The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-05-01
Chapter 81
Bedlam


Chapter 81
Bedlam
CARA, what's your version?"
- asked Asey.
Someone screamed" Sara said.
Eloise, il must have been, for
shes gone to pieces entirely m
doors somewhere. ! told Jane
where the spirits of ammonia are,
and she and JEFF are working on
her. Jeff's awfully handy with
mysteries. His mother had them
regularly. Monotonous, ! thought,
but people always tore around and
did things for her"
"Slade,r Asey said, "it looks like
you had to provide the explana-
fion yourself. What was the under
lyin' idea behind your human fly
act7"
~Oh, 60 to blazesl" Slade said
disgustedly. you've busted my
collar bone with your tricks! If |
could move. I'd make hash of
YOU
at shouldn't be broken" Asey
said. ~Just sort Of wrenched. But
you r'sisted, an I'm sort of stale at
that stuff, an that all makes-Kay,
what are you snickerin' about?"
Don't mind me, I'm the audi
ence." Kay said. "And l dc think
this Is pretty funny-hey, look
outi SHADES trying to trip your
Asey moved back. Trooper, you
an Zeb cart this fellow into the
house. Sara, how about you take a
hand with Eloise? I never heard
anythin' so bloodcurdlin' as them
screamsl Kay, trail along, will
you? BY the lord Harry. I don't
know what's come over folks.
Brinley, are you back to normal
yet? Where do you come in?"
That man, that man is men,
acel" Brinley spoke with difficulty.
His lip was swelling and it gave
him a slight lisp. "a menace. A
maniacI He came to our house
while we were all in bed"
If ]. Arthur hadn't looked so
desperately miserable, Asey would
have finished it up, "And you took
a marrow bone and hit him on the
head" But he only nodded. and
told Brinley to 60 on.
81 was on the back porch" Brin-
ley said, I'D just come back from
the clothes yard-that's where we
keep our oil tank because it's
handy, but out of sight. Anyway,
I'd forgotten the oil before 1 went
to bed-really, it's been a very
firing dayI And I remembered it
when ! woke up, so went out and
filed the stove tank, because Mrs.
Brinley likes plenty of hot water,
and we have company anyway, so
we had to have it, and Mrs. Brin-
ley is particular about enough hot
water when we have company.
Madame - uh - the soprano, you
know, is staying with us, and
she"
"You was on the back porch. +"
Asey reminded him.
And it seemed to me l heard a
noise. ] looked around, but |
couldn't see anything, and"
Didn't happen to see any state
cops, did you? No? Nice fellers,
but not such hot guards. Go on. ;"
We'll, / happened to look up,
and there was this man, climbing
down the Pauls Scarlet! Down the
trelliS, | mean. Well, Mrs. Brinley
would rather die than have any
one break her Paul's Scarlet, you
know. Its-why, everyone knows
about II! You must have heard
about Mrs. Brinley's Paul's Scar
lett"
my fav'rite rose," Asey said.
"What did you do?"
well, thought rather quickly"
Brinley was quite pleased at the
rapidly Of his thoughts, land l said
20 myself, if | stop him now, he'll
break the Paul's Scarlet. And |
didn't want to wake Bessie, or Ma
dame-uh-the soprano. They've
had a hard day, too, and I knew
Bessie would get worked up, and
it's so bad for her heart, to get
worked UP, so waited until he
got down on the ground, and then
well"
Wade On, Brinley!
~INELL, what? What happened?"
w swell, Brinley dabbed at his
lip. ''he seemed like quite big
man. And he didn't seem to be
carrying anything, and looked up,
and the screens were in place. so
knew he hadn't got in, and be-
sides, he hadn't walked anyone,
and he would have if he'd got in.
Mrs. Brinley is a very light sleep
er-"
$50, you let him go?"
For all ! knew" Brinley said,
she might have been armed, and
] only had the oil tank. And in
my bedroom slippers, and just my
pants on over my pajamas, and
my sweater, like I am now"
"Uh-huh. But you turned UP
here. Now let's get into that side
Of il. Sort Of wade on. Brinley."
well I waited, and he slid
around to the side Of the house,
and then knew who it was. It was
Slade, because he had a bicycle.
Slade doesn't have a car. you
know. He's against the car manu-
facturerS He says they exploit"