems so wasteful
% send things back % the kitchen.
But mat lobster nearly did for me.
cant tell you how feel even now.
And shall never forgive Toppy."
Madge WIN. of. threading her way
through the tables. toward the vio-
lently reckoning hand.
Lorna Il with Herr
~-OPPYl" breathed Anne excited
Il ~ her eyes shining. Il thought
o. her at once. but wher ycu barred
people living In big apartment houses.
l dismissed the idea. But now of
course it's obvious-Lorna Is with
heTg"
Gone u Kansas"
mo. ca course not Nothing could
induce Topr' to 60 back to Kansas,
Nothing IN this world She has mere
" told the servants that so that no
one viii try to get in touch with her.
Where do you suppose she Is.
hear Is It going TO be any easier 70
trace her than to trace Lorna Dry
den7"
Yea I think I've already guessed
where they sreP Anne was nodding
confidently to herself.
-Where7" asked Bigelow interest
adly.
-Toppy's got house in s'estches-
GER. Il used TO belong to the Hewitts.
out Just after the crash they were III
an awful mess-they couldn't afford
keep the place up and they -ouldn't
afford TO move. So Betty Hewitt got
the brilliaI idea of rafting II of for
hundred dollars q chance. Most of
her friends came through and bought
blocks Of tickets. Toppy bought q
book Of 10. l remember. and she won.
She didn't want the place at all. but
Il was hers. The Hewitt's cleaned
~ thousands on the deal and de-
camred. They went to Florida and
settled thers. And Toppy's be pay
ing taxes or the house ever since.
Nobody wants to buy It, II seems.
It's quite big place and the upkeep
IL considerable. She e1en offered
to giUe 1t away but nobody wanted
TO shoulder the responsibility. so
there 1t Is. She's still got 1t and she
says that's what she gets for trying
b. help out ner friendsl"
And you think they may be
tiere?" askcs Bigelow. .
~I'd gamble on II" declared Anne.
The house |. surrounded by grounds
and shut of from the road and from
u 4, river b. big trees. There are no
neighbors to overlook It and no serv-
ants there-not even caretaker.
T71x.v,~, nd cNraa0na ln0ktno affor "a
for awhile but be got arrested for
being drunk and disorde rly and she
just locked everything up after that
and left It. She said she was NOT
going to LET the damned place become
a nuisance. So you see they could
20 there with stock of provisions
and remain indefinitely without THEN
Whereabouts becoming known here
In town."
eyes, I see," said Bigelow.
"Even IL Toppy went into the vil-
lage to shop. no one would think any,
thing of it. Everybody about there
knows that she owns the place. now.
And it's quite comfortably furnished.
The Hewitts left practically every-
thing behind them"
where is this placer" asked Bige-
low. trying to subdue his excitement
"Cn the Albany Post road just be-
yond Tarrytown. 1t takes about an
hour to drive W there by car" Bige-
low Jooked at his wrist-watch.
"It's rather late" said Anne. "And
it's not likely that anyone else has
20, on the trail yet. We'd much better
get q few hours sleep and make an
early start In the morning" 81
Right" be agreed. but he called
the waiter and settled his bill As
they went out. Karsanakoff waved to
them from her table. She was In q
sea-green frock. cut high at the neck
and with long sleeves. On one
shoulder. she had a trailing spray of
yellow and green orchids. She looked
exotic and arresting. and Woody was
leaning across the table toward her,
completely fascinated. Karsanako6
was laughing. -.
copyright. 1857, Frederick JdcEsonJ
BigelOw's shadow trails him as ne
start. for Westchester with Anne In.