News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-11-30
Sisters
by
KATHLEEN
NORRIS
Copyright BY Kathleen Norris

"Shall II" faltered Cherry. She
looked at AliX, who had not yet
climbed into the car and was pulling
on her driving gloves. AliX, toward
whose face the dog was making eager
springs, did not appear interested, Sc
Cherry turned to Martin. "Walk with
us, Mart?" she said.
mix" Martin said comfortably, not
stirring.
'rIll be home before you, Pete, and
wait for YOU" Alix said She looked
at him irresolutely, as if she would
have added more, but evidently de-
cided against it and spoke again only
In reference to the dog. Keep Buck
with you/ will you, Pete?" she said,
Hes getting too lazy. No, sir!" she
Teproached the animal atfectionately.
''You shall not ride! Well the dear
old Bucky-boy, does he want to come
ealong?"
And she knelt down and put her
arms about the animal, and laid her
brown cheek against his head.
"You old fool !" she said, shaking
him gently to and fro. you've got
to stay with Peter. Old Buck"
Suddenly she was on her feet and
had sprung into her place.
Hold him, Pete!" she said. Good
by, Sis dear! All right, Martini"
The engine raced; the car slipped
smoothly into gear and vanished Pc
Ter and Cherry stood looking at each
other.
"Give them q good start, or Buck
will catch them" Peter said. his body
swaying with the frantic jumping of
the straining dog. But to himself he
said, with. a sense of shock: "Alix
hynows"
Buck was off like rocket when he
ally set him free; his feathery tail
appeared between the columns of
e redwoods. Without speaking,
4 berry and Peter started after him.
"And now that we are alone togeth-
er," Cherry said, after few minutes,
"there seems to be nothing to say!
We've said it all"
Nothing to say!'' Peter echoed.
*Alix knows" he said in his heart
"Whatever we do. it all seems So
wrong!"' Cherry said with watering
eyes.
"Whatever we do is wrong" he
agreed soberly.
But we go?" she said on a flutter-
ing breath.
I'VE must go" Peter answered.
And again, like the ominous fall of
heavy bell-tongue, the words formed
in his heart: "Alix knows. Alix
knows'
He thought of the afternoon, only a
few weeks ago, when Cherry's beauty
had made so sudden and so irresist-
ible an appeal to him, and of the in
nOccnt delight of their luncheOns to-
gether, when she had first cOnfided in
him. and of the days of secret and
intense JOY that her mere nearness
and the knowledge that he would see
her had afforded him, 1t had all
seemed so fresh, so natural, so entire
,ly their own affair, until the tragic
day of Martins temperance and the
hour of agoniZed waiting at the boat
for the Cherry who did not come.
There had b.el no joyous sef-confi
Jlence in that hour, none in the dis
dressed hour at the Orpheum, and the
hour just past, when Cherry's rarely
displayed passion had wrenched from
aim his last vestige of doubt
Dat hn ,,,1Ip in inu 40
piness that he should know, from
.Alrx's brave and gentle and generous
look as they parted. that Alix knew
He had, in the wild rush and hurry
of his thoughts, no time now to analyze
what their love must mean to her, but
1t hurt him to see on her happy face
those lines of sternness and gravity.
to see her bright and honest eyes
Swallowed with that new look of pain.
1t was too late now TO undo it; he
and Cherry must carry their desperate
plan to conclusion now, must dis
appear and forget. They had tried, all
this last dreadful week, they had both
tried, to eXtinguish the flames, and |
they had failed. But to Peter there |
was no comforting thought anywhere.
Wrong would be done to Martin, to
Alix. to Cherry-and more than even |
thesr. wrong to himself, to the ideal |
Of Himself that had been his for so |
sraay years, to the real Peter Joyce. |
Listen. that's Buck!" said Cherrysl
as lie dogs loud and violent barking |
reached them from beyond turn In |
Tie twisting road. "He didn't catch |
them then"
The next instant a woman came up |
She road, running and making a queer |
whimpering noise that Cherry never |
forgot She was a stranger to them |
hut she ran toward them, making the |
odd, gasping noise with much dry |
mouthing, and with wild eyes.
Horror was in her aspect, and hor- !
rOr was the emotion that the first |