Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-08-31

SPOKE 20 nef 1dtn6r ABOUT IT. spoke
in her casual and vague fashion, but
gave him food for serious thought,
nevertheless.
dad" said Alix suddenly at the
lunch table one day when Cherry hap.
p4ned to be shopping in the city.
"were you and mother ever separated
when you were married1"
"No-" the doctor, remembering,
shook his head. "Your mother never
was happy away from Rer homer
mot even to visit her own famllyr'
persisted AIix.
"Not ever" he answered. ave al
ways planned 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
home the next day-didn't feel COM
Portable away from home"
''How long do you suppose Martin
will let us have Cherry?" Alix asked.
Her father looked quickly Mt her
and troubled expression crossed his
face.
'The circumstances seem to make 1T
wise to keep hrr here until he Is sure
that this now position Is the right
onsi" he said.
'lf / know anything about Martini"
Alix said, mo position is ever going
to be the right one for him. l mcun,"
she added rs her father gave her an
alarmed look. 81 simply mean that he
is that sort of man. And Il seems
to me-odd the way he and Cherry
i>;, .,
seem like other married women. And
the thing Is, will she ever want to 20
back, If she isn't-rather coerced2
Martin Is odd, YOU know; he has q
kind Of stolid, stupid pride. lie wrote
her weeks ago and asked her to come,
and she wrote back that If he would
find her cottage, she would; she
couldn't 90 to his boarding house, she
hated boarding! Martin answered
that he would, some day, and she snid
to me, oh, now he's cross! Now,
mind you," Alix broke Off vchcmently,
I'D change the entire institution of
marriage, If 1t was me! I'd end all
this"
swell, we won't go into thatr p her
father interrupted her, hastily, for
Alix had aired these views before and
he was not in sympathy with them.
And / guess you're right: the child
is woman now, with q womnn's re-
sponsibilitles," he added. "And her
place Is with her husband. They'll
have to solve life together, to learn to-
gether ri speak to Cherry"
Alix, watching himS walk away,
thought that she had never seen Dad
Took old before She saw the shadow
On his kind face all the rest Of that
day.
It was only the next morning when
he opened the question with Cherry.
II was a brilliant morning, with
spring already in the air. Cherry, on
th&porch steps, was reading q letter
from Martin. Her father, sat down be-
side her. She had on oaeof her old
.gSRns and. bathed In &a8tt sunlight,
slDsxeH eighteen again. hSsair was
sweet and pungent and damp and
fresh, the sky high and blue, and
across the granite face Of Tamnlpais
last scarf Of mist was floating.
swell, what has Martin to sayr
asked the doctor.
"Oh, he doesn't like 1t much !" Cher.
~ said, making little face. "He de-
scribes the village as perfectly hope
less. He's moved into the little house
In Il street. and gotten two stoves
up"
"And when does he want his glrlr'
her father. pursued.
"l1e doesn't say" Cherry answered,
innocently. II think he Is really hap
pier to have me here, where he knows
l am well Off" she said. II know
am," she ended after q moments
thought.
Her father was conscious Of pang;
he had not even formed the thought
In his own mind that Cherry was un-
happy. The child, he told himself had
good husband, home and health,
and undeveloped resources within
herself. 1t was puzzling and painful
to him to realize that there was need
ed something more-and that that
something was lacking. He felt sud-
den anger at Martin; why wasn't Mar
tin managing this AFFAIR."
Mart doesn't mention any time"
he mused
"Thanks to youi" Cherry said,
dlmpling mischievously. "He wrote
quite firmly, just before Christmas"
she added, "but I told him that Dad
had been such an angel and liked 80
much to have me here" And Cher
rvs smile was full Of childish triumph.
"My deDrh her fothar soid enurrod
to sudden courage by realization
that the matter might easily, become
serious, "you mustn't abuse his gen.