The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-06-09
BY PHoEBE ATWOOD TAYLoR


Jennie, what about flashIlghts?"
Asey said. "How many do | have
around the house? Are they all in
the chest?"
aAn eight" she told him
promptly. q put EN- all eight in
the blue sea chest when cleaned"
-sThen let's see," Asey said,
'show many we got now. I know
she didn't have light with her.
think we had three last night.
Carr and l."
The eight flashlights were duly
accounted for, and Jennie prompt
ly wanted to know why they mat
tered.
ITO prove that light that hicked
of an on, Asey said, presumably
in the spare bedroom, was really
a fiashlight that our fancy watcher
was fiickin' to see if he could draw
Pam to the window. Probably he
was havin' doubts if she was there.
We seen the light from the front,
an he was amin in the back. II
come straight through the dormer,
see? Well, If he wanted action, he
sure got it. An certainly. subse-
quent events ought to Of proved to
him that I didn't know where she
was or where she'd gone. Jennie,
your petunias've been pretty help
full"
Maybe they have" Jennie said.
Il can't make head nor tail of it,
myself. But | do know one thing.
/ know you ought to8g straight.
over to Quanomet and shut Nettie
Hobbs mouth. tight, Why, the way :,
she's been ,taIkin'I It's awful. -
what do folks think OF the
things Nettieo says?s l'tia & 9ssnoT3'
Those that know PAM they
don't believe NettieJf idennieisaidI6
"But those that dOp;tu+wellItheY I
amt got anything else, to 60 by
than what Nettie says. It's a shame.
My mother used to say that Nettie
Hobbs was weaned on sour milk
and pickle Juice, an she's right
She's q dour, sour old thing, just
the same as the pickle lines in her
otO4 = WAn0OWs ditb INV SliC gu
her chance to get back at Pam,
she's doin' everything she can. An
you'd ought to stop her"
She Laughed And Laughed
ITO get back at Pam? What for?"
l Asey asked. "What'd Pam
ever do to herr"
"Aaron Frye" Jennie said mean
ingly, rolling her eyes.
What about Aaron Fryer"
"Nettie.s Jennie said, 1she set
her cap for him. OF course, they're
about of an age, an Silas Hobbs's
been dead for years-poor man,
what a life he must have ledl Did
you know his tombstone says AT
rest--at last? Well. it does. I've
seen il. An of course Aaron Frye's
been a widower for nearly nine
years. He's a nice refined man
used to be professor-an' he's Q
nice lookin' man. an Pam keeps
things up"
do you mean" Asey said, shat
on the strength Of Pam Frye's
meager earnin's. Nettie was amin
to marry into the fafnily?"
Jennie nodded. "She don't make
much with the Woman's Exchange.
| suppose she figured If she could
get into the family. Pam or the
son-in-law or someone'd keep her,
If anything happened to Aaron.
Well of course II was silly, the
whole thing was silly. said so, the
minute | heard about il last winter,
But Aaron Frye's sort of a gentle
soul. the kind that can be led into
things. You know. No" she added,
looking at Asey's jaw, Il don't
s'pose you do. Anyway, he's sort Of
easy goin' an absent minded, an
il Pam hadn't caught on about all
the pie an cake an jelly bringin'
maybe Nettie might have got him
| wouldn't 60 so far as TO say Pam
and Nettie had words, but guess
Pam let her understand she was
wastin' her time. an her cookin'
too"
$50 Nettie's down on Pam for
that Maybe that accounts for
things" Asey said.
That's not all" Jennie an.
swered. AT least gliaf fsn'F tire
part that matters so much. The Inn
portant part Is that Nettie kind OF
let on 10 folks that she was goin
to marry Aaron. and one night at
church supper. someone asked
Pam about II. An Pam, she
choked over her baked beans 30
hard they had to bring her water
an bang her on the back. An
when she got her breath. she
laughed and laughed and laughed
so hard she cried. an they had 10
bring her more water. Wen, Nettie
heard about Il. of course. guess
that was the part that
That griped," Asey said with a
grin. Il see. No more powerful
weapon than ridicule = say, that
reminds me. You got anythin' on
Nettie7 Like-well. don't know
what, exactly. But II you could
rout up somethin' could use as
club, I might be able 10 stop her
There's two things, she said.
but neither Of emil be much
good. There was always talk about
the church accounts the year she
had 'em, but / don't know how
you'd prove IL Mostly | keep think
in. Nettie and Pam are related, an
its q mean skinny way TO treat
your own flesh and blood. talkin'
like Nettie Is.
ASey wanted to know how they
were related. The minute he
asked. he knew he was In for IL
Jennie began 20 trace the Sparrow
family down through the centuries.
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