The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-11-28
Chapter Six
Aunt Maggie's Turn

L richest citizens and a philan,
thropist. We could not remember
anybody ever having been kid
naped in Atlanta before. Certain
~ nobody we knew.
81 heard it from Paul Mitchell
of The Journal" said Bill. "The
papers had just got the story. Il
seems Mr.. Brannen was driving
to the Office in his car as usual
when the kidnapers stopped him
and took over. Mrs. Brannen kept
1t quiet until she could send the
ransom money, so there wouldn't
be any complications about his
being released this morning. She
requested that nothing be printed
Saturday, but it will all be in
the papers tomorrow. I didn't find
out"
"That just goes to show" Aunt
Maggie interrupted, What a
mans wife can do to him. Hugh
Brannen doesn't care a thing
about showing off. Won't have a
chauffeur for himself and drives
an inexpensive car. But she would
have him buy that yacht. Got
him in all the newspapers down
in Miami.
'Tve known Hugh Brannen ever
since he was a baby. He was the
pokiest little boy l ever saw but,
Of course, you never can tell by
that. His mother was one of the
South Carolina DuBoses. Her
family was very displeased when
she married Walter Brannen. The
Brannens were nice people but"
'Plain." interposed Eve.
'Plain," Aunt Maggie contin-
ued, as though Eve did not exist.
"And Walter really did make
money. Now when Hugh married
Let me see, his wife was Effie
Goodrum, of course, but-oh yes,
her mother was one of the Vir-
GINA PierceS. No money, but very
fine family. By the way, Kirk.
did you have any Virginia con-
nectionS?"
II don't think So" Kirk smiled,
"but thanks just the same"
Speaking of money" said Eve,
"there are all kinds of ways of
getting it."
IF you are referring to Bob and
Claire" said Aunt Maggie, with
great dignity, 81 think it is an
eminently suitable match. Two
charming young people uniting
two very old and distinguished
families. Their children will have
two Signers, since there is one
on each side"
"Oh, Aunt Maggie" Claire
broke in, smilingly, do spare my
maidenly modesty."
All OF us who had grown up to-
gether had il childhood adopted
immediate relatives as community
property, LiOst often regarded as
our common cross. Now we all
laughed, but it was plain to see
that Kirk Pierce appreciated the
humor of the situation more than
the rest Of us did. It was equally
plain to see that Bob had not en-
joyed that thrust about money.
"By the way" Kirk asked, OBJ
viously trying, as Bill had, to
create a diversion, did anybody
hear how Wallace Arnold is get
ting along? l meant to go by the
hospital today, but didn't have
time"
81 te1ephoned." said Alice, 'but
his condition is still serious"
as that Jim Arnold's SOM"
Aunt Maggie wanted to know.
And, ''What is the matter with
him?"
Aunt Maggie Lectures
I'm NOT a bit surprised" she
Il went on to tell us when in
formed that he had been injured
in an automobile accident. His
father used to drive the finest
team of horses in town and was
always having runaways. He
broke his leg in two places one
time, ! remember. and another
time he was hung up on a barbed-
wire fence with the seat of his
pants torn out. Wallace comes by
his wildneSs naturally"
Her opinion was still unchanged
when Bill explained that Wallace
had not been driving the car at
the time of the accident. Birds
of a feather" she remarked, sue
cinctly.
When I'm alone with Aunt
Maggie I can take all this sort of
thing more or less for granted. II
is only when | am conscious of its
effect on other people that it an
noys me acutely. But we got on
toward dessert some how. some
of BeSSie's surprising TipSy
Squire, and were just rising from
the table when Aunt Maggie
turned to me and said, ooh, Sally,
] almost forgot to tell you. I be-
Ieve have found the clue to the
secret room"
whats this about a secret
room?" Bill asked as we settled
ourselves in the library for cof-
fee, and everybody clamored TO
hear more about il.
I told them all I knew. which
wasn't much. There is supposed
to be one somewhere in the house,
but its whereabouts was lost after
my great great grandfather's
death. At least my grandfather
and grandmother always said they
never had been able to find #.
There was whole generation be-
tween, of course. remember we
used to speculate about it when I
visited here as a child. I hadn't
thought of it for years"
"But why did he want q secret