Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-21
SIS TERS
Ru KATHLEEN NORRIS
Author OF "Josseiyn's. Wife"
,c,opvr,eht, 1920 Doubleday, Page & Coz

daring had quite carried Anne's citadel L
ana nad even gained Allxs grudging
So"gs wSeD Marin GherrE had not been at hSms
valley. and the Older girls had written
ner, visiting friends In Napa, that she
must come and meet the new man.
BEEN empossd Sss n mining ysas snsse1r ns se ssa Sut
was visiting his cousin IN the valley now
ppeiore going TO q new position n june;
IN its informal fashion, Mil valley had
big forest flve miles away with the
stricklands and there had been picnic
70 the mountain-top. everybody making
the hard climb except Peter Joyce, who
lazy. as well, and who usually rode an
old horse. with the lunch in saddle-bags
at each side. Alix formulated her theo-
rles of .platonic friendships on these
walks; Anne dreamed a foolish, happy
dream. Girls did marry men did take
wives to themselves, dreamed Anne; y
would be unspeakably sweet, but 1t
would be no miracle -
And Anne, always busy and happy
and helpful. was more 80 than ever
urpacking the delicious lunch, capably
arran sing for everybodEs comfort and
prise when Martin bent over her as she
fused and rearrargcd baskets.
II thought you were gathering wood y
Did you, indeed? Let the other fell |
| lows do that 7 shan't be here forever, |
and I'm privileged"
| would you like me to give you some
thing else to dor
mo, MAJ am, I'm quite happy, thank
you!"
Not much in the words to remember. |
! truly, but the tone and the look went
straight 10 Anne's close-guardcd heart.
Every time she looked UP at the noun
| tain, rearing its dark crest above the
little valley, they had come back to
| her ....
That was, all several weeks ago, now.
II was just after that mountain picnc
| that Cherry had come home on a Sun
eenth birthday, and on which Martin and
his aunt were coming to dinner. Altx
| had marked the occasion by wearing a
loose velvet gown in which sns f1nS,Sd
decorated the, table, had seen to It INA,
| there was ice-cfeam, and chicken. and
all the accessories that make a Sunday
dinner In the country a national institu-
ton. Cherry had done nothing helpful.
| On the contrary, she had disgraced
herself and infuriated Hong by deciding
to make fudge the last minute. Hong
had finally relegated her to the laundry,
and II was from this limbo that Mar.
tin, laughing joyously extricated her.
united the checked brown apron. dis
entangling from the strings the silky
gold tendrils that were blowing over
opened the door for her sugary fingers,
and Martin who watched the flying little
figure out Of sight with prolonged
"Whew-w-w!" OF utter astonlshment
} But II she was beautiful when flushed
and cross and sticky there was no
: word for her when she presently came
, demurely downstairs. her exquisite
head still dropping sulkily. but her
: wonderful eyes .glinting mischief, and
. the dark, tumbled apron replaced by
: thin white ruffies that began at Cherry g
shoulders and ended above her ankles
Soft. firm round chin. straight little nose
blue eyes ringed with babyish shadows
Martin found them all adorable, as was
, every inch of the slender, beautifully
made little body, the brown warm hand
the. clear childish forehead the square
little foot in shining slipper
Her eighteenth birthday! He learned
! that she had Just put UP her hair; in.
: deed. after dinner. her father made hel
. tumble u down in golden mop again
he said to Mrs. North. Martins aunt
, seriously. Martin had been shown he,
birthday gifts; books and a silver ,er
buckle TS L. u% and gold pen and statoner,
r she had had another gift; had opened
the tiny Shreve box with a sudden ham.
a mering at her heart, with a presage oi
delight She had found silver.toppet
5 Martin Lloyd: and under the name, II
n tiny letters, the words 20 fudge"' Tht
Q siris laughed over this nonsense appre
ciatively, but there was more tina,
3 laughter In Cherry's heart.
h From. that moment the world wa
: changed. Her father. her sisters, he
= cousin had second place, now. Cherr.
i had put out her innocent little hand, ant
through It into the world. That hou
e was the beginning, and It had led he
q surely. steadily to the other hour to
/, night when she had been kissed. and hac
: Nobody dreamed 1t. she told herse
s with innocent cxutatlon, looking a
/ AliX. sunk into her chair ungracefully
e ana .horL, at Anne. pcacefui,y sewing The,
:. engaged 10 be married =, -
y "So--we walk home with young. men?
I mused the doctor: smiling. "fook here
i ting you both out with that young man
4 II you're not careful! -
y. Alix. deep in her story, did not hea,
him. but Anne smiled family. and falntl'
= frowned as she shook her head. Sh
i considered Cherry sufficiently precociou
y without Uncle Lees ill-considersd toler
Y ance Anne had often told him tina
Cherry was the 'pink-and-whit type
n that would attract boys" soon enoougl
y without any encouragement from him
=, But he persisted in regarding her q
d nothing more than captivating BABY
" He would have had them always chill
= dren. this tender. simple, innocent Doc
= = tor Strickland, He was in many way
= n child himself. He had never mad
r. money In his profession he and his VII
a and the two tiny girls had had mar
q enough struggle sometimes, Anne an an,
" her own father had joined the famil,
y eight years ago, In the same year tina
the Strickland Patent Fire Extinguisher
u over which the doctor had been putter
: . ing for years, had been sold. 1t did no
l. sell as his neirhbors believed. for
- million dollars. but for perhaps one
y tenth of that sum- 1t was enough, an
e more than enough, whatever 1t was
= After Anne's father died II meant tha
,, house under the 'redwoods, with his girls
, reading. fussinR with 2 new invention
10 walking, consulting with Anne. laughin
- at Alix, and spelling his Youngest oorr
J, In wide porches, smelling within an
.e without OF the sweet woods about y
~ Here the Strcklands weathered the cole
y damp winters. when, the trees drippe
,r watched the first emerald of sprin
le breaking through the loan OF a thou
= sand autumns here they hunted for ir'
- and wild lilac in April, and hung Japa
"a summers. 1t was n perfect life for III
lie old man II was only lately that he b,
i, gan uneasily to, suspect that they woul
IN IN some day want something more, thu
er they would some day tire Of empty fore
at away from the shadow OF Mt Tama
u pals, and into the world,
AZ Anne; now.-was she beginning st.,
"a land was surprised with the fervor vii
~ which he repudiated the thought. Anr
er had been admired. she must go TO N
+ own home some day But her nhnurr unG
~ home: this young engineer, who ha
T.. drifted already into dozen dlffere'