The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-04-27
Chapter II
Pierre Prudhomme

-OAIl SlppGQ TIE IdSb VI isl SOA-
i fee thoughtfully. ABE, how
many marketable frogs will we
have this summer"
AROUND ten thousand" he fig
ured. "Of course there may be
more. They been erewdin' up so !
haven't had time to look EN- oyer
since they went down last fall"
Toni envisioned ten thousand
mouths-and what mouths! They
seemed to occupy the major por-
ton of a frogs head-clamoring
for food. And million additional
mouths of lesser size joining In
the plea.
SWELL have to do something"
she said. ABE, what shall we do?
Have you any ideas to offer?"
Abe tamped tobacco in an an
Gent pipe. Yep" he answered.
''If it was me doin' it. and had
the money. I'd hire me a man;
one of them fellows who went to
college down in Louisiana and
knows the ms and outs of rama
culture"
Toni debated this idea while
dressing for town. Bartell still
had eight thousand dollars to be
used for the Spkeep of herself
and the farm. Her actual living
expenses would not run more
than two hundred a month, If
that, and she had more than a
thousand a month available, pro-
rated through the six months;
She could afford to pay good
salary.
AS soon as the protesting Abe
had been delivered to DR.. Smith.
Toni hurried to the telegraph Of
flee to wire a want -ad to a New
Orleans paper. 1t was brief and
concise.
WANTED - Technically &c
pert TdnGcultttTiSt. Salary ttOo-
ftty per month. Write T. Toldnd,
Bay Farm Island, Boz So, Ala
media, California.
She went from the telegraph
Office to Allen Bartell's Office. to
learn he had been called out of
town unexpectedly. then returned
to pick up the silent. suffering
Abe.
For three days Abe nursed
swollen jaw and a crouch while
Toni lowered between sYmpa-
thetic tears and laughter Then
Saturday dawned with sunshine,
instead OF fog. and with Abe adj
hitting 1t hadn't oeen so bad.
7FoHqi felt. later, that this Sat-
urday held too much fol one per.
son TO aSslmilate First came her
winning of Abe's Little Sweet
heart The frogs. discouraged by
the fog laden sky. had returned
to their beds. but now they were
up again.
Mid morning. The sun warm on
the earth. the ponds teeming with
quiet life Toni slipped into the
largest pen Resolutely, she con
trolled her fear ind, crouchlng on
the edge of the pool, crooned her
variation of Ahe's song. Soon
round eyes appeared above the
lily pads to watch her with an
unblnking stare: then. catapult-
form II lii on a nearby log.
Tom waited motionleSS, her
heart beating a fearful tattoo.
Little Sweetheart was immense.
twenty eight inches of frog
Sweetheart'S eyes were like Jew
els. but Toni preferred admirlng
them from dust a &c e. Little
Sweetheart had other ideas and.
with a final spring. lit on TomIs
knee. Bravely Toni touched her
The frog wasn't clammy. her skin
was water e perature but
smooth and dry
A great. quivering sigh of re-
lief went through Toni. and the
frog went through the air back
to the safety of the tulles.
zone fear overcome" said Toni
proudly. and left the pen.
Man For The Job
THERE was another fear. Toni
L surveyed it; four hundred yards
Of lush green grass. and goodness
only knew how many snakes lay
In that grass. She must have Abe
cut awide path to the house.
Bravely she started out. Some
thing stirred in the grass and she
stopped, then resolutely she went
on until something round and soft
and black, she saw in one star
tied glance-gave under her foot
with a coiling motion. Toni gave
one ear-Splitting scream and few
Tor the house.
A man stood there, someone
she'd never seen before. Snakes, "
she elucidated. "Big ones - out
there
The man, who was young,
didn't laugh. He grabbed hoe
which Abe had left leanin G
against the porch, and hurried
away.
Toni closed her eyes, and held
her ears until she heard the re-
turning footsteps.
SHe won't bother you any
more" Soothed the young mans
voice.
Toni opened her eyes. The
deeply blue eyes OF the stranger
held no golden glints Of laughter,
He was seriously sympathetic,
She sighed with relief.
"Who are your" she asked.
sPierre Prudhomme." he an
swered, 'T'm the man your ia
ther-"
sMiss Toni" Abe's exasperated
voice broke in. "there amt g
DANCED mite a good a bringing
that hose in. We got to get fresh
water to the pools and we cant
get It nowheres but from the gar
den faucet"
sWho said anything about .
hnee7o questioned Tov,1;