Graham guardian., 1921-09-02
CHAPTER VII.

Martins work was In the Contra
Costa valley, and he and Cherry had
small house In Red Creek, the only
town OF any size near the mine. Red
Greek was In fruit-farming and
dairy region and looked Its prettiest
on the spring evening when Cherry
saw 1t first.
Her little house was cottage with
porch running across the front,
where windows looked out from the
sitting room and the front bedroom.
Back OF these rooms were dark lit
tie bathroom that connected the front
bedroom with another smaller bed
room, little dining room and a
kitchen. Martin, man-fashlon, had
merely camped In kitchen and bedroom
while awaiting his wife; but Cherry
buttoned on her crisp little apron on
the first morning after her arrival, and
attacked the accumulated dishes In
the sink and the scattered shirts and
collars bravely.
For a few weeks the novelty lasted
anu Sbtiiy NHS "b'uN
everything. She looked out across her
dlshpan at green fields and the begin
ming of the farms; she saw the lilacs
burst into fragrant plumes on the
bare branches Of her dooryard tree; !;
spring flushed the whole world with
lovelIness, and she was young, and
healthy, and too busy to be home
sick.
The days went on and on, each
bringing It's round of dishes, beds,
sweeping. marketing, folding and un-
folding tublecloths, going back and
forth between kitchen and dining
room. Martins breakfast was either
promptly served and well cooked, In
which case Martin was silently satis-
fled, or II was late and a failure, when
he was very .artlculntely dlsgusted; In
either case Cherry was left to clear
and wash and plan for another meal
In four hours more. She soaked fruit,
beat up cake, chopped boxes into
kindllngs, heated q kettle OF water
and another kettle OF water, dragged
sheets from the bed only to replace
them, filled dishes with food only to
find them empty and ready to wash
again.
II get sick OF II" she told Martin.
"Well, Lordi" he exclaimed. Don't
you think everybody docs? Don't l
get sick OF my work? You ought to
have the responsibility OF It all for
while!'
His tone was humorously reproving
rather than unkind. Hut such Il
speech would fill Chcrry's eyes with
tears and cause her to go about the
house all morning with heavy
heart.
She would find herself looking
thoughtfully at Martin In these days,
studying him as II he were an utter
stranger. II bewnJered her to feel
that he actually was no more than
that, after two years Of marriage. She
not only did not know him, but she
had bafIlcd sense that the very
ncarness OF. their union prevented her
from seeing him fairly. She knew that
she did him injustice In her thoughts.
II must be injustice, decided Cherry.
For Martin seemed to her less clever,
less just, less intelligent, and less
generous thnn the average man Of her
acquaintance. And yet he did not
seem to impress other people In the
way he impressed her.
He was extraordinarily healthy, and
had small sympathy for Illness. weak.
ness, for the unfortunate, and the
complaining. lie whIstled over his
dressing. rcad the paper at breakfast,
and was gone. AT noon he rushed in,
always late, devoured his lunch ap-
prcciatively, and wns gone again. At
night he was usually tired, inclined to
quarrel about small matters, inclined
TO disapprove of the new positions OF
| the bedroom furniture, or the way
Chcrry's hair was dressed.
lie loved 10 play poker and was hos
| pitabe to a certain extent. He would
whistle and Joke over the prepara'
tions for n rareblt after a game, and
would willingly walk five blocks for