The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-05-04
CHAPTER Is
Cissy Works Fast

OA1ut(LCA ~
Cissy Works Fast
THEY sat on the low wooden
Il steps that led to the kitchen.
Reuben offered Cissy cigarette,
lighted it. Lit one for himself.
''Talk, Cissy. How's Clem?"
Dads in Europe. He misses
you Rube."
'I miss him."
"He thought you were fool to
come here in the first place. A
worse one to stick"
when he hears / can't even
stick"
The strip of back yard with its
dingy board fence swayed crafty.
do you mean-you and
JUDITH"
He avoided her eyes. 1--WE lost
my job"
The back yard Strengthened it.
self. "There're other jobs. How
hard have you looked?"
Why try to tell her of the end
less miles of walking, of the
stacks of letters he had written,
of the advertisements he hat an
sWered? Eve looked too hard"
Perhaps that's why"
Necessity makes beggars of us. "
at never made one of you be-
fore" Through a cloud of grey
smoke she studied his harassed ex-
preston. Could this be her eagle?
you're not the type to beg, RUDE.
You must challenge
THAT day is over"
In. the excitement caused by
Cissy's arrival. Judith forgot about
the letter to Gran until she was
: IN bed. She was too tired to get up.
Early in the morning, when she
slipped down to draw a light cover
over the sleeping twins, Judith
found each fat little fist tightly
closed over a crisp $50 bill.
Humiliation stung her. Cissy
knew their dire. need. Cissy had
eaten the stew with its sparse
pieces of meat She dared
Then as she gently unfastened
little fingers came sheer relief.
Eighty dollarsl Until this money
was spent she would not have TO
write to Gran!
II found the money, Cissy," Ju-
dith greeted her guest wien she
came strolling into the kitchen.
In Chinese pajamas OK palest
blue embroidered in gay butter
flies, Cissy walked to the sink and
turned on the water, rs there any
reason why / should not give
Rube's kids PRESENT."
There wouldn't be, if we didn't
need money so badly"
"She has gritI" Cissy thought
grudgingly. use the money and
pay the youngsters back with in
terest when they're 81"
That's what / intend to do. /
wanted you to know"
Cissy's coming made a difference
in the little house. She knew, with
keen satisfaction, that she put
Judith at a disadvantage. The way
Cissy could take hold, do house
work, cook, clean--make it all APP
pear astoundingly easy--was moth
ing less than a miracle. The savory
dishes she could coneoct out Of a
mere nothing.
'Cissy Loves Reuben
THE effect of the new routine, or
Il rather of cissy, upon Reuben
was amazing. She put new hope
into him. Dependency dropped
gradually from him like a gar
ment wearing threadbare in spots.
He spoke cheerfully: when | get
my job" or "Soon now I'll land
something goodl"
AT night, when she put the chill
dren TO bed, Judith left her hus-
band and their guest playing
checkers at the kitchen table, or
talking about airplaneS, lumber
and whatnot.
He should have married her"
Judith thought with a curious de-
tachment. They speak the same
language. Learned about Life in
the same school. Certainly she
loved him the day his horse threw
him"
The day his horse threw himl A
AaAA pin SNAdkNlC4 dNGOSS the sur
face of Judith's heart. But for a
fluke OF chance Cissy would have
married Reuben, eventually. She
would never have come to Good
loe's Choice. Never have gone. COLI
orful and gay as a humming bird,
through the dim old garden taking
Gary with her. Useless 20 remind
herself that Gary hadn't loved her,
that she would still be waiting
useless. CisSy had flown away with
Gary then-not because she loved
him, but TO show her power. CisSy
had been the serpent 90 enter Ju-
dith's Eden, then. Now
Involuntarily her arm frightened
around her sleeping children. This
was her world and Reuhen'S. They
must keep il revolving. keep il
Safel Reuben was hers - whether
she loved him or not-he was hers.
"CiSSy loves Reubeni" 10 bugzed
in Judith'S drowSy head like a bee
CiSSy always beautifully gvo0med.
pertumed. waved. uaaicurea. Jew.