The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-05-20

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I've planned your campaign; pro-
visioned your troops; supplied you
with ammunition. you've failed to
drive through those front-line
trenches to victory. You have
twelve hours of sunlight to win.
Can't you do it? Are you going to
lose this stronghold for a pitiful
little one hundred dollars?"
She had fought her battle well.
Only one hundred dollars divided
the black arm from the red. One
hundred and one dollars. would
place the farm In her hands for
another year.
"And next year it would be
easy" she thought.
And again she thought, II could
alter the books and do what Pierre
suggested, slip in a dollar here
and there until they showed a
profit. / have the money. ! earned
it while | was with A. j"
But she couldn't. She would win
this farm. this legacy, on the prin-
ciple set forth by the late Timothy
Toland, or she would lose il.
Abe, coming in to breakfast. was
doleful. I'm bettin' you dough-
nuts against their holes that
there's a storm waitin' that's goin'
to strike tonight and drive the
babies right down to the bottom"
Cheer up. Abe" she managed,
with an attempt at fun. THE next
owner will keep you on"
But Abe shook his head dole
fully. ut won't be the same with
out you, Miss Toni. / sure do wish
you'd take my savings and use it
on them books of yours"
Two tears seeped through the
black lashes.
Keep your savings, Abe" she
whispered. "You are liable to
need them"
Duplicate Accounts
TONI didn't go near the pens.
L She couldn't stand to watch
millions of tiny mouths open, beg
ging for food. Truly. frogs were
prolific.
Give them all they will eat.
Abe" she called.
She went about the house then,
bidding it goodby. Nothing short
of a miracle could save the place
for her now.
She had closed off most of the
rooms after Dotty left. Keeping
them open had only meant clean
ing. She had lived in the kitchen
and Office and her own room.
Now she went slowly through
the others. She thought of the
plans she had made for them; the
things she had intended to do this
winter. =.
Instead. she'd be looking for a
job.
Here was Dorothy Dougherty's
room. Toni opened the door and
went init was musty. She opened
the windows.
A glance around the room and
she saw a slip of ribbon closed in
a drawer. She had thought Dor
othy packed everything on that
second trip.
Toni opened the drawer to re-
turn the ribbon to whatever gar
ment it was attached. She forgot
the ribbon and stared in aStonish-
ment. She shook her head as
though to clear it. She was seeing
things"
In the drawer were her books:
the books she used for the farm
accounts.
Toni had a moment of sheer
panic. Perhaps she had worried
over Pierre, Allen and the farm
until she had lost her mind. She
touched the books. They were
real. She opened them.
And she sighed in relief. The
handwriting was similar to hers,
but it wasn't hers. And yet =.
! Toni picked up the books and
rushed down to her Office. She
was grateful to find her own books
locked in their accustomed place.
She compared them with the
ones she had just found. In one
respect they were identical-the
column of MONEY RECEIVED.
In the column marked EXPENDI-
! TURES, every single item had
been doubled. save salaries.
Toni thumbed through the
/ book. The accounts had been
listed only until July 18th. why
she cried aloud, "that was the day
I left for Los Angeles"
But what did it mean?
She'd call Dotty; she'd call Bar
tell. but first she would cali Old
Abe.
Abe ambled up, a piece Of dry
wheat between what he insisted
upon calling "Dr. Smiths teeth"
though Toni had assured him she
had paid for them.
ABE, lookl" She spread the two
sets of books on the kitchen table.
DO you know anything about
these fake books?"
Abe found a chair. II seemed to
Toni he felt the need of a chair
at that precise moment.
well, yes" he conceded. Guess
1t won't do no harm to tell you
now"
Toni waited while Abe sought
for words.
Its this way" the old man
began ''Dotty. she washed a pair
of Pierre's pants"
Imagine that" murmured Toni
when Abe paused.
And she found letter. got
the letter., he assured her dog
gedly. at was from a girl. Well.
things kept getting more compii-
Gated. You looked like you was
fallin' for Pierre and ready to
get yourself married to him, and
then Dotty and Allen and me, we
thought il was time to do some
thing"
abe" cried Toni "will you