News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-10-05
SYNOPSIS.

Strickland, retired, Is living at Mill VAL
ley, a short distance from San Francisco.
His, closest friend Is Peter Joyce, some
thing of recluse. Visiting in the VI
Gnity, Martin Lloyd. mining engineer,
falls in love with and secretly becomes
engaged to Cherry.
CHAPTER II-While the family Is
specializing as to Lloyd's intentions. Cher
Gy brings him to supper, practically an
aouncing her engagement to him
CHAPTER III-Doctor Strickland feels
Cherry is too young to marry and urges
her to wait at least a year, but the gil
"coaXes him into agreeing to an immediate
wedding and the ceremony takes place,
che couple leaving at once for Ell Nido,
where Martin is employed,
CHAPTER IV-The honeymoon days
over, Cherry begins to feel a vague dis
satisfaction with Martin and the monot-
sony Of her daily life.
After that, life went on serenely, and
1t was only occasionally that the girls
were reminded that Cherry was
married woman with a husband eX-
DeCting her shortly to return to him.
November passed, and Christmas
came, and there was some talk Of Mar
tins joining them for Christmas. But
ne did not come; he was extremely
busy ait the new mine and comfortable
lin village boarding house.
1t was in early March that AliX
spoke to her father about it; spoke
an her casual and vague fashion, but
gave him food for serious thought,
nevertheless.
dad" said AliX suddenly at the
gunch table one day when Cherry hap
Dened to be shopping in the city,
ef'were you and mother ever separated
.ayhen you were Iharried?"
NO" the doctor, remembering,
SHOOK his head. Your mother never
was happy away from her home!'
! Not even to visit her own famf1yT
persisted Alix.
( mot ever" he answered. ave al
ways planned a long visit In the East
but she never would go without me.
She went to your Uncle Vincent's
house in Palo Alto once, but she came
ghome the next day-didn't feel com
Portable away from koma!"
'How long do you suppose Martin
will let us have Cherry?" Alix asked.
Her father looked quickly at her
and a troubled expression crossed his
face.
"The circumstances seem to make 1t
wise to keep her here until he is sure
jthat this new position is the right
one" he said.
"If | know anything about Martin"
-AliX said, mo position is ever going
10 be the right one for him. | mean
she added as her father gave her an
alarmed look. 81 simply mean that he
is that sort of man. And it seems
no me-odd the way he and Cherry
take their marriage! She doesn't
seem like other married women. And
the thing is, will she ever want to go
back, if she isnt-rather coerced?
Martin is odd you know; he has a
Kind of stolid, stupid pride. He wrote
her weeks ago and asked her to come,
and she wrote back that if he would
find her a cottage, she would; she
couldn't go to his boarding house, she
lhated boarding! Martin answered
that he would, some day, and she said
ITO me, oh, now he's cross' Now,
mind YOU" Alix broke off vehemently,
"'Td change the entire institution Of
marriage, if it was me! I'd end all
this"
"Well, we won't go into that" her
father interrupted her, hastily, for
.AliX had aired these views before and
9e was not in sympathy with them.
land 7 guess you're right: the child
is woman now, with woman's re-
rSponsibilities," he added. And her
pare is with her husband. They'll
have TO solve life together, to learn to-
tgetner. I'll speak to Cherry
Alix, watching him walk away,
thought that she had never seen Dad
hook old before She saw the shadow
pn his kind face all the rest of that
DAY.
1t was only the next morning when
Me opened the question with Cherry.
1t was a brilliant morning, with
spring already in the air. Cherry, on
the porch steps, was reading letter
from Martin. Her father sat down be-
side her She had on one of her old
gowns and, bathed in soft sunlight,
booked eighteen again. The air was
sweet and pungent and damp and
fresh, the sky high and blue, and
across the granite face of Tamalpais
a last scarf of mist was floating.
"Well, what has Martin to sayT
asked the doctor.
"Oh. he doesn't like 1t much y Cher
~ said, making a little face. HE de-
scribes the village as perfectly hope
Hess He's moved into the little house
sn K street, and gotten two stoves
mp"
"And when does he want his girl7"
her father pursued.
Gle doesn't say" Cherry answered,
II think he is really hap
pier to have me here, where he knows
i am well off y she said. Il know i
am" she ended after Q moments
Thought. go
Her father was conscious of pang;
30 Ia,I not ov-ov, Formed tho tbOuu bf