Show S ra t or i ay 1 1 KATHLUN NORRIS 9 CHAPTER continued isa last curve and they knew over one of the sharpest and ugliest of the descending precipices crashing down through tile the saplings and underbrush and striking the trunks of a score of trees on its ita way war the heavy car had fallen like a boulder and peter saw aw that it was car and with a great cry he sprang over the bank and slipping and stumbling followed its mail mad course down almost to the dry creek bed in the canyon rind and fell on his knees beside the huddled figure that erect and strong in its striped blue gingham had been allx alix only a few short minutes ago she had been flung clear of the car and although every bone in her body was broken by some miracle the face except for a deep cut where the brown hair met the tanned forehead was untouched and as he caught her in his arm am and bent over her with the bitterness of death stopping his own heart a soft thick braid loosened and AN like the touch of her hand upon his own and it seemed to him that in the tranquil face and in the very look of the closed and fast enst shadowing eyelids he caught a glimpse of alias old smile mile peter forgot everything else in the world ile he held her close to him and put his face against her face and perhaps she had never so truly been his own as in this moment of their parting when the quiet autumn woodland shot with long from the sinking sun eun rang with his bitter try cry no allx alix not deade uy my wife my wife I 1 there were other men and women gathering fast now and tb whole little littie ittle ittie valley was beginning to t ring with the tragedy after a while some ome sympathetic man touched petr peter on the arm to say that mrs lloyd had fainted and that it if he would please tell them what to do about the other malthe malt biah he was not yet dead peter roused himself and with help from half a dozen hands OH all sides lie he carried allx alix up to thoo th road and laid her upon a motor robe that mat some kindly spectator had spread in the deep dust presently he was conscious that a small slight woman with disorderly dalsor derly fair hair and with her far fam streaked with dust and tears was standing beside him and looking down at her he saw that it was cherry yes cherry lie he said moistening his dry lips peter she said they say martins ing he was aa screaming she grew deathly pale and faintness swept it Z I 1 I 1 L peter saw they were lifting mar tins aln big senseless Seni eleu form over her but slie she mastered it ile he was wa caught b by that treed tree she said mid and lie he Is thing will you tell them tell one of these men that if lie will help me we can call drive him home hoine it if tell MI him that then ill get a doctor yes I 1 will peter said gald not stirring ulf 1115 5 eyes lial ball the look of a slee sleep i walker lie he nodded noilden slowly and gravely at t her like a very old man mail you he be said to a n man who volio had stopped his car near by and was badt pressing sympathetically close will you it if sit bit in ili the bade back beat dear and just ret rest ills his poor head a woman said to cherry peter saw that they were lifting martins big sen senseless seles form in tender hand and carrying it through the little group there was waa a shudder as Mi martin littin conned deeply peter went and sixt mt on tile the low balk by allx alls again and lifted one of her limp hands and held it ali ah if in gods mercy anti and goodness klie might moan he be thought that one slight rs r of hope would flood fload all the world with light for him again but she did riot not stir goner said ald cherrys chernys Cher rys heartrending voice a mere whisper alil sper beside him he turned upon her lifeless eyes gone he echoed oh alix afir roy my darling dar my lly own ilg big sister cherry sobbed falling to her bpi knew knees and passionately kissing the peaceful face oil oh allx allic dearest I 1 the women about broke into tears team peter pressed ills his hand close his aching eyeballs wishing that he might cry she drove lre bore he be hoard heard a mans mails voice saying baying in the silence and she must have lot control of her car for a minute then do you see gee the wheel slipped on the blink bank once it sot got tills this far no power lu in gods earth no power ln in gods earth another mans voice said in solemn confirmation reter peter cherry said aid will you come to we me as soon a as you can cant I 1 shall need you As soon as aa I 1 can he be answered absently the car drove away and he heard martin moan again as it moved joyce said a mans mana kind voice close beside him ile he recognized the voice rather than the distressed face ace of an old friend and neighbor joyce my dear fellow he urged affectionately toll tell us what we may do and well viell see fee to it pull yourself together my dear chap now shall I 1 telephone for anan an an ambulance you must help us just B R little here and then well spare you everything else thank than you fred peter answered after it a moment thank you will you help me take my wife home you wish it vint way the other man said anxiously anilou sly please peter answered simply and instantly there was wa moving and clearing in the crowd a murmuring of whispered directions after a while labile they were A ere at the mountain and bow K ow with tears running down his yellow face was helping t them hem then they went into the old living room and allx alix was waa lying there splendid sweet untouched with her brave brown forehead forche shadowed softly by her brown hair and her lashes resting upon her cheeks and her fingers clasped about the stems of three great creamy roses there were other flowers nil all about and there were women in the room white draperies fell with sweeping lines from the merciful veiling of the crushed figure and allx alix might have been only asleep and dreaming sunie some helmic dream that lent that secret pride and joy to her mouth still and filled those closed eyes with a triumph they had never known in life peter stood and looked down at her and the men and women drew back but although the muscles of his mouth twitched lie did not weep lie he looked long at her while an utter silence oiled filled the room and while twilight deepened into dark over oer the cabin cabill and over the mountain above it so that was your way out allx peter said in the depth of his soul that was mas your solution for us all you would go out of life away froni from the sunshine avid and the trees nor and the hills that you loved so that cherry and I 1 should be saved I 1 was blind not to see it I 1 have been brind from the very be beginning inning silence the room was filling with shadows on tile the mantel was a deep bowl of roses that he remembered watching her cut was it yesterday or centuries ago 1 I 1 was wrong ill he said but I 1 think you would be sorry to have roe me face what I 1 am facing now you were always so forgiving allx alix you would be the first to be sorry lie he put ills his hand over the pain that was beginning to reach his heart ills HI throat felt thick and choked and still he lid did not cry an hour ago lie he said off rf it had been that the least thought of what tills meant to you might have reached me an hour ago it would not have been too lule late allx alix one look into your eyes nil an hour ago might little have saved us alit all I 1 fred peter said aloud with a bitter gr groan onn tight the hand bands of the old friend who had crept in ill to beside him fred she was here in all her health and joy and strength only today and now 1 1 I know old man d the other man muttered lip lie looked anxiously tit at reters peters terrible face in the silence the dog whimpered faintly but when peter after nil an endless five ini minutes turned away it was wag to speak to ills his frind friend in nil an almost norms voice 11 1 I must po go down and see sec cherry fred she took her husband to the old house they were mere living there Il helen gillelen will nill stay slay here the old man assured him quickly ill drive you down and come back here we thought perhaps a few of us could come tomorrow afternoon peter he added I 1 timidly with his reddened eyes eye tilling filling aln vain unit und talk of lier her a i elitle will anil pray fer cr her ber a little and then take lo 10 0 o to rest beside tho the old doeer tor lor 1 1 I thought about that peter ieler an still with the air of finding it bard to link words to thought but if hint at Is the way she would like it W thank ank you tind ond thank helen for me oil peter to do d an on tiling thIng tile the woman filtered full fult ered she came to us us apu know ahen the baby wits so day after ilay day my own sister could ril have been more to did khel blie peter peler askell asked staring at the speaker steadily lei dily that was like lier her lie he went out of the hou house houe e lind got into inlo a lini waiting thir car ant and they drove down tile mountain allx alix hall had d dalven rl veil him over tills this road day before yesterday yesterday nu no it was today tie remembered red god I 1 dont feel it yet vet ns as I 1 ahall feel it thompson ill li said quietly the nian man who vilio was driving gale cine him nil an ani aeilous olous dinnee you must take lake each lay day as it comet comes lie he answered Minji imply ly peter nodded folded ills his arms across its his chest and stared into the early dark there was no other way to go co than past the lie ery cry spot where here the horror had occurred but thompson told ills wife nife later that pour floor joyce had not deemed to know it when lien they ahoy passed it nor did he give any evidence of emotion when they readied reached the old strickland house and ami entered the of old hallway where cherry had come nying in a few short ers ears 0 ago go aich martins marthis tins first kiss upon her lips two doctors summoned from san francisco were here and two nurses martin had been laid upon a hastily moved bed in the old study to bo 1 spared the lie narrow stairs tho room was metamorphosed the whole anbolt house moved about it as about a pivot and there was no thought but for the hie man who lay jay sometimes rio nning and sometimes ominously mill bull waitie for death ile he cannot livel live Cl carry irry ghostly ghastly of face and with the utter chaos of her soul and brain expressed by her tumbled frock and the carelessly pushed blick back and knotted masses of her hair ills his arm Is broken peter and ills his leg crushed they dont dare touch him and the surgeon says gays the spine too and you see his head I 1 oli oh godl god it Is so terrible she gal said in agony through shut teeth knotting her hands together it Is too terrible that he be Is breo breathing thing now that life Is there now and that they cannot hold it id she led peter into the sitting boorn boons where the doctors were waiting Is there any hope he asked when cherry had bad gone away on one of tile restless rest leas unnecessary journeys with which she was filling the endless hours one man shook ills his head bend and in the silence they heard lf martin rtin groan it Is possible he may weather it of course the older man said doubtfully lie he Is coming out of that first stupor station and we may lie be able to tell better in n R short time the fact that flint he Is urine living at all indicates a tremendous vitality cherry came to the door to say Doc doctor torl on a burst of tears fears the physicians departed at once to the study and peter was w ns immediately summoned to assist them in handling the big frame of the patient martin was thoroughly conscious now his face chalk white life pherry 1 n knelt beside the lie bell bed her frightened eyes moving from fare face to face there was a brief consul tat inn then cherry and peter were hanl shed peter watched her with a confused sonie sense that the whole abole frightful day hal had been a dream once she looked up and met his eyes ile he cant live she said in a whisper Pe rimps not peter answered very low cherry returned to her somber soni musing we see this end to it did we she sold said with a pitiful smile after a long while title oh no no peter said shutting ills his enes and with a faint negative movement of his hill lead head poor cherry if I 1 could spare you nil all this knotting ills his lingers fincers and feeling for the first time the prick of bitter tears against his oil oh there Is nothing jou con can do she said fatally faintly and wearily after a while and she whispered asif n to herself her helf nothing nothing not nothing hingl CHAPTER it was all strange and bewildering thought peter it was ans not like anything he had ever connected in ills his thoughts with alth allx yet it was all for her the day was warm and still and the little church was packed with flowers slid and packed ith people women were were crying MS men were too rather to ills his dazed surprise the organ was straining through the warm arm fragrant air anil and the old clergy anlin whose venerable leonine leonin C h head ea d in its crown of snowy hair peter could see ice clearly spoke in a voice that was thickened with fill tears strangers Stran geri or almost Pt rangers had bei bern bein n touching peters hand band respectfully timidly hall had been pr alsing allx alfir she had been good to tills this one good to that one they told him she hall had always been so interested and so go happy her collin was burled buried in lowers flowers many of them the plain flowers she bill loved the gillies and stock and verbena and even the sweet goner fiill till flowers that flint wore were somehow like ilke herself but it was the roses hat flint seemed scented the whole world for allx alix toily rn n fresh creamy hwi buds hall had hicri ile 1 l between the waxen lingers fingers anil wa il that radiant look of triumphant lingered on he be 0 o 1 tile the fagut 4 alt godit of a tilde on one once e mildly kindly and berry mouth they t goodby food by to her ber at t tile church the villa gerts uil aind old friend frien its who hall had coved her aud ami veter anil na tso or three wen iwen sione follows followed he don ion n along tile the winding luding road that led lea to tile llie old co cen ulery martery cherry wa aas hanging banging over tile the bell bedside side of her hus hu blind nhu bo still miraculously lingered through ll irini wars of ivalu hut but as peter ieter rc res to a loach ou on lils ills arm crossed the church cli porch to enter the hie nailing motor car lie kaw erect cruet luid and araie graie im file front seat mat M at in iii ills decent bluck blitek and with ills mt felt lint hat field in ills bands kow cl alining lila its right to stand beside eie li tile grave of tile lie loved and ami schied so 0 o faithfully tile the foght of hill in ill liln hill blach larl ln rl instead of ft the crisp bite mid with a sad i and tear stained alilin l face shook peter lurt but IA iw did not show a sign of pain the misted misled low branchen of oak trees threw filia sha dons dovis un on till grave rui aben they finally it auld sheep were cropping the grifis grass of the graveyard lave yard the soft sky z the lie drift of snowy guowa clouds a across cro 4 t tile hie blue the hie clear shadows on oil brown gras grads under the lie oaks ull till these were familiar but reter peter still looked dazed ly at ills mack black cuff anil tit nt the turned earth next nest to ti hie file doctor headstone telling bilm again that tills was fur for allx alix how often lie bod seen her sit ting tine there with her bright face timbered i arid and gwost as she tallied bulked IoNin lovingly gly eagerly of lier her fattier father they had of 0 ten tell come liere bere peter ieter the more willingly be beccue caude she mus so sensible arid and to 4 11 ra 10 ja do this wat was alexs grave newly covered with flowers flower happy about it she would pack lunch button billion herself |