The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-06-15
Dormant Domesticity

"A S soon as Brenda got home,
Hugh called her up.
Listen, Brendai" His voice be-
came urgent. 81 must see you.
Where can we meet?"
you might come here" she
suggested.
"And have the Ormond pop
ping over. or Mrs. Rosttetor drift
ing IN and out of the room. No,
I'll tell you You know the old
house which closes The Street at
the south end? Well. I'll slip
around in back of if. and in about
half an hour you come. / must
know If there's anything in that
letter about Linda"
Brenda, remorSefully aware of
unwritten chapters awaiting her,
was about TO refuse; then an imp
ism desire to foil Miss Ormond,
combined with genuinely friend
ly wish TO comfort Hugh Saltus.
dictated an assent. Half an hour
later she edged her slim self
Through break in the white pal
ings which enclosed the old house.
and trotted around in back where
Hugh awaited her
Adelaide Rosttetor was tn e
worlds worst houSekeeper; or
perhaps the worlds worst man.
ageF, Brenda reflected. The only
meal which made any pretense
TO being served on time was
breakfast; and Isobel had confided
that only long and painful disci-
pline of both mistress and maid
had achieved that.
Luncheon of course did not mat
ter Quite frequently Grenadine
brought Brenda's I'D to her on a
tray with the announcement that
Mis- Rosttetor had gone out.
Dinner was supposed to be at
sixthirty. It never was. Some
times Grenadine beat Justify on
the gong at ten minutes past six
If she happened to be going to
a movie with INA gen'lemun
frieh'." More often it was close
to seven when the family assem-
bled about the table.
Adelaide's vagueness extended
to the food, too. Several times
she had forgotten to order meat,
often meal would be distin-
guished by a preponderance of
starchy dishes. or two or three
green vegetables and no potatoes.
once by two kinds of dessert.
The house was untidy and while
not actually disorderly. it lacked
the exquisite neatness to which
Brenda had been accustomed.
Il wonder what keeps them
here, she unused. TITS not that
Adelaide charges such low
board; it's about the average, /
should say Eric and Mac have
been here five years. Isobel three.
] wonder why they stayI"
She put the question to Isobel
at the first opportunity. The pian-
iSt looked shocked.
Leave. Adelaide?a Leave The
Shortest Street," she exclaimed.
as one who denounced a critic of
Paradise.
Brenda asked sturdily: well.
why not? What do you find here
that makes up for the unpunctu-
ality. the queer meals. the general
happy go-lucky atmosphere of the
house?"
"But it's just that atmosphere
which makes il so delightful
never agreed with that woman
lecturer who said she was tired of
the fearful monotony of never do
ing the same thing twice. | don't
call that nonotony. call it in
teresting living When | drive in
at the end of the day I'm simply
wild TO know what has happened
while I've been gone: whether
Adelaide has put a tramp to sleep
in the attic bedroom. and we all
may be murdered in our sleep:
whether Gren3diae Tor Adelaide.
] never know whether they work
in unison or aionej has decided
TO have roast beef and veal cut
lets and no salad. or ice-cream
and pudding and no meat at all;
whether I'll find the dining room
furniture in the living room and
the living room furniture in the
dining room"
A Dear And A Darling
MOT reallyi"
l y "YeS. once we all came home
and were confronted by a nicely
set table to the right of the hall.
Adelaide said it came to her that
it would make a nice change
and il did"
Adelaide is' = Brenda began.
then mindful of the many kind
nesses shown her by her landlady
substituted for the word on her
lips-"a dearl"
"a dear is just what she Isl"
Isobel confirmed warmly. "a dear
and a darling. For all her vague
ness and queer ways, she has
something's sort of intuition that
is little short of miraculous. Just
let one of us under this roof be in
trouble, and Adelaide knows it.
Usually she knows the way out
for us, too; usually" she repeated
4 take it that something is
bothering you; something that
even the efficient Adelaide can't
help!"
"Only the usual thing" was the
moody reply.
Brenda waited. She had dis
covered that sympathetic silence