| Show 0 oil I 1 KATHLEEN NORR 6 e rv PETER AND ALIX K kiy synopsis doctor strickland re r da mr tired Is living in mill hill valley near alai san i francisco fancisco ilis his family consists of 0 his daughters AUX allx a 21 and cherry 18 and anne his niece 24 vt 1 their closest friend Is peter boce h a lovable sort of 0 recluse martin lloyd a visiting mining minine engineer elneer en alli wins cherry marries her and car ij ries her off on to el EI aldo a mine mi ne town peter realizes that he loves tl ju cherry justin little ivons anne tit S cherry comes home for or abines 3 y S wedding cherry realizes her mar m ariage la is a failure allure peter tells cheri el ry of 0 his grand passion without i naming the girl martin marlin comes for or cherry martin and cherry drift dratt spart apart dr strickland dies peter returns from a long absence CHAPTER X continued at 1 I cant tell you 9 how surprised I 1 arn am it anne peter said si well we all were alls confessed but its just annes odd little self i entered way she added it was lere and she wanted it well I 1 let caong go and as soon as I 1 can rent ikels house im going to new york why new york my dear girl because I 1 believe I 1 can make a lying there singing and teaching and generally ene rally struggling gling with anith life she answered cheerfully cherry gets most of the money they are always somewhat in debt and I 1 imagine that er the reason she is able to hane hae a nice apartment part ment and a maid now is because tishe knows it Is coming and I 1 get tle the house and enough money to keep tue me yat tg say a year in new york i do you m kant ant to go alls alix lie ire said 31 affectionately yes I 1 think I 1 do she but her eyes watered 1 I do in a XII way ivay she added that Is I 1 love my ringing and the thought bilof making a success Is delightful to 0 o tae me but of 3 course ourse it means that I 1 give up every tiding else I 1 cant have home life and band the valley alley for years tour four or j anyway ill have to give all that sup x p and im twenty seven peter id always rather hoped that my was going to be a domestic variety she stopped stopp pd smiling but he aw the pain la in her eyes george sewall most kindly asked me to moth nr cr his small son she resumed casually I 1 but although he is the dearest hest P r sewall did peter exclaimed rather struck great scott his father Is ri fliche of the richest men in san fran aleco jiel al k far 1 I know it allx alix agreed and he be juls alis one of the nicest men she added abut of course hell never really love jany one but ursula and I 1 felt oh 21 aji felt too tired and alone and depressed to enter upon congratulations gland and clothes and family dinners with the sewalls sewells Se walls slie site ended a little drear lly by 1 I wanted I 1 wanted things in the old way as they were she bald aid her voice thickening i 1 I know I 1 know peter said sympathetically and for a while there was silence in the little house ta while the rain tell fell steadily upon the A I 1 J i he was now beside de the old square 1 piano lark ark fobert without ala aia soaked ranches ranch cs swished about eaves and 10 windows can you put 11 me e up to light ight lie asked suddenly lie ile liked ager r frank pleasure E rather I 1 I 1 think chernys cherrys Ci Cher rys room was as made up fresh last monday slip she B id him lm she had ald ba as if f for good rid was dow heskle tile old square Sg rno lano where she felie told had placed the lamp IMP JK 1 I hav n t touched it since she 0 V id sadly sitting on the krool and sla th tier her ayea egtill till smiling on him putting back the hinged cover and a moment later her hands with tile the assurance and ease of tile the adopt adept drifted into one of the songs of the old days do you remember the day we put the rose tree back peter she asked when martin was almost a stranger and do iou remember the day ve ne made biscuits over by the ocean 1 I remember all the days lie he au an SNI ered deeply stirred we see all tills this then allx alix mused still playing softly fly anne claiming everything for her husband you and I 1 here talking of dads death and cherry cherr y married she sighed ashes not happy lie he que questioned quickly ashes not unhappy she told him with a troubled smile its just oue one ot of thoe marriages that dont ever get anywhere and dont mer ever stop she added martin has faults lies hes unreasonable and he fie makes en enemies emles but those arent faults tor for which a woman can leave her bus husband band oh peter ieter she added laying a smooth warm hand on oil his and look looking into nto his ees with her honest ees dont t go 90 away again stay here in the alie N alley for a week or t two 0 and help me get everything eely thing worked out and thought out ive been so much alone dear old alixe he said sitting down on the bench beside her and putting his arm about her sh she dropped her hood on his shoulder and so they sat very still for a long minute alexs hand went to her own shoulder and tier her fingers tightened on his and she breathed 1 deep contented breaths like a child somebody ought to wire sirs mrs grundy collect she said after aw awhile lille we will vill defy sirs mrs grundy my dear peter said kissing the top of a soft brown bromn braid by trotting off hand in hand tomorrow and getting ourselves married why allx alix lie he gave us his consent lears ago dont you remember rem emberl ile he did wish iti it she said and burst into tears 0 0 0 0 0 1 I seem to be doing things in a slightly irregular manner she said to him the next day when they had gotten breakfast together and were backing in the sunlight of 0 the upper deck of the ferryboat on their way to the city 1 I spend the night before my marriage alone in a small country house hidden in the woo woods ds my betrothed and propose to buy my trousseau immediately after the ceremony ony iler her voice olce fell to a dreamy note and she watched matched the gulls Nh cheeling eeling in the sunshine with thoughtful smiling eves the man inan glanced at her once or twice in the silence that followed with nith something like hesitation or compunction ion in his look look here alix lets talk I 1 want to ask you something ling theres never been anything anything to tell vou or your father it if he was here peter said flushed and a trifle awkward akward im not that kind ot of a man but there has been that one thing that one woman flushed too she was looking at him with bright intelligent eves but I 1 thought she never even knew no she never didi did allx alix looked back at the gulls oh ob well then I 1 she said indifferently ferent ly allx alix would you like to know about tier her peter said bravely her latue and everything oh no do please id touch much rather not she intercepted him hastily and after a pause she added our marriage the usual marriage in that thai way I 1 mean im not jealous and im not going to cry my eyes out because there was another woman is another woman who ho me antmore to you vou or might have haie im going into it with my eyes open peter ieter I 1 know vou love me and I 1 love ione vou and we both like the hie same things and eti enough ough three weeks later lie he remembered tin tile moment and asked her again they aliey were in tile valley house now and a bitter was vi whirling hirling clr over tile the mountain peters little cabin rocked to the gale but they were warm and comfortable lesile beside the fire the loom was lamp lighted scented by alexs sweet single violets maite and pimple spilling thenis themselves ches from a glas gla s bowl ant anil by peters pipe ant ami by the rood beant of green ereen bay burning the joyces joycea had biad ad a happy day had climbed tile the hill hills under 11 lowering Io wrIng sha had bad come b home ome to dry dollies clothes and do cooking for now kow was away and hail had finally sit shared ared an epicurean meal ineal beside the I 1 lire ire peter was wrapped in d deep ee P content the companionship of this normal pretty domun her quick words and quick laugh all h her music her gial leing laight interest la in anything and everything was as tile the richest experience of jf his life she had said that she would change nothing lo in ills hla home but her cle clever cleter ter white lingers fingers hal hail changed everything there was order now there mas vi as charming fussing and lusting dusting there v were vere ere flowers in bowls and books set straight and there was just the different little angle to piano and desk and chairs and tables that made the cabin a home at last she ranted A anted brichs for a path lie had bad laughed at her fervent do give me a vs whole b ole carload of bricks for christmas peter I 1 slie site wanted bulbs to pot ile he had bad lazily suggested that they open tile the town house while carpenters ant ani painters remade the cabin but she had protested hotly oil oh do lots lets keep it just as it always wasl smiling lie he gave her her way CHAPTER XI cherry had a hat flat now in red creek park it differed from an apartment because it had bad no elevator no janitor no steam heat these things were neither known nor needed in the crude mining town the flat building itself was considered a rather questionable tio innovation it was a wooden building three stories high with bay windows cherry had bad watched this building going up and had thought it everything desirable she liked the clean kitchen a all 11 fresh white woodwork tiles and nickelplate nickel plate and she liked the big closets and the gas log she had worried herself almost sick with tear fear that she would not get this ahn wonderful Nond erful place and finally paid twenty five dollars for the first months rent with a fast beating heart she had bad the center floor but after the excitement of moving in died away slie site hated the place site she had enough money to hire a maid II 11 M Z 11 it 0 allx alix met her sister at the ferry now and she had a succession of slatternly independent oung noung women in her kitchen but she found her freedom strangely hat flat now and then a play straight from a triumphant year on broadway came to town for one night flight then martin took his wife and they bowed to half the men and women in the house lamenting as they streamed out into the sharp night air that red creek did not see more such productions the effect of these plays was to make cherry long vaguely for tile the stage she really did not enjoy them for themselves but they helped her to visualize eastern cities lighted streets restaurants full of lights and music beautiful women fitly gowned after one of these performances she would not leave her flat for several days but would sit dreaming over the thought of herself in the heroines role one day she had a letter from AUs alix it gave her a heartache she hardly knew why she began tod to dream reain of her own ovill home of uio the warm sweet little valley chose breezes were like wine of Tamal pals rea readied thed in tog fog and of the ridges where buttercups butter cups and poppies powdered a childs shoes with 9 gold old and fiher dust she began to hunger tor for home nothing that red lied creek could offer shook her yearning for the remembered sweetness and beauty of the redwoods and the great shade of the mountain she wanted to spend a whole summer with nith allx alix she was athirst for home for old scenes and old fi lends and old emotions 1 she had only to hint to allx alix to receive a love letter containing a fervent invitation so it was waa settled with a sort of feverish brevity cherry completed her arrangements Ili martin lartin was to use his own judgment in the matter of boarding or keeping the flat some of their household goods were vere stored cherry told him that she would come down in hi september aud and manage all the details of settling hettling acieh but she knew that her secret hope was that silo might neier neer see ile lied creek again alix met tier her sister at the ferry in san on a soft may morning she vas ns an oddly de developed eloped allx alix trim and tall fall prettily gowned and veiled laughing and crying with joy tit seeing cherry again peter she explained between kisses had had to go to los angeles three lays days ago 11 biad and been expected home last night and was not even aware yet that cherry was wai definitely arilla aril an h ln ing of course he knew that you were co colln ming but not exactly when alls alix said aid as she guided tile the newcomer along alone the familiar ferry place on to the big bay steamer for mill valley cherry drew draw back to exclaim to marvel to exalt at all the well weil kemem bared sights and sounds and oh alix market street she exclaimed cl and that smell ot of leather tanning and that smell of 0 bay water nater and of coffee 1 and look a cable car I 1 well come over to san francisco soon and aull see the new hotels alls alix promised when they were seated on the upper deck with the blue waters of the bay moving softly past them cherrys chernys Cher rys happy eyes followed a wheeling gull she felt as it if the world was suddenly sunshiny ant and simple and glorious again but now I 1 thought the best tiling thing was to get you homo home alls alix went on and get you rested 1 I cant get used to the idea of you and peter married P 1 cherry smiled were well used to it allx alix declared smiling too but a little sigh stabbed through the smile a second later cherrys chernys Cher rys exquisite ea eyes es grew sympathetic she suspected from the letter alix had written that there would lie be no nursery needed in the mount mountain itin cabin for a while find and she ahe knew that to baby loving allx alix this would be a bitter cross sausalito Sau fragrant with acacia and rose blooms rose steeply into the bright sunshine beyond the marshes skirting tile the bay glittering in light cherrys chernys Cher rys eager eyes missed nothing and when they left the train at mili mill valley and the mountain air enveloped them in a rush of its clear softness and purity she was in ecstasies she gagean exclamation of delight when they readied reached the cabin it was a picture of peaceful beauty in the summer noon on there were still butter cups lind and poppies in the fields and in the garden thousands of roses were growing riotously flinging their long arms up against the slope of the low brown roof and hanging in festoons fes from the low branches of the oaks beyond the house the mountain rose from the tit porch cherry could look down upon the familiar valley and the rivers winding like strips of blue ribbon through the marshes and the far bay and san francisco beyond inside were shady rooms bowls of fl flowers omers plain little white curtains stirring in the summer breeze peace and simplicity everywhere cherry smiled at the immaculately clad chinese stirring something in a yellow bol in a spotless kitchen whose bose windows showed and wild ild lilac and madrone ladrone trees smiled at the big smoked fireplace ure place where sunlight fell on oil piled logs down the chimneys chim neya great mouth smiled as she went ment to and fro on journeys of investigation but the smile guiv ered into tears chien she came to her own room just such a room as little charity strickland had had only a few ears ago with white hangings hannings hang ings and unpainted wood fresh air streaming through it and red woods outside cherry stumbled into the airy dark sweet little bedroom and some somehow I 1 I 1 ov undressed and crept between the cool sheets of the bed that stood neat near alias on the wide sleeping porch on her last thought was for the heavenly redwoods so close to her she slept indeed for almost twelve unbroken hours oh SIs I 1 do feel so dell clouspy lazy and happy and rested aud and and everything 1 said cherry as she set tied herself at the porch table where service for one was wag spread cherry youre prettier than everl alls alix said eyeing the |
