The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-30
Chapter IS
Eternal Warfare

to talk to Allen before Pierre de-
manded a decision.
Then Monday?" she asked.
"Pll telephone the hotel Monday
afternoon"
Pierre thought that would be
an excellent { i'm e. The ca b
bounced over the rough roads and
Toni was delivered to the door of
her home with no more than a
courteous good night.
81 wish Allen, with his foolish
fears. could have seen that" she
thought. going to her room to
stand at the window and look into
the shadows.
A light flashed in the shadows,
a match held to a cigarette and
revealing a familiar profile. AL
len had seen.
Spying on me-" flashed Toni,
and yet she felt secretly pleased
1t had been a lovely evening; a
lovely day She recalled each in
cident.
Huddled in the pillows, arms
wrapped about her knees. Toni
sat. thinking Had Allen really
taken Pierre seriously? Did he
think Pierre the man who will
handle her as she needs to be
handled"
Perhaps he feared Pierre'S in
telligence and knew he'd have
less chance of winning the estate
if she had the man from Louisi-
ana to help with the farm.
Yet. when Toni slept, she didn't
dream of Pierre, but o. an eternal
warfare with Bartell; a warfare
in which each of them. armed
with Delaying pins, sought to
make the other sit up and beg"
Toni spent most of the follow
ing day outlining the plan she
would lay before Rartell. With
the assistance of Abe, she drew
up a prospective budget for the
next six months, and then sent
Abe to look for Bartell and make
an appointment for NJ lon y
morning
Allen had not slept at his cot
tage and Abe started for Alameda
Toni retired to her room to watch
the fog roll in through the Golden
Gate in a black cloud It was un-
utterablv drearv
The. clock tQlled-fuLa and Toni
thought of the old Toland house
Back there two thousand miles
away. the Tolands were having
tea Sunday tea was ritual All
members Of the family not living
under the TOland oOf were called
to balance Guns of the anemic
beverage and exclaim over thin
slices of dry pound cake.
To think that only two weeks
ago. she had been there. slipuing
the cake TO the greedy Ming Tow
and being roundly scolded by
Great-aunt Hannah when she was
cauoht.
She hadn't had worry in the
world A good position. a dream
of a tiny. efficient apartment and
only herself IN think about Now
she had Old Abe. a house a mil
lion frogs and a Louisiana Frerch-
man to balance against one Allen
Bartell
Realization that two hours diff
ference in time lay between Ala
media and Chicago mode her feel
considerably better Perhaps the
morning mail would bring word
from Great-aunt Hannah
Twilight and Abe arrived to-
gether both dark with gloom
Didn't find Allen" Abe ranort-
ed. Him and Liz went to Rerke-
ley this morning. Amt been seen
since. | told his ma about Won
bein' anxious to get date with
him"
5 ooh, Abe" walled Toni, mot
a date: a business appointment"
"Same thing" insisted Abe "His
ma looked at the book he keeps
and said to see him at his office at
one-thirty Said he'd be in court
in the morning, She sent YOU half
a cocoanut cream cake. Said she'd
be over to see you soon's you had
a chance to settle. She sure is q
swell lady"
BuSineSSlike
THE cake cheered Toni a little,
L or rather the friendly gesture
of the woman who had sent it.
Nevertheless. she started for her
appointment the following dav
with considerable apprehension.
She had dressed with even
more care than she had used for
the dinner dance. She wanted to
look crisp. efficient. businesslike
She chose a black suit, white tai
lored blouse. black Breton sailor
and white accessories.
The ensemble seemed an insult
10 the day High white clouds
rolled along the horizon White
sails swelled above the blue wa
tiers. CAV. adventuresome. Even
the ships lifting from the nearby
airports dipped and circled like
skv dolphins in an azure sea.
Tomi'S spirits neither rolled
swelled nor circled.
Promptly at one-thirty she was
admitted to Allen BartelPs pri-
vate office He arose as she en-
tered. but as soon as she was seat
ed. retired to his chair.
Toni wondered what there was
about a business desk which gave
its possessor the advantage Of a
man holding fort It made the
person on the other side assume
the role of an aggressor.
"Mr Bartell-" Toni set the
atmosphere of the interview with
her businesSlike tone-'T want to
come to a definite understanding
about nv finances"
"Yes?"
Bartell wasn't going to be help
full.
GIVE outlined a possible budg-
ct. I'm allowing six hundred dol
lars nnr month for maintenance