The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-06-16
Chapter IL
Mad Or Sane?

Mad Or Sane?
AFTER the swim Bob joined the
"A Mack family around the
square, oilcloth covered table anC
ate q cold supper Of baked beans
end potato salad supplemented BY
quantities Of fresh milk.
The meal finished, he stated: =
want TO pay for the best food I've
ever eatenl Get into your hats ano
coats. all Of you, and I'll take you
70 movie in Santa Barbara"
I've got to redd up the dishes,
Mrs- Mack excused; "and Gramr
Is wore out. Besides, Betsy has to
60 70 bed by seven. You take
Gretchen and Tally along with
Tally darted a look at his sis
ter,s expectant face. He did moi
quite like the idea Of her going
out with Bob Russell, yet she GER
tainly deserved some fur.
Sorry, Bob, don't see how / can
60. Too much work to finish. Gret-
chen, you 60 on with Bob"
Her thin hands trembled a little.
@Just-iust a minute, Bob. iii
put on my silk dress and change
my shoes and stockings"
When Bob and Tally had gone
outside to smoke, Gramp shook q
crooked forefinger at Della. 'This
b your doin'l Sendin' them two
young folks alone to a picture
chow. II Gretchen gifts a heartbreak
It's your fault That gallivantin'
rich fellow amt goin' to marry no
widow with sassy kid"
And why wouldn't he?" Della
demanded. "Gretchen's a good
girl and a good housekeeper. She
ought to have a young man to beau
her places"
: Grumbling, Gramp extracted
his plug of tobacco from his hip
pocket, bit into it gingerly and be-
gan to chew. burned store teeth, /"
he muttered.
= Joselyn, having learned to ex-
pect the unexpected, was neverthe-
less very rudely shocked when
Bob escorted her down to view the
roadside stand the next morning.
Il was eleven o'clock and the
Macks had already stocked the dis
play shelves with crates of eggs,
Of chickens, of oranges and lemons.
"A large artistically painted sign
fastened up on top Of the stand
announced the wares they had
for sale. Smaller signs were nailed
ct ten-foot intervals to trees on
both sides Of the drive.
Jocelyn. appalled,, clutched at
Bob's arm, holding him back; I'M
willing to step out from the pro-
lection of the orange trees into
sight Of the enemy.
you were here yesterday, Bob, /"
she accused. "They like you. You
might have been able to reason
them out of this. How could you
let them do such a thing?"
Let them?" Bob grinned. "Why,
] helped them! I painted the signs
and made the shelves. 1t was my
idea. Isn't it grand?"
Have you gone completely
madl" she demanded.
~I've gone completely sane," he
contradicted, unruffied. Listen,
Lyn. whether you sympathize or
not, the fact remains that these
people have to earn their food and
clothes and this is the only way
they have of doing it. It's decent
and it's honest and / say more
power to 'eml"
Deeply Grieved
uER lips trembled and tears
4 i made dark blue pools of her
eyes. When she spoke again her
voice was low and bitter.
you've always scoffed at the
things Thorn and / believe in, Bob,
yeti thought it merely a pose.
never imagined you would turn
against me-oh, Bob, how can you
look around you and not be hurt
by the despoiling of Seacliff? That
horrible fence-like a prison wall
-marring the terrace: cows in the
riding stable: chickens on the ten
mis- courts: beds of flowers plowed
under to make room for carrots
and onionsl And now thisl Doesn't
IL mean a thing to you that Sea-
cliff was built by great man who
became governor of this state?
That one Of the Presidents Of the
United States visited here? That
this place has been the pride Of
Santa Barbara for years ard years?
Our own father would have been
Mayor Of Santa Barbara If he and
and Mother hadn't been in that
terrible accidentl IL love Sea-
cliff, Bob. tits the only home
rye ever known-I love its his
tory-and now 1t is being cheap
ened and commercialized."
He saw she was deeply grieved.
yet he could not offer sympathy.
I'm sorry you take it this way,
Lyn. ] don't even know what to say
in defense-not that consider il
necessary to defend my thoughts
ana actions TO you-but ! do love
YOU. Lyn. was FIVE when you
were born. ] was lonely child.
Thorn and I never got on well,
even In childhood. / was crazy
about you" He paused, searching
her face with tender eyes, then
went on: 'Lyn, Grandma Jocelyn
knew when she made out her will
that the Macks were about to lose
their Texas farm. She knew they
had not money. can't believe that
she did not foresee what would
happen here with their coming
Grandma was hard-headed and
uractieal. feel sure she would
N--k A. WR~Alw~ a. - Ed ~v@T