The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-02-21
Chapter 80
Plans


said eagerly, over the tele-
phone.
at has to be-no, Eric, I can't.
Not possibly"
PITY for Trenton?"
Perhaps and not being a quit
ter when I'm needed" Her voice
grew frmer. ITS one thing to
leave "a ship when the weathcr's
fair; it's another to desert it in a
ktorm. l should think you'd be the
FIRST to see that, Eric"
Il see Just one thing: that either
you love me or you don't. If you
DO. nothing else should count, If
you don't, l must know it now
And then. more tendcrly: My
darling. you must come
Her throat closed with anguish.
That beloved voice had such pow
er over her. Bitter resentment
filled her that this calamity of
BOb'S should have befallcn him
Just now. She had a cOWaTdIy wish
that she had been safely in New
York. that Bob should have read
Der letter, before the blow fell.
/ Perhaps she was being woman
lsh about Bob's need for her;
mawkishly sentimental. 1t might
even be that Bob himself woH'd
feel freer if he had only himself to
look out for. She dallicd for wild
ly hopeful minute with that
thought, then put it from her.
Bob's sick eyes looked TO her for
comfort a dozen times a day. Her
hand on his arm could make him
Straighten the broad shoulders
which s7gged under their un2ccus-
tOmod load Of anxiety.
Bob was a child of the sun. Gay
and charming when all went well,
his beWilderment in adversely took
the form of irascibility. Sue had
all she could do 70 keen him from
quarreling with his friends, his
business advisers.
Night after night she went to bed
bruised in spirit and tired to OK
hauStiOn in body. 1t seemed to her
she had a battle on with half the
world! With Eric, first Of all. He
called. he wired, he wrote. In the
end he defeated his own cause By
arousing her anger. So loved him
nonethcleSs but shc resented his
assumption th4t his need for bcr
Dverrulcd any moral obligation she
might feel toward Bob. Sic told
him 50 in words 50 clearcut and
decisive that he could not fail to
understand The silence which had
envel0ped him ever since then
sometimes terrified her.
1 She had Bob to fight, Of course,
in a score Of ways. Willing. even
eager TO surrender everything Of
his own to his creditors, he was
stubbornly determined to keep
every possible luxury for her.
Either your debts arc my debts,
and your honor is my honor. Bob,
Or-they are not, it is not! You
can't have it both Ways!"
That eventually silCnCCd him.
Then arose the question Of his new
bob. a home for both of them. Allen
had offered eagerly to give her cid
room back to his sister. Bob
Thought 1t would be the best plan.
Sue folded her lips firmly and set
forth 10 hunt a small house or
apartment When she found the
quaint little brick building in
(which they now lived, Bob had
been fran,ic with rage and humil-
liation Even Allen said mildly: 1T
sort of advertiscS to the world the
poor fellows failure, Sis
1T does no such thing. 1t simply
tells peOple-if they happen to be
lintereSted-that we are cutting
our garment according to our
cloth. And I'm the one who has to
live here. Allen. If | prefer it to
stuffy apartment, l suppose its my
privilege"
He laughed and ppt-a brothcrl3
arm about her
Don't fly off theshandle, little
Sue! You may live opeIYa grocery
store. for all l care-if it pleases
you'll"
The Stock
THE final and longest struggle
: had been. oddly enough, about
the position Pats had mentioned.
IN a town where almost every sec
ond house boosted lovely old fur
niture brought long ago from Vir-
ginia, from Kentucky, along with
a complement of slaves, the an
tique business flourished might
lily. Shoppers came from Kansas
City, even from Chicago. Sue was
known to have made a special
study Of period stuff, in an ANA
teur way.
Its the perfect job for you"
Barbara had argued. Easy hours,
good pay; practically your own
boss; and you've always said you
hankered to go into that very bust
ness. Now that you need it, you
suddenly decide you have to stay
home and cook meals and wash
dishes instead. It's not like you,
Sue dear" she. said reproachfully,
"to be so contradictory"
Sue cupped her friends anxious
face in both hands.
''BabS, it seems to. me best. Can't
we let it go at that?" g ~
She would not explain further: