Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-09-07

engine room and he klnder-he
kinder"
"Fainted?" Cherry asked sharply,
turning little pale.
"Well, kinder. Lawson made him
lay down." Joe said. "And he's com.
ing home when the wagon comes down,
at three o'clock. He says to tell YOU
he's fnc!"
"Oh, thank you, Joew Cherry said
She shut the door, feeling weak and
frightened. She flew to unpuck her
bag hung up her hat and coat. dark
ened the bedroom and turned down
the bed; waited anxiously for Mart's
return.
She was deeply concerned over the
news e:om Martin. Cherry met his
limp form at the front door, and
whiskod him into a cool bed end put
Chopped '": ~u che aIHH::css Ie.ra,IeaG
and got him, grateful and penitent, or
to sleep.
For day or two Martin stayed in
bed and Cherry spoiled and petted
him, and was praised and thanked for
every step she took. After that they
took little trip into the mountains
near by, and Cherry sent Alix post
cards that made her sister feel almost
pang Of envy.
But then the routine began again,
and the fearful heat Of midsummer
came, too. Red Creek baked In q
smother Of dusty heat, the trees in
the dry orchards, beside the dry road,
dropped circles Of hot shadow on the
clodded. rough earth. Farms dozed
under shimmering lines Of dazzling air
and In the village. from ten O'Clock
until the afternoon began to wane,
there was no stir. Flies buzzed and
settled on screen doors, the creek
shrunk away between crumblIng rocky
banks, the butcher closed his shop and
milk soured III the bottles.
The Turner's and some other fami-
lies always camped together In the
mountains during this season, and tney
were off when school closed, In an
enviabie state Of ecstasy and anttcipa-
tion. Cherry had planned to Join them,
but an experimental weekend was
enough. The camp was in the cool
y,
swarming with children. the tents were
small and hot. the whole settlement
laughed and rloted and surged to and
fro In manenr utterly foreign to her.
She returned, to tell Martin that 1t
was horribly common" and weather
the rest of the summer In Red Creek.
Martin sympathized. He had never
cared particularly for the Turner's; {;
was perfectly willing to keep the
friendship within bounds.
He sympathized as little with an
other friendship she made, some
months later, with the wife Of a young
engineer who had recently come to the
mine. Pauline Runyon was few
years older than her husband. a hand
some. thin, intense woman, who did
everything In an entirely Individual
way. She took one Of the new little
bungalows that were being erected In
Red Greek Park" and furnished II
richly and inappropriately, and estab-
lished tea table and samovar be-
side the open fireplace. Cherry began
to like better than anything else in the
world the hours spent with Pauline.
Pauline read Browning, Francis
Thompson and Pnter. and introduced
Cherry to new worlds Of thought She
talked to Cherry Of New York. which
she loved. and OF the men and women
she had met there. She sometimes
sighed and pushed the bright hair back
from Cherry's young and innocent and
disrontented little face, and said ten.
derly: "On the stage, my dear-nny-
where anywhere, you would be Il
furOre!"
And thinking. In the quiet evenings
for Martins work kept him later
and later Mt the mine-Cherry came
to see that her marriage had been a
great mistake She had not been ready
FOR marriage. She would sit on the
back steps, as the evenings grew cool
er, and watch the exquisite twilight
fade. and the sorrow and beauty of
life would wiring her heart.
dream Of ease and alteration and
beauty caiae to her. She did not visu.
alize any special place, any special
gown or hour or person. But she saw
her beauty flttingly environed she saw
cool rooms, darkened against this blaz-
Ing midsummer glare heard Ice clink-
ing against glass; the footsteps Of at
tentlve maids; tho sound Of cultivated
voices, Of music and laughter. She
haa had these dreams before, but they
were becoming habitual now. She was
so tlred--sO sick--so bored with her
real life; 1t was becoming increasingly
harder and harder for her to live with
Martin. She was always in sup
pressed state Of wanting to break out,
to shout at him brazeniy: II don't
care II your coffee 10 weak I like Il