The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-09-06

ment" store two stories high which
she meant one day to investigate.
It intrigued her with its window
display which showed, with fine
impartiality, a pair Of rubber
boots, lady's dress-vintage Of
1925 - two rakes, a set of dishes
and a plenteous array Of fishing
tackle.
She walked on apace and came
to a row of little white shops.
There was a fine antique shop, a
dress shop which showed a smart
and expensive knitted suit ii. one
window and fine felt hat in the
other. Next to that, there was a
linen store, displaying delicate
linens, blankets and good china.
Cecily crossed the street and
came to the public library. Cecily
could never resist libraries. She,
went in. She spent an hour there,
vainly searching for something
that she wanted to read. She was
surprised to find the library more
old fashioned than she had ex-
DCCLC0. IL llO AlCW OOONo
and few good ones.
Mrs. Batson had told her there
was a large and WI lthy summer
colony at Vickersport, and Cecily
wondered where the colonists got
their reading matter. She knew
that she would soon exhaust the
reading material at Darelea and
was disappointed not to find bet
| ter source.
There was another smart dress
shop next to the library. It was
one of two small shops in the low
building. The other was unoccu-
pied. The dress shop attracted her,
although she realized that she
couldn't afford to spend any of her
money. rmpelled by an impulse
she didn't attempt to explain to
herself, she went in.
A sweet-faced, smartly clad wo-
man Of fifty or so greeted her.
Hello" she said. may I show you
something's"
-Cecily rather regretted her i'm
pulse when she realized that this
was not as it always had been. She
had no right to ask the woman to
show her things, because she could
not buy.
She was embarrassed. "Thank
you j.. / 4. wonder if you could
tell me about the shop next door
that is for rent?"
The Solution
THERE it was! The idea that had
L been born in the library and
nouriShed so suddenly by the sight
of that unoccupieo shop. 1t had all
happened so quickly that Cecily
had not been aware of it until she
searched for something to cover
up her embarrassment.
Gladly" was the answer. Last
year my daughter. Meg-my name
is Jane Hollings-" Cecily said
hers was Stuart-"ran an antique
shop there but she was married
this winter and she's staying in
New York this season. It's an aw-
fully gooe spot" =,
Can you can you make
any mon>y in -" Cecily was
by then in an agony of embar-
rassment. She hated asking ques-
ton Mrs. Holdings must surely
take to be personal.
Mrs. Holdings didn't. Cheerfully
she contributed:
Meg did beautifully. We all do
after the holiday. Folks who come
up for the summer usually have
a lot of money to spend and we get
a lot of trade from the inn. Then.
too, expenses aren't high up here
and most everything, once stock is
cleared. is sheer profit. What kind
of shop are you thinking Off"
Books" Cecily blurted out the
word. "A sort of circulating Ii
brary."
Wonderful! That's the one
thing Vickersport e s. I've
heard more people say how WON
derful it would be if there was
something like that. Why don't
you go see Mr.. Calder? He's the
man who owns these buildings. He
owns the lobster store, too, and
you'll find him there"
Cecily plunged then, all her
anger and rebellion forgotten.
do you know what the rental
"Shucks, it can't be much more
than Meg paid last year. She was
paying twenty a month. You can
get one of Mr.. Calder's boys to
keep it clean for you for about two
dollars a month and, if you want
a clerk, Mr.. Calder has lots of
daughters. could give you list
of all the summer people when
you get ready to send out your
postal -cards."
"Postal : cards?" Cecily asked
eagerly. getting into the very cur
rent of the stream.
eyes, you want to write cards
telling them when you open.
Everything you do in Vickersport
is an event. When do you plan to
open?"
wasn't sure that she was going to,
she said.
But from that moment she knew
that she was. The something that
had to happen, hddl She had found
the solution.
If Tony forgot to thank her for
her tiresome trip to make his tele-
phone call. Cecily didn't even no.
tice it. If, after dinner. they had
all excluded her from their con-
versation. the fact did not pene-
trate her happy contemplation Of
her exciting plans.
She escaped from their company
early and, sitting up in the pink
bed with woolly robe around her
shoulders to protect her from the
sharp night air, and with the lamp
drawn to the edge of her bedside
table so that she might see her