The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-09-07
Chapter Seven
Dream Come True

Ia CaAA NOAhC AIuC
HEcILY made lists and she wrote
~ figures. The lists showed her
assets and her needs. She had at
east six hundred books to use in
the circulating library. She had
chairs and lounges and lamps with
which 70 furnish the shop. She had
6fty-ive dollars and a few cents
over.
She needed a sizeable sum to
have her things packed in New
York and sent to her. Hi.da would
be glad enough to send them and
take her own furniture from stor-
age. She needed money for an in
ltial payment on fresh stock and
she needed three months rent in
advance-sixty-Seven dollars and
hfty-seven cents total for rent.
She could get by on two hun
dred dollars. She knit her brow
and cheWed on her pencil. How
does one get two hundred dollars
with which to start a business that
will make one independent?
Aunt Olivia!
She would lend it to Cecily, GER
tainly. Cecily turned down the
lamp and snuggled under her COW
ers, eager for the coming day.
Cecily's eyes grew rounder and
rounder as she added up lengthy
column of figures. She shook her
head disbelievingly and wet her
pencil. Then she added them again,
checked and re = checked them
They were correct. AStonishingly,
overwhelmingly. ioyously correct
She drew in her breath and
looked out from over the card Ia
bic she used as desk to the win
dow beyond, which looked out
onto the street.
Laura" she said to the quiet
figure sitting in the wicker chair
busy with knitting, what do you
think s-k-o-o-b spells?"
Laura Atwill counted hel
stitches n d replied obligingly
Sounds like scoob to me. What
does il mean?"
~It's books spelled backward,
Cecily answered dreamily with
her eyes still fastened on the let
tiers in the window of her shop
~and il means independence. &C.
cOmplishment and wealth beyond
the dreams of avarice."
She might have lost herself in
her pleasant reverie had her eyes
not dropped again to the figures
which recalled to her that she was
q business woman.
She picked up the list. "As ar
associate. you will be interested tc
hear my first report. Be prepared
90 be impressed"
Laura put away her knitting anc
regarded the younger girl affec-
tlonately. Let's hear the figures.
Cecily made an impressive SOUND
In her throat and read:
Cash on hand at end of SECOND
week since opening, forty-thret
dollars and seventy-five cents
Laura said. mot really! How?'
we opened July third. Week o.
July third. we made six dollars or
the rental of twenty-eight books a
twenty-five cents each. We sole
i've new mysteries at two dollar.
each and one of Ted's prints a
three dollars. We did better las
week. Week of July tenth, we rent
ed fhirty-nine books with profit
Of eight seventy-five. We sold twG
prints at three each and -four
books, totaling FIVE dollars. Cash
on hand. ! repeat, is forty-t three
oOllare and seventy-five cents anc
wen make more every week. |:
that wealth beyond the dreams Of
ayarice?"
But. cecily. how much of it i.
prOfit?"
Oiivia,s Help
Ell me see Expenditures: fifty
L. cents for movies. forty five
cents for ice cream and thirty
four cents for stamps. Total: one
dollar and thirty-nine cents. That
means there's iorty-two dollars
and thirty-four cents for you tc
take 20 the bank TO deposit TO Aunt
Olivia,s account. That will make
forty-two dollars and thirty -four
cents less that owe her. You DOM
mind going to the bank for me
while I make out cards for this
new lotZ"
@Of course. / don't mind" Laura
said, getting up at once.
There was a smile lowering a
the corner of Cecily'S mouth and I
twinkle in her eye when she said
''Oh, by the way, will you please
take il TO Mr.. Hemingway him.
self? He's taken such an interes
In the shop. ] want him to know
how we're getting on"
Laura didn't answer her bu
Cecily saw that there was Sigh
flush on her cheeks.
Romance happens 70 everyone
but me-" she said, thinking o
Laura and Mr.. Hemingway, the
forty five year old president o
the little bank. She didn't say i
until Laura had gone and she wa
alone 70 realize all that had, hap
pened TO her in the past thre'
weeks.
She thought. ! don't need TO
nance, because ! have all this ant
this is like a dream come true.
So il had been
The most dreanllike part OF ]
had been Olivia's understanding
and help. The morning after sh'