The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-10-24


At bedtime Buff was conscious
Of the pangs of hunger. Dinner had
gone practically uneaten, supper
had been one cracker and the bowl
of blush milk. Her healthy young
body cried out for sustenance. She
put on her bathrobe and soft-Soled
slippers; crept down to the kitchen.
A light burned there.
IT thought you'd be down." Tim
assured her. "Webby, bless her,
apparently thought so. too. Look
He pointed proudly to the kitch-
en- table. A large frosted cake
glistened; half a baked ham was
yielding up its savoriness under
his sharp knife. A glass pitcher of
milk showed blobs of cream.
"Fall to!" he babe her. They ate
in companionable silence.
Departure
THE siege lasted but two days.
l. Tim, after another talk with
his friend Johnson, convinced Buff
that it was far better to make the
ranch an uncomfortable abiding
place for the resolute Hunts, than
to resort to law in the matter.
"It's not important enough for
that" he argued. "And what is
more, I think Hunt is staying more
out Of sheer obStinacy than be-
cause he wants the place. Let me
manage this for you, Buff, and
we'll see their retreating backs in
a day or two"
With Mrs. Webb he struggled for
a couple of meals, then finding that
her outraged soul could not be
brought to setting the kind of
table he ordered, he informed her
she had a bad case of lumbago and
must stay in bed until further no
tice.
The farce turned into abrupt
tragedy as far as meals were con-
cerned. Whatever else Buff had
picked up in the course of her no
madic life with her parents, a
knowledge of cookery was not in
cluded. She struggled with grim
CONTINGENCIES in the kitchen,
burning, under-cooking, produc-
ing biscuits that would have made
Webby actually i'll if Tim had not
prudently hidden what was left
of them.
"This," announced Mr.. Hunt the
second day, sis unbearable." He
flung his napkin down and glared
at his plate. On it reposed a bit of
tough and scorched beefsteak; a
potato which had baked so long it
was shriveled within its skin;
green beans which were dry and
flavorless. eff this Webb woman
is actually sick, why don't you get
another cook?"
"It's really Miss CAROLS affair,
isn't it," Tim said gently. 1--WE can
hardly advise her about her own
household"
''It's plot to drive us awayl"
Hunt snorted. well, it won't sue
coed, of that you may be sure. I've
paid for months board and room
here and month shall have"
81 really am sorry about dinner,
Mr.. Hunt" Buff nursed a burn on
her wrist the while she gazed with
genuine shame at the ill-cooked
food. Il tried my very bestl Mrs.
Webb said even l could bake pota-
toes, but it seems not"
Maudie May settled the ques-
ton. "You make her give your
money back, Pa, and we'll leave
this afternoon. I'm hungryl" Tears
came into her small green eyes. 81
haven't had a decent thing to eat
since that first meal. Are you go
ing to let us all Starve to death just
for the principle of the thing? I
don't care boot about principles"
she said earnestly, "but care lot
about us having dinner that some
body knows how to cook. Make
her give you back all the money"
she added. Eve haven't had ten
cents worth of decent food since
the cook got sick"
An hour later Maudie May came
downstairs ahead of her parents.
Buff and Tim sat in silence in the
living room, Tim openly triumph
ant, Buff struggling with an attack
of conscience. Still, she had given
Mr.. Hunt a check covering the en-
tire amount he had paid Atkins!
Maudie May, well fed, was one
person; deprived of appetizing
food for two days, she was another.
1t was her stomach rather than her
heart which prompted her now.
Il know who you are" she said
directly and S imply to Tim.
You're the man that Iris DeMuth
made a fool of. You used all your
money and your partners to buy
up a lot of d-for-nothing land
that she'd tricked you into think
ing was silver mine. You were
engaged to her. and all the time
she was playing around with some.
body else. The papers were full of
it. If / was Miss Carroll I'd sure
watch my step with you'll" She
waddled to the door, paused to fire
a parting shot. Everybody says
you have a nerve to try to keep on
in business right in Boulder after
what happened! AS if any COM
pany would trust you now!"
Ready, Maudie May? Cars at
the door. Goodby, Miss Carroll.
I shall see to it that this little trans
action gets plenty of publicity"
Mrs. Hunt sailed through the
hall without a glance at the two
left behind. The sound of their car
soon died, leaving the silence un-
broken behind them.