The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-06-08
Chapter II
Maud
@WHAT shall I do about &c all?"
w Brenda asked Hugh Saltus.

AAas1A 80 .--
WHAT shall do about &c all?"
w Brenda asked Hugh Saltus.
Must you do anything? Better
not, little Brenda. Trying to help
other people gets you into the
devil OF a mess sometimes. knew
a man once" ne went on deliber-
ately, who tried to do something
TO help another person-some-
thing that cost him quite a bit Of
time and trouble, to say nothing Of
money-and the reward he got for
il was to lose the-the affection
and respect of the-the only per-
son he cared a single whoop for
In this rotten old worldl"
Brenda's hands gripped each
other tightly in her lap. Was Hugh
telling his own story? Surely he
wouldn't put so much emphasis,
so much bitterness, in tale which
had to do with another! She hoped
with all her heart he would go on,
but he merely laid aside his pencil
and flung himself down in a chair,
both hands clasped YEARLY behind
his head.
@But Pm already in It." she
ventured presently. THAT is, I've
told Alaine I'd talk to her about
Ned, and Ned that I'd do my best
for him with Alaine. can't Just
shrug the whole thing off my
shoulders like this, HughI"
Then talk to Mac about It." he
advised. "You say Mac saw the
the nominating deed. Also Macs
got sense. Lots of it, little Brenda.
Sometimes you don't realize that,
do your"
Here she was on firm ground.
NOV let me tell you something,
Hugh! know that in our best fic-
tion-our worst, too, if it comes
to thati-the hero and heroine of
a romance always start out by
being bitter enemies. Mac and ]
made a swell beginning along
those lines. But this story's not
going to be like that" she in
formed him sternly. an the first
place, Isobel Burke's simply mad
about him-and don't think he
doesn't know 1T Wedding bells
are going to ring on The Shortest
Street within the year, but the
name of the bride isn't going to be
Brenda Burnham!"
"And in the second place -"
he suggested.
'In the second place, Macs
antagonism to me-or mine to him
lis the real thing. There's no
underlying feeling of romance, or
attraetion-anything like that.
just plain don't like him and
more than suspect that he'd enjoy
his happy home-or Adelaide's
happy home-a lot more if / sud-
denly packed my trunk and de-
parted for parts unknown"
"Methinks the damsel -
81 shall throw something If you
say doth protest too mueh!"
The second pillow to your right
1.-The green one-is the best for
throwing purposes the artist
said.
"A Real Chat
MAUD VAN NESS telephoned
IVA to ask Brenda for luncheon.
But you simply mustn't re-
fuse" she protested. Doctor"
she invariably gave her father his
professional title-"is so eager to
talk over old times with you. We
won't keep you long. It's only a
step, you know, across the lawns.
AT one. then. Now don't disappoint
usI"
81 suppose | must go?" Brenda
demanded gloomily of her land
lady.
"Oh, think so, my dearl Maud's
very sensitive. No one knows lust
what does hurt her feelings some
times. You won't have to stay long
Il hope" she added.
II shall be home by two-thirty,"
was Brenda's affirmed determine
ton.
But as It turned out II was
almost four when she YEARLY
NAOoo%0 SttC AdWlAo. d4AQ doCCtiQGu
the stairs to her own room. It had
been trying social experience, if
one could call anything so dismal
by that festive name.
To begin with DR.. VanNess was
absent His daughter made excuse
and apology for him, but Brenda
suspected that from the beginning
she had known he could not be
there. The meal itself was so
hearty as almost to constitute a
ulnner: soup, roast, salad, dessert,
coffee. Brenda felt positively
tecpid as they left the table, but
Miss VanNeSs seemed stimulated
the enormous quantities of food
- had consumed.
What keeps her from getting
-" Brenda wondered. She's
bohy as bed-slat and yet if she
eats like this every day -" She
gave it up with a sigh. There were