The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1921-11-26
CHAPTER n.

AAuluchdtciy lHty SdlHeTeU Dy Tie
fallen rose vine, all talking end dis.
putting at once. A light rope was tied
an experimental tug broke it like q
string, tumbling Alix violently In O
sitting position, and precipitating her
father into a loamy bed. Anne, who
was bargaining with a Chinese fruit
vendor frankly interested In their un-
dertaking, had called that she would
help them in a second, when behind
Alix, who was still sitting on the
ground, another voice offered help.
A young man had come into the
doctors garden; work was stopped
for few minutes while they vel
coined Martin Lloyd.
He was tall and fair, broad, but
with not an ounce of extra weight,
with brown eyes always laughing, and
a ready friendliness always in evil
dence. Anne,s heart gave throb of
approval as she studied him; Alix
flushed furiously, scowled a certain
boyish approval; Cherry had not come
down.
"Can you help u.s." The doctor
echoed his question doubtfully. 81
don't know that 1t can be done!" he
admitted.
whats that you're eating-an april
cot?" Martin said to Anne, in his
laughing way. Il was going to say
that If it was peach, you are a can
nibalv ~
"Oh, help!" Alix calculated, with a
look of elaborate scorn.
mo, but where were you last
night?' Martin added in a lower tone
when he and Anne could speak unno-
ticed. The happy color flooded her
face.
Il have to take care Of my family
sometimes!" she reminded him de-
murely. wasn't Cherry a good substi-
tute?"
"Cherry's adOrable!" he agreed.
isn't she sweetT' Anne asked en-
Enthusiastically. "She's only little girl,
really, but she's little girl who is
going to have lot Of attention some
day!" she added, in her most matron-
ly manner. F
Martin did not answer, but turning
briskly toward the doctor, he devoted
himself to the business in hand.
They were all deep In the first
united tug, each person placed care
fully by the doctor, and guys for the
rope driven at intervals decided by
Martin, when there was an Interrupt
ton for Cherry's arrival on the scene.
With characteristic coquetry she did
not approach, as the others had, by
means Of the front porch and the gar
den path, but crept from the study
window into a veritable tunnel of
green bloom, and came crawling down
ito as sweet and fragrant, as lovely
and as fresh, as the roses themselves.
Her bright head was hidden by a blue
sunbonnet, assumed, she explained
later, because the thorns tangled her
hair; but as, laughing and smothered
with roses, she crept into view, the
sunbonnet slipped back, and the love
ly, flushed little face, with tendrils of
gold straying across the white fore
head, and mischief cleaning in the
blue, blue eyes was framed only In
loosened pale gold hair.
Years afterward Alix remembered
her so, as Martin Lloyd helped her to
spring free of the branches, and she
stood laughing at their surprise and
still clinging to his shand. "The day
we raised the rose tree" had place
OF Its own in Alix's memory, as a time
of carefree fun and content, a time of
perfume and sunshine-perhaps the
last time Of its kind that any one of
them was to know.
Cherry looked at Martin daringly as
she joined the laborers; her whole be-
ing was thrilling to the excitement of
his glance; she was hardly conscious
OF what she was doing or saying. Mar
tin came Close to her, in the general
confusion. /.
"How's my little sweetheart this
Cherry looked up, her throat con-
tracted, she looked down again, un-
able to speak. She had been waiting
for his fist word; now that 1t had
come 1t seemed so far richer and
sweeter than her widest dream.
How can I see you a minute?" Mar.
tin murmured, swapping his big knife
nhuf