Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-14
complaining and oritioizinr mamie.

whose husband was a native OF Borneo !;
| ana she would pick out the filthiest lairs
aonoluiu and ask me IL 1t wouldn't
seriously:
'I'll go this far, Cherry. Lloyd mar
ried you too young"
oh, far too youngv" she agreed
quickly. The thing Ii can't think Of"
sno sara, rs how young 1 was--only q
little girl. I knew nothing; wasn't
ready to be anybody's wife!"
Something in the poignant sorrow Of
ner Tone went straight to their hearts,
and for the first time Peter had an idea
| or the real suffering she had borne.
a Ams mouth was rather firmly shut, her
SAD, as she looked into the fire.
III I had a child even. or II Martin
needed me-" Cherry said, then Il might
pc, Ss different! But I'm only burden to
His lettor doesn't sound as II he
thought OF you as burden" Alix sug-
An, well, the minute leave him he
has different tone" Cherry explained,
and Peter oaid, with q glance almost OF
TITS an awfully difficult position for
woman of any pride. dear!"
Alix, kneellng TO adjust the Are. as
she was constantly tempted to do, met
MS look, and laid soot-streaked hand
on his knee.
Pete, dearest, of course It ia But"
and Alix looked dopbtfully from one TO
the other-'but divorce is hateful
thing she added. shaking her head, ut
1T never seems to me justifiable!"
Divorce is an institution" Peter said.
You may not like II any more than
you like prisons or madhouses 1t has Its
uses"
People get divorces every day !"
living along In Neutrality-suspicious. love-?
ooh, love - Alix said scornfully.
Love Is just another name for passion
an. and selfishness and iaziness' half the
you can say that, because yours Is
one of the happy marriages" Cherry
! said. 1T might be very different--n
Peter weren't Peter!''
As she said his name she sent him
her trusting smile, her blue eyes 'shone
with affection. and the exquisite curve
Of her mouth deepened. Peter smiled
back, and looked away In little con-
fusion.
phantly.
And Martini" Peter asked
"Ah, we'll, | didn't marry Martin :"
didn't promise to love and honor Mar
tin in sickness and health, for richer
for poorer for better for worse-by
George" Alix interrupted herself, in
her boylsh way, those are terrific
| promise 20
And even for inhdelity. you don't be-
litve people ought to separator Cherry
| asked.
Nonsense !" Peter said
But you said that Martin
mo, I'm not speaking of Martin
now"
well, wouldn't that come under
But, my child. Peter expostulated
kindly. my dear benighted wife--there
| Is such a thing as a soul-a mind-a
personality! To be tied to a-well,
to a coarsenng influence day after day
Is living death! 1t Is worse than any
bodily Giscomfort--"
81 don't see 1t :" Alix persisted 81
think there's a lot of nonsense talked
about the fanny oncompreezy-but II
seems to me that II you have a home
! the country to walk in. you--"
"Oh, Heavens, AliX, you don't know
what you're tai king about" Cherry in
terrupted her. impatlently. Let Peter
ITS all very we'll in books" Alix In
| terrupted her sister IN turn. But in
real life ! don't believe woman ever
bothers to think whether her husband
| ever murmurs her name in dreams or
| not. ] know | take Peter as much for
| granted as | do Tamalpas; If he ever
! leaped from the track. and stole or got
drunk or wandered off after some petit
coat. rG AK him. Id be furious but
l don't see myself leaving him
Peters brief shout Of laughter rang
out.
The awful thing about that female
Is that 1t is true" he told Cherry. IF
ever stray from the path of virtue,
she'll scare me to death"
Nc sometimes ! think your marriage Is
as-as queer as my own" Cherry said
looking from one to the other
Nothlne more was said for several
days upon the subject of possible
divorce, The weather continued perfect.
and the little house party or the noun
tain-top was complete in itself Cherry
often went into the village with AliX, to
be sure: once they all went TO a charity
affair at Blithedale sometimes a few
women drove up the winding road in
the afternoon. and there were ginger-alc
ana cookies on the porch; but most OF
me time the two sisters were alone. with
Peter joining them in the afternoons.
One afternoon Peter crossed the porch
tired and hot. and found everything
apparently deserted. He dropped into
a chair, and was still breathless from
Ine rapid climb uphill, when stray
notes from the piano reached his ears
a chord carefully played bit of bass !
then chord again
Then slowly but with dainty accur-
aGy ana even feeling, Cherry began to
pay strange little study of Schumann,
ieter knew that it was Cherry because |
Ailxs touch was always firm and sure
more than that, he himself had plaved
tnls same bit no longer ago than last !
night, and he remembered now that
merry had asked him just what it was.
He experienced sudden and pleasing
emotion: he did not stop to analyze IT, |
But he had been ruffled in spirit a mo.
ment before; AliX had known he was to
come on this train, and had not met him ,
with the car, and while he really did not !
mind the walk up he dsliked the feel !
ing that they had entirely forgotten him. |
Inc car was gone from its usual stand |
under live oak, but everybody had not |
forgotten him nevertheless Cherry was
deliberately recalling the mood and mo- /,
ment that also recalled him And as the !
notes came slowly, but precisely. from
the cool darkcned living room with its
fragrant masses of sweet peas and nuted |
Martha Washington geranums, Peter |
felt cohtented ana serene. lie, looked up |
ut tho rise Of Tamalpais, only half a |
tone darker than the pale blue sky to- !
day; he looked off at the range toward .
the ocean, where shimmers OF heat were
quivering upward and then he settled |
himself back luXuriously in his great
wicker chair and shut his eyes. Stll the .
piaintive air came, as caressing as a /
touch.
Presently there was silence then
Cherry tried another little study, and |
finished 1t, and the hot summer stiffness |
rcigned again. The valley swan under |
Il haze of pure heat buZzard hung mo- |
tionles8 over the cabin, and the dry air |
was sweet with resinous scent of pines |
and manZanita and even of tarweed
With a sense that he had been dozing |
IL only for few minutes. Peter opened !
his eyes. Framed in the cabin doorway, |