Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-30


the, grave of the mistress he had loyeU
and served so faithfully. The sight OF
MN, in his clumsy black, instead Of the
usual crisp, white, and with a sad and
| tear. stained face shook Peter strangely,
but he did not show sign of pain
The twisted low branches of oak treas
threw shadows on the grave when they
| nhaliy reached II, and sheep were crop
Pihg tne watered grass Of the graveyard.
IL was silent and peaceful here, on the
truded, and nothing stirred but Tie
shadow OF flying Bird, and the slowly
moving rounded woolly backs OF the
The soft autumn sky, the drift Of
snowy clouds across the blue. the clear
shadows on brown grass under the oaks,
ail these were famIllcr. But peter sti,i
,poked daSediS at his black cuff and at
bns bss,stpnoed surned ea, earth next to the doctore
this was for Alix How often he had had
| seen her sitting there, with her bright
lace sobered ana sweet. as she TAXED
iSoNalhs,E, low eagerly Of her father They
willing because she was so sensible and
happy about III she would pack lunch,
| button herself into one of the crisp blue
gsmgnIams; ss,,sI rs s., Chatter on the road IN her
moments nSnn iashlon; tbe tro,a And I'd H. for few
the sight OF the old doctors grave be.
came too poignant, and tears Game, she
aa,ways scolded herself with that mix
tSae tSae or childish and maternal impatience
tnat was so characteristic Of her, and
that Peter had seen her use to this
very father years ago
he remembered her, a tall, awkward
from spr Tisn bsn = volume Of Dickens slipping
by the fire. teasing her father, scolding
ana reproaching him Blazing red On
hlgh cheekbones, untidy black hair, o,lick
(NmHs mHsuo ana ready laugh; that was the
Hin,s,, d1M OF me old days, when he had criti-
that she should be more like Anne and
little Cherry --''''o anu
He remembered being delegated. one
Gay nay 70 take her into town to the dentist,
dentist was not in his Office, he had
taken her to the circus instead. she
mad been about thirteen, and had eaten
boS boS ,nsa many peanuts. peanuts. he thought, and
happy she had been ''
Dear little old, blue petticoatl" he
said. Aiia Dear little old madcap
There was silence, the silence OF
inainition, about him. He came to him
sell with a start. He was up on the
nllls. In the. cemetery--this was Alixs
,as,. grave, newly covered with whiting
everybody waiting He murmured an
apology; the waiting men were ali kind.
ness and sympathy
ne got back into the motorcar; Kow
sos towari IN tfe ne man who drove them quickly
steadily to Peter. attempting TO Interest
MN In the affairs Of some water com.
pany IN San Francisco.
tr,i Mhen they got to the valley a city
people Ta5 iootnr srriyiRg RI bI, and Peter saw
rowfully. He remembered the many,
hahy ,h tlines Alix had waited for him at
.ne trains he glanced toward the big
haulone har one under which she always parked
book as he crossed from the train. hut
sne would fling 1t into the back seat and
MAKE, make room for him beside her The dog
,,, woui9 pound into the tonneau, AliS
car would start with a great plunRe
toward the mountain-toward the cool
saraen high up on the ridge
GO, She never had an accident, Fred" he
"AlIx7' The other man nodded
his eyes. did not like Peter'a om oS,Iat
tone. 1T may be that her steering
Was gear bnr bnroke" he said. Il don't believe |,
Just one Of those ser Waii thinssM,i No, It was as
emptied his lungs with a great breath os
and sympathy. Now. we
pIaad,rSy,2,u Tsad you tonight" he began,
"No--no-no !" Peter said, quickly "1
had better go to her sister Poor LLOYD
- - lying ana she Is on the verge Of a
ctSUIiapse. tS The nurse said this morning
to oa' eaSs saeS could not get her to undress or
shs Cherry! ,,!,, I had better go there, Fred.
No chance for him." tbe drivins
man asked, turning his car.
,No-lt's only a matter of time =,
money, didn't she?'
1Yes-all Of 1t. now. And my wife
nad n some property-some l had given
agI yiiI hi anat o VIZ go to the sister now. She
one. That would have pleased AIix"
,,,S1hes a beautiful woman, and young
sSi!i, Sai, sald the other man. after while
feter did not hear him.
Cherry. looked small and pathetic IN
ner fresh black and her face was
marked by secret incessant weeping
SUI the nurses and doctors could not
,aiy az enough ,,H for her self-control she was
ul and calm when they saw her and
'he was always busy From early
morning, when she slipped into the sicis
oom, , to stand looking at the uncon-
Tnrns.tnn marhn IN with WI troubled, intent
yell. until night, she moved untlringly
lDout the quiet, shaded house. She
supervised the Chinese boy, saw thai
ne nurses had their hours for rest and
aEeeu me rooms, saw callers sweetly
nd patiently, filled vases with MOVERS
every day she had several ylglls I'm
ne SICK room, and every day at least one
'ng talk with the doctors. Peter would
r find her-who had loved to be idle. a
ew weeks ago--busily sewing. some
mes she gave him a long list OF things =
DO Tor her In the village and the
ibtS, bsrrr ana & every day she wrote notes &
aty' melry' VINO nad always hated to write
otes TO thank the friends who had
ent m flowers. soups and jellies, and
ustards for the patient. Every after
o9n ana evening had it's callers she
nd Peter were rarely alone,
-, Mart!h was utterly unconscious Of the
Ie tnat moved on about him sometimes
seemed to recognize Cherry, and
'ould stare with painful intentness into
er race, but after a few seconds his
aze would wander to the strange
uTses' and the room that he had never
nown, and with puzzled sigh he would
ose MS eyes again. and drift back into
- own strange world of pain, fever. and
nconSciousness.
Almost every day there was the sud.
en- en- summons and panic in the old
,om with thick beating at his heart
berry entering, white-faced and with
rrihed eyes doctors and nurses gather
e noiselessly near for the last scene in
le drama Of Martins suffering. But
le release did not come,
There would be murmuring among the
'ctors and nurses the pulse was gain
g., not losing; the apparently fatal,
nal symptoms were proving neither
Ital nor final The tension would re-
x; a doctor would go, nurse slip from
Ie room; Cherry looking anxiously
ON one face to another would breathe
ore easily, 1t was Inevitable, she
new that now-but It was not to be