The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-05-14
Chapter Is
The ToIands Depart
NICE of you to have Dime
.r..AL 10 y a Ilcn lid

MICE Of you to have dinner
~ with me-" Allen said.
with youl" flashed Toni.
Feeling neglected." he asked,
and settled at her feet Toni, you
aren't jealous. are your"
TOmi's hin went up. "a person
is only jealous Of something she
possesses. l possess neither Great
aunt Hannah. nor you"
That's W h a I you thin <"
chuckled Bartell. Now if l were
Pierre"
Tomi's head turned sharply. Il
think that's Pierre coming now.
I'll have to run over and mega
phone list of tomorrow's orders"
Damn Pierrel" said Allen Bar
tell. heartily. Cant he stand TO
have yoU in quarantine without
being in on it HIMSELF"
Someone returned 7 m !.
loftily. "who isn't quarantined.
has to fill orders"
"Oh-oh." laughed Allen. $50
that's the way of it. viii l make
that frog stay in his pen On. by
the way. Toni. do you mind if /
ask some of the men to bunk with
me? l can sleep five Of them and
its darned lonesome over here.
Toni sighed with relief. She
could take the double bed out OF
the living room and remove the
screen from her loWly divan.
Thank you. Alien. You may, II
you'll promise to come to the farm
for your meals.
Lunch and dinner" he conced-
ed. "Pll have breakfast with the
bows. Breakfast cookery is prac-
tically fool-proof," he explained,
and returned to his guests.
Toni found Pierre wandering
along tie road beyond the gates
when she reached the house She
held a most unsatisfactory CONVEX
sation with him. They - d to shout
and the things they would have
said couldn' b. shouted.
For six days Toni and the fami-
w fought oyer the food. That IS
Toni and Great-aunt Hannah
fought. The rest of the family de-
voured everything she placed be-
fore them. Great bowls Of leaty
salads disappeared. Omelets and
crisp toast melted.
Never. in all my born days"
detained Great aunt Hannah.
'have l gone without meat. pota-
toes and hot biscuits for lunch"
But there were no cold :nucklcs
and hot biscuit forthcoming. In
fact, potatoes were few and far
between. They were accessories,
not mainstays.
And in the evening there were
delectabIe stews. savory with
herbs. fresh vegetables. barley
cooked and served with dash OF
butter. more salads. and light des-
serts Of custard or fruit cOmpOtes.
And with every pound the portly
ones lost. the emaciated ones
gained a pound Sunburned skins
turned to tan. No longer did the
family remain N state of SOM
Violence for an hour after each
meal
Parilia had decided to can fruit
She had ordered. it seemed to
Toni, tons of peaches and april
cots.
Amanda had ordered more ma
terial. She needed someone to do
the basting.
On down the line ii went. Tomi's
services demanded at all times;
and everywhere that Toni went,
Allen was sure to 60. She hated
him. She detested him for never
referring to that day they had
spent alone. She could have muir
dered him with the very fruit
knife with which she had cut her
self the day he bandaged her
hand. then kissed it-and then
went to the telephone to hold q
long conversation With Lily.
Only those few shouted mo-
ments with Pierre were sane II
this mad world. She learned tC
wait for them. They were release
All. the trials Of the day were
: shouted through the glossy greer
leaves of a hedge of roses. with Al
len looking on from a nearby win
dow to see that the hedge re
manned between them
Still With Fear
AND each time she carried bacl
n to the house the memory o
Pierre's serious blue eyes, the wor
ried tone of his voice when HI
spoke of her troubles, the aSsur
ance of knowing he alone woulC
save the farm from Bartel
Slowly the time of quarantine
passed. Harold improved to tht
point of throwing his milk at tn
nurse three times day. One da.
his face was exceedingly red, ant
not from the measles. The nurse
hand was also red. No more mill
was thrown.
Each morning the family aros
later and later. The men came II
about nine TO take up their work
Great-aunt Hannah, greatly re
freshed and affable. yawned dow
the stairs a ten. complaining
gently. How this sea air doe
make one Sleep
The lights of Allen Bartelli
house burned brightly: fra unit
two. then three. One morning.
Toni, awakened by May who wa
Slipping down for milk for Har
old. found them still burning a
four.
1t was the next night that Great
aunt Hannah disappeared.
A heavy fog had rolled in. Toni
taking extra blankets to her guests
found Hsnnah's bed unoccupie6
Great-aunt Hannah was not in tn
house. A hurried survey Of tn
grounds showed she was not there
Stiff with fear that the old wo-
man might have gone for an eve