Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1921-09-02
CHAPTER w.


Meanwhile the hot train sped on,
and the drab autumn country flew by
the windows, and still the bride sat
wrapped in her dream, smiling, mus
ing, rousing herself to notice the
scenery.
When Martin asked her II she liked
to be a married woman, travelling with
her husband, she smiled and said that
II seemed funny" For the most part
she was silent, pleased and interested,
but not quite her usual unconcerned
self After dinner they had long,
murmured talk; she began to droop
sleepily now, although even this long
day had not paled her cheeks or visi-
bly, tired her.
At ten they stumbled out, cramped
and overheated, and smitten on tired
foreheads with rush Of icy mountain
air.
us this the pl-l-ace" yawned Cher
ry, clinging to his arm.
'"This is the place, Baby Girl; FL
Nido, and not much Of a place her
husband told her. That's the Hotel
Mckinley, over there where the lights
are! We stay there tonight and drive
out to the mine tomorrow. I'll man.
age the bags, but don't you stumble|
She was wide-awake now, looking
alertly about her at the dark streets
of the little town. Mud squelched be-
meath their feet, planks tilted. Beside
Martin, Cherry entered the bright,
cheerful lobby of cheap hotel where
Tsen were smoking and splitting. She
was beside him at the desk and saw
him write on the register, u. M. Lloyd
and wife" The clerk pushed key
across the counter Martin guided her
to a rafting elevator.
She had q fleeting thought Of home;
Of Dad reading before the fire, Of the
little brown room upstairs, with Alix,
slender In her thin nightgown, yawning
over her prayers. A rush Of reluc-
tance-of strangeness-of something
like terror smote, her. She fought the
inconsistencies down resolutely; every
thing would seem brighter tomorrow,
when the morning and the sunshine
came again.
There was brown and red car
pet In the oblong OF the room, and
brown bureau, and a wide iron bed
with a limp spread, and peeling
brown washstand with a pitcher and
basin. The boy lighted a fare of cleo
trio lights which made the chocolate
10 =
tern in the light and another In the
shadow. A man laughed In the ad-
joining room; the voice seemed very
near.
Cherry had never been In q hotel
of this sort before. 1t seemed to her
cheap and horrible; she did not want
to stay In this room, and Martin, tip
1 ping the boy and asking for ice-water,
seemed somehow a part Of this new
strangeness and crudeness. She began
to be afraid that he would think she
was silly, presently, If she said her
prayers as usual.
In the morning Martin hired a phae-
ton and they drove out to the mine.
Cherry had had q good breakfast and
was wearing a new gown they stopped
another phaeton on the long, pleasant
drive and Martin said to the fat man
In It.:
"Mr. Bates, I want to make you ac-
Quainted with my wife,"
PLEASED to meet you, Mrs. Lloyd !"
said the fat man, pleasantly. Martin
told Cherry, when they passed him,
.that that was the superintendent Of
THE mine, and seemed pleased at the
encounter. Presently Martin put his
arm about her and the bay horse daw-
died along at his own sweet will, while
Martins deep voice told his wife over
and over again how adorable and beau
tiful she was and how he loved her.
Cherry listened happily, and for a
little while the old sense of pride and
achievement cams~back-she was mar
rfed; she was wearing q plain gold
ringl But after few days that feel
ing vanished forever and instead II
began to seem strange to her that
!. she had ever been anything else than
! Martins wife.
For several days she and Martin
laughed necessarily and praised each
other necessarily, while they expert
mented with cooking and ate delicious
gypsy meals.
BY midwinter Cherry had settled
down to the business of life, buying
bacon and lard and sugar and matches