The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-19
Our Daily Short Story

shrugged her shoulders and smiled pity ingly at his upbraidings. He demanded a promise that she would never talk wit das fellow again." She replied coidly that she would talk when she chose where she chose, and with whom she chose. She was neatly dressed. and had on new shoes He was all dirty, and his shoes were
 broken. And Cherie made him understand these things. Raging, he bade her an angry farewell, and flung himself on his horse; smiling, she watched his angry rush down the road He mad said that he would nail up the house, and turn the COWS in on the corn and so away. We'll, let him. There were plenty more-cab- bages in mammals garden
 Eh bien. mon ami The jinglinR of the guinea does not help all the hurts True, all the girls envied her the eclat with which she closed the incident but thouRf, Cherie held her head high, she was not happy. Easy enough for outsiders to say that shc was off with the poor lover and would soon be on with the rich one
 Tiens! she had loved "Tout-de-Suite" for half a score years. Hold her head ever so high, shc couli not keep her heart from waking in the night to sob for him, nor ] her eyes from straining up the road he used to cover at a swinging lope. The days, in spite of increasing riches, went very slowly, and the Sunday evenings were-cruel, das what. Even going to camp and coquctting with the young boss ceased to satisfy, and all the time a desire kept growing in her heart a hungry yearning to see the house he had built for her. He had told her so often how it looked straight into the sunset, and how they would sit on their gallery after supper and watch the evening star 70 down behind the pines. How long 1t seemed since they had talked about that. In another week the desire had become a desperate need. She must see that house -her house-before he brought another woman to live in it. It was five miles by the road, but only three miles through the woods
 When madam next started to camp Cherie expressed a desire to remain at home. A year ago this would have pro- voked a voluble protest, but now the It, tie madam was too fully occupied with her corner on cabbages to give more than an absent rejoin1er:
 'Si bon tu scmble.'' she said. and climbed into the cart. Cherie approached her home that was not to be with shy eaRerness Yes; there 1t all was. just as he had said Already the sun stopping to the west threw long pine shadows to the doors 'ep II ere was the little yard he had fixed for her low ers, and there was the g1rden and the cornfield-no: he had not turned the cows In on the corn. It was growing lustily in the new ground. And there was the bench by the well, where she had planned
 to wash. She could almost see him light ing cigarettes and laughing shyly-his strong, white teeth g,eaming in the flare of the match-while he told her how hap py he was going to be when he had a
 wife. And now-he would have a wife. h1f-' ChaTio's 's,. ans1
 top of the little gate, her head bent. It
 was all like looking on the dead, she thcUght. Presently the tears came. An, 1t felt so good to cry at last She would stand there and sob and sob forever and cor a Cherie!"
 Her head was up instantly. the tears dashed away: T got los me-" she said. valiantly.
 But "Tout-de-suite" was not listening. He had cleared the gate and swung her up to his breast. "Cherie. ma petit, ma peit," he kissed the tears from her cheeks and lashes. he kissed the culver from her lips. and over and over he called her his little one and his own.
 T come back yesterday, me-" he said, and even his impuIsiveness did not see the need of telling her that he had come with the intention of moving his live SsoNA otiu S0ailHk HIS Idrn' FosSlDly In his great joy hc had forgotten the bitter resolve. poor hot-headed. true-hearted Toute-de-Suite"
 Cnerle." he whispered, lifting his cheek from hers, T want to show you some ting. I going to make you surprise. but now. no? He carried her through the gate to the tiny front gallery; his strong, brown fingers trembling over the shutter latch. and then the brilliant light of the stopping sun blazed bravely back at her from clear glass panes.