The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-08-21

know that's a perfect way to keer
from breeding or experiencing
self pity
| You'll iind plenty to do, all
| right" said Tommy. THE cottage
| has been unoccupied for a long,
long while. and it's probably thick
with dust and festooned with cob
webs"
| "Splendidi'' she had exclaimed.
| "Cobwebs and dust are my meat
Housekeeping is the one thing at
which 1 excel, in case YOU didn't
know. = s
Don't forget that" 50 - E
| mo, l won't. Housekeeping Is in
my line, but keeping my home
isn't, evidently She had paused,
thoughtful 4 wonder now if the
old-fashioned qualifications for
being a wife and making home
really count for anything at all,
Tommy. Glamor, the ability to say
smart nothings, play bridge for
high stakes, wear clothes like a
movie actress, and all those things
seem to be more important nova
days.
"Cut it, LueIla!" Tommy had
said sharply. And speaking of
cooking, | wish was going to be
near enough to drop in now and
then for mess o. fried chicken
and candied yams."
So do |, she had said. Then:
I'm going to miss you, Tommy.
-. You've been grand to me-
I'm going to miss you, too,
Luella--like hellp'
And now LuelIa was unlocking
the front door of the cottage,
opening it, entering. Sweet place.
she thought. But Tommy had been
right. There were cobwebs, and
dust-plenty of both. Thank God,
for that! She was going to be
busy, terribly busy.
And understanding up the cot
Il re, putting it into an attractive
living condition--was going to be
a life-saver. She raised shades.
opened windows, let in the sum
shine and the sea-breeze. She
went on tour of inspection.
The cottage was snug and coy
and colorful There was a COM
bination living and dining room,
two small bedrooms with a bath
| between, And a kitchenl The cut
est sort of kitchen. And it
opened upon dininutive back
| porch, a back porch that begged
Tor some geraniums in empty to-
mato cans, like her Aunt Lila
used to have, and vine to climb
| the posts.
| i love itp said Luella, half
aloud.
Heartbreak
/ CHE found dimity curtains in a
~ chest in a closet, she found ia
! bic clothes. bed hnen--everything
! she needed to set up houSekeep-
/ ing. Then. as the word housekeep-
/ ing came to her thoughts, she re-
lrnembered the apartment in New
York-that place she had worked
SO hard to make comfortable and
/ attractive, a place where her tired
husband could come at the end of
( a busy day.
| Tired husband, indeed! And did
/ he Say in the home she had
| worked 50 hard to make comfort
as' : End attractive? Not SOS you'd
noti@ey il, he didn't.
1 On, no, he rushed off to write
radio songs with a glamorous and
beautiful radio start No time for
home. Just place in which to
grab a bite to eat. No time for
wife. She, was just human au-
| tomaton who was there to light
| the gas, whip up a cake, make
a salad. Husband wife :.
home.
Suddenly she turned and ran
from the cottage. She headed for
/ the beach, Down there she stood
| watching the blue-green waves
breaking upon the unbelievably
white Sand, watching the palms
sway gently in, the breeze. And
she thought, Here endeth the
| first lessonW
Sinking down upon sand dune,
I she toyed with a piece of shell.
and frowned. Funny thing. this
business of the association be-
tween man and woman. Take
Henry and herself, for example.
They'd started out so beautifully.
and look at them now. Henry in
New York, She in Florida. A di-
vorce pending.
She asked herself if she had
made a mistake in giving I'D so
soon. And she said that she had
not made a mistake. Had she been
! fighting a woman who was beau
tiful and with whom Henry was
! infatuated-just that alone-slle
might have won out. n
But she not only had to fightaa
woman who was beautiful, but
woman who lived and worked in
a world of exeitement-a world
Henry wanted to get into. If she
had merely had to fight the Wom-
an who was beautiful and with
whom Henry was infatuated, she
could have made herself more and
more beautiful. fought the woma-
arl-and maybe have won out in
I the end.
But what could she do when
! enry was not only showing signs
of being in love with Marie Ma
son, but was also determined to
become a part of the world in
which Marie lived and worked?
You couldn't fight a situation like
that, Luella argued.
No, the cards. had been stacked
against her. She had done the
right thing, in leaving New York
To he continued