Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-01
SIS TER s
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
nu,s STARTS THE STORY
Author of "Josselpn's Wne'
(Copyrisht, 1919. by Kathleen Norris


pootor strickland, hs too daugh-
tcrs, Altr ard ofn. GhesTy, y an fhs Ca,,,ormsa s %
Anne, An,d,' n and Peter JoycG their
reausyb comes and goes at totL
neton,uoii, no,. ii,oyd. a visiting engineer, pro.
ha IN cherry. Peter hos stdb of
t SotS as he reeitses that tns Is dgera., mars.,,
i true. Atter, ths & 'ooddtng: n,,2s ,ni,,,nm msrm
taxes n"Ssre n he Is employed. Soon they
togn g ,hsre jV" are too many bulls and too
@ Hma ,noyev Cherry misses the nice
Wue -, home. "Somettrres. ptth
th'ngs ,ears, she compldtmed that she
@ng'S scg NO maid and neper 'oen' any
,here" - ,oxr,Surs
,,r aha developed steadily. As she
b raw skillful in managing her little
s,e also grew in the art OF man.
noT noI,,s her husband and herself she
ss.arre clever at avoiding causes OF
ooroent: De0" she listened, nodded
o'e ,s with a boiling heart. ana mao
u.s. s,.,sfaction Of having Martins
tne a,,, veer the next day. or the
1e. sorr 10 meet her own secret con-
..,on Martins opinion, she told her
| self wearlly, as sne e"Npt
.nd marketed busily, didn't matter any
how. -, .. =. III.
,,nar,ors he would threaten and brood
sas ,hen Il would all be forgotten. time
~. tI,re silent, absent-minded. look
,na closely at burn upon her smooth
10, or pleating her checked apron
cnarrv would sit opposite him at his
"1 suppose you don't agree with me?'
=. would interrupt himself to ash
"aort---" The innocent blue eye
-,or,d he raised vaguely. II don't know
snv,h,ns about It, dear. II Mr.. Tay
lor-"
your"
"Yes dear. But
"Eor Gods sake. don't call mo dear
when you---' ;.
MART her dignity always rose II
arms, please don't get excited
"We,,r' His tone would be modifie'
as the appet,zing little meal was dis
patched. "But Lord. you 40 make m
co
can always tell when you're in sym
nathy with me-my Lord. wish yo'
had to go up against these fellow %
would go on and on; Cherry woul,
pause at the door carving hSaas Uue woud iaus no
sympathzingly as she set his desser
before him But her soul was like som
living thing spun into a cocoon, hear
Ing the sounds Of life only. vaguely, In
terested in them not at all: ~ .,.,
little world accepted her as q matter q
course. Pretty little Mrs. Lloyd wen
every morning into the Company Stor,
as the only store at the mine was callet
and smiled over her shopping; sh
her husband she met some other woma
wheeling a baby up to the cottages, an
they gossiped together. She and he
husband dined and played cards no'
and then with a neighbor and his wifi
and they gave dinners in return, whe
5santly and the, women laughed at thei
greedy enthusiasms. Like the othe
women. she had her small domestic an
bitions. Mrs. Brown wanted a mea,
have curly maple bedroom set Mr.
Lloyd wanted standing mahogan
lamp for the sitting room.
But under 1t all Cherry knew tina
something young and irresponsible an
confident In her had been killed. sh
the fogs and the spokes of sunlight unde
the redwood aisles, Of Alix and the dog
and the dreamy evenings by the fir
And especially she did not like to thin
Of that eighteenth birthday, and herse
thrilling and ecstatio because tn
strange young man from Mrs. North
had stared at her In her sticky apro
with 80 new and disturbing a smile 1
his eyes.
So winter passed at the mine. and q
Tamalpais. Allx still kept her bedroom
windows open. but the rain tore II
and Anne protested at the ensuing stain
on the pantry ceiling. Creeks rushe
swollen and yellow; fog smothered tn
mountain peak; the forest floor ooze
muddy boots cluttered the doctor
hearth for he and Allx and Pete
tramped for miles through the wood
And over the hills, bringing home tri
lium and pungent wild currant blossom
and hlling the house with blooms.
Cherry's wedding. once satisfactoril
over, was cause of great satlsfactio
70 her sister and cousin. They ha
stepped back duly to give her the cente
OF the stage; they had admired an
congratulated. had helped her in a
hss hbssrty N.I generosity: They had listened
and had given her more thar her shar
Oh The household treasures of silye
spoons and yellowed old lace.
ana now that she was gone they ei
1oyed their own lives again, dnd ca,
SvT g,s,s hers the glamour that novelty an
Instance never fail to give. Cherr,
married and keeping house and manai
ns aHairs was an object Of romantl
interest interest The girls surmlsed that Cherr
must be making friends; that every on
hust rlos admire her; that Martin would b
bsr n ,s.,e ,some day, without doubt. whe
i"Syea rs chatter about the Are.
Nherry wrote regularly, now and the