Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-10

your house and see what six months OF |
Rows uninterrupted sway have done
That's Just what we'll do % he agreed.
enthusiastically And we'll have come
She had risen. as IL for good d-nghts,
and was now beside the old square plano,
where she had placed the lamp.
~ haven't touched it--since--" she |
said, sadly, sitting on the stool, and with |
back the hinged, cover. And a moment
later her hands, with the assurance and |
ease of the adept, drifted into one OF |
the songs Of the old days.
do you remember the day we put
the tne rose tree back. PeterT' she asked !
when Martin was almost stranger |
AND DO you remember the day Cherry
and ! fell into the Three Wells and YOU
ana dad had to disappear while we dried
our clothing on branches OF trees? And
Tdo you remember the day we made bis
| cults, over by the ocean 4" -
ed, deeply stirred.
We didn't see all this, then" Alix
elaimIng s1 SUI syarvi iSsy PLAYING softly. Anne
YOU and l here talking of dads death,
and Cherry married." She sighed
o,,s Shes not happy?' he questioned
,,, Alix shrugged. pursuing her lips doubt.
She's not unhappy" she to,d hin,
vi with a troubled smile. 'Tt's Jus Just "". ONE
or on,1 .n1se marriages that don't ever get
added. ddnere;, Mart,, ana don't on, ever stop" she
reasonable, te and he makes enemies Ru,
M Mumose aren't the faults for which n
ps.nrn ppoman can leave her husband. on
hand on ohs ADDED laying a smooth warm
ms eyes with her honest eyes ason.t tnso ao
way again Stay here in the VALLEY ~
thweek week or two. and help me get eyerUI
BEEN btns s@ WORKED liked out and thought out-Tye
| Dear old Alix |" he said ,,t,,,
ar arm ,iG ahaMt neneh S beside her and putting his
IS She dropped her head on hi, s,or,a.r
minute Alixs ss' hanay xsfy wsn, still !. for long
ssh1ouider, s1s and her fingers tishtenedo own nn
MS, hs, and she breathed deem. contertod oi
preesths like a child. 'o"'eh'eo
co,,sot somebody 2, ought to wire Mrs. Grundv
We will defy Mrs. GrSntiy tTn'ie Inv dam II.
hrot, he.er SAID; kissing the top Of n SOFT
prown braid, by trotting Off hand a.,
r n,arr, Iomorrow and getting ourselves
oonaent y, Why, Alix, he gave us his
ber?" e'-uon' you remem-
,,rii He 49,, did wish IL" she said. and
s,,ab.,s, q seem m to be doing things in a
him the next day. when thew had eotteo @
breakfast together. and were baskine in
tne sunlight of the upper deck OF the
1erryboat, on their way to the city. ~
spena Ine night before my marriage
aione-aione in small country house
hidden In the woods-with nv be-
trothed. and propose to buy nv trous-
seau Immediately after the ceremony p
Il feel like saying to you what the
} dear old French archbishop said TO the
| small lal
niue nonetheless at her untouched
serenity. HE was speaking to all tht
| children In some Institution, and came
to this little one: 'Et tu etes negre? All
what makes you yourself, Alix, doin,
, everything just a little differently"
MARRYING you. far from seeming
= radical or momentous thing to do" sh,
J back into key--getting out Of this bat
dream of loneliness and change-secur
ing something that thought was lost =
r Her voice fell to dreamy note, ant
she watched the gulls, wheeling in tn
sunshine, with thoughtful, smiling eyes
the silence that followed. with something
look.
I Look here, Alix-let's talk. I wan
to tell you something-or. rather"
"Continuez-continuez she said
n laughing, as he hesitated.
There's never been anything-any
Q thing to tell you--or your father. II h
}. trife awkward. Pm not that kind o
e a man.. l was a crippled kid, as yo'
know. all for books and music and walk
and older people. But there has beel
. that one thing-that one woman"
Flushed, too, she was looking at hir
!, with bright, intelligent eyes.
y But thought she never evel
= knew"
a mo, she never did,
q Alix looked back at the gulls:
"oh; well. then" she said indif
y ."Allx, would you like to know abou
: herr" Peter said bravely. Her nam
s any. everythlng?' 49,
Q ION, no please. I'd much rather not!
she intercepted him hastily. and after
: pause she added, "Our marriage ism
h the usual marriage, in that way.
n mean I'm not Jealous, and I'm not goin
. to cry my eyes out because there wa
] another woman--is another woman. VIII
0 meant more to You. or might have! In
going into 1t with my eyes wide open
Peter know you love me, and j low
. you. and we both like the same things
, and that's enough"
E Three weeks later he remembered tn
=. were In the valley house now. and
bitter storm was whirling over tn
mountain, Peters little cabin rocked
: the gale, but they were warm and com com
' lamp-lighted. scented by Alix's swee
4 single violets. white and purple, spill
q ing themselves from a glass bowl. an
y by Peters pipe, and by r the good. good seen Sa,
e had happy day, had, climbed the hill
q under a lowering sky, had come home t
q dry clothes and to cooking. for kow wa
= away. and had finally shared an cpl
n curean meal beside the FIRE.
- Peter was wrapped in deep content
!. the companionship Of this normal. prettj
. woman, her quick words and quicl
laugh, her music. her glancing, brigh
I interest in anything and everything, va
1 the richest experience Of his life. Sh
Z had said that she would change moth
i ing In his home. but her clever whit
i fingers had changed everything IN; Ther
3 fussng and busting, there were flower
. in bowls, and books set straight. an
there was just the different little angl
that made the cabin a home at last Sh
i; laughed at her fervent, "Do give me
I whole carload OF bricks for Christmas
: Peter !" She wanted bulbs to pot; II II
!. town house while carpenters and paint
q ers remade the cabin, but she had pro
J, tested hotly, "oh. do let's keep 1t JUS
= as 1t always was !" ,,
|. amused him day after day. He watche'
y her, marveling at the miracle that wa
woman, He heard her In the kitchen
: interrogating the Chinese: You sho,
: me picturN. your little boy" He hear
: her inveiglNg Antoine, the old Italial
q laborer, into condolences.
!. Tonight he watched her In great sat
a sfaction he liked to have her here l
!. his home, one of the pretty Strickland
Peter Joyce's wife, Nobody else wa
4 here, nobody else belonged here. the
@ we're master of their own lives. She quit
/" captivated him by her simplicity an
O frankness: she washed her masses o
4 brown hair and shook II loose In tn