The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-12-01
Cherry Shrugged.

e99S' y
"As much as he stays anywhereF
she answered, drily.
"H'ml Does that mean your Alix
asked.
II suppose that's the plan," Cherry
said, lifelessly. "He says he'll want
me to join him about the middle of
August"
"Oh. help!" Allx said, disgustedly.
Cherry was silent few minutes,
and Peter smoked with his eyes on the
fire.
( "If-"Cherry said presently, III
l get my money I'll have enough to
live on, won't I, Peterf
you'll have about forty thousand
dollars-yes, at FIVE per cent you could
live on that. Especially If you lived
here in the valley" Peter answered,
after some thought.
"Then want you to know" Cherry
went on quietly, with sudden scarlet
In her cheeks, shat I'm going to tell
Martin l think we have tried 1t long
enoughw
Peter looked gravely at her, sober
ly nodded, and resumed his study of
the fire. But Alix spoke in brisk pro-
test.
"Tried it! You mean tried mar
riage But one doesn't try marriage!
It's fact. It's like the color Of your
eyes,
"Alix," the little sister pleaded eager
ly, "you don't know what 1t is-you
don't know what 1t is Always meeting
people I don't like; always living in
places hate; always feeling that my
own self is being smothered and lost
and shrunk; always listening to Mart
complaining and criticizing people"
Peter interrupted seriously:
'rll go this far, Cherry. Lloyd mar
ried you too young"
"Oh, far too young" she agreed
quickly. "The thing IL can't think
Of" she said, sis how young was
only little girl. knew nothing;
I wasn't ready to be anybody's wifeW
Something in the poignant sorrow Of
her tone went straight to their hearts,
| and for the first time Peter had an
idea of the real suffering she had
borne.
"If had child, even, or If Martin
| needed me-" Cherry said, "then it
might be different! But I'm only
| burden to him"
Ellis letter doesn't sound as If he
| thought of you as burden" Alix sug-
gested mildly.
"Ah, we'll, the minute I leave him
he has a different tone," Cherry ex-
planned, and Peter said, with a glance
almost of surprise at his wife:
"Its an awfully difficult position for
a woman Of any pride, dear!"
Alix, kneeling to adjust the fire, as
she was constantly tempted to do, met
his look and laid soot-streaked hand
| on his knee.
/ "Pete, dearest, of course 1t Is!
But" and Alix looked doubtfully from
| one to the other "but divorce is a
hateful thing!" she added, shaking her
head. "It-it never seems to me JUS
tifiableW
'eDivorce is an institution" Peter
said. "You may not like it any more
than you like prisons or madhouses
1t has It's uses"
"People get divorces every dayv'
Cherry added. "Tsn't divorce better
than living along in marriage without
love?"
"Oh, love!" Alix said scornfully.
Love is just another name for pas
sion and selfishness and laziness, half
the timer
+ "You can say that, because yours
is one of the happy marriages" Cher
ry said. 1T might be very different
II Peter weren't Peterl"
AS she said his name she sent him
her trusting smile; her blue eyes shone
with affection, and the exquisite curve
lof her mouth deepened. Peter smiled
back and looked away In a little con-
fusion.
II can't imagine the circumstances
under which I shouldn't love you and
Peter!" Alix summarized It, triumph
antly.
"And Martini Peter asked.
"Ah, we'll; I didn't marry Martin !"
his wife reminded him quickly. "
didn't promise to love and honor Mar
tin In sickness and health; for richer,
for poorer; for better, for worse-by
George I" Alix interrupted herself, in
her boyish way, 'those are terrific
words, you know. And promise is
promiseW
"And even for infidellty you don't
believe people ought to seperateT'
Cherry asked.
Nonsense y Peter said.
"But you said-that Martin never
"No, I'm not speaking Of Martin
nowf"
'Well, wouldn't that come under
'wOrser'?" Alix asked. >~
'But, my child" Peter expostulated
kindly. my dear benighted wife
there is such thing as soul--a mind
"a personality To be tied to a.
well, to coarsening influence day after
day Is living death! It is worse than
any bodily discomfort"
/ II don't see itT' Alix persisted. Il
] think there's Lot of nonsense talked