The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-05

said. you may not Ike IL any more
than you like prisons or madhouses:
IL has fits uses"
people get divorces every day."
Cherry added. isn't divorce better
than living along in marriage without
lover
"Oh, lover Alix said seornfully
Love Is just another name for pas
sion and selfishness and laziness, half
the time! :"
"You can say that, because yours
is one Of the happy marriages." Cher
ry said. 'It might be very different
II Peter weren't Peter -
As she said his name she sent him
her trusting smile; her blue eyes shone
with affection, and the exquisite curve
of her mouth deepened. Peter smiled
back, and looked away in little con-
fusion. an
81 can't imagine the circumstances
under which / shouldn't love you and
Peter!" Alfx summarized il, triumph
antly.
and Martini Peter asked.
"Ah, well; 1 didn't marry Martin -
his wife reminded him quickly 81
didn't promise TO love and honor Mar
tin in sickness and health for richer,
for poorer: for better, for worse-by
George ]" Alix interrupted herself, In
her boyish way, those are terrific
words. you know. And a promise is
a promise !"
"And even for infidelity you don't
believe people ought to separator
Cherry asked.
Nonsense !" Peter said
But you said-that Martin never"
mo, I'm not speaking of Martin
now!'
well, wouldn't that come under
'worser'?" Alix asked.
But, my child" Peter expostulated
kindly. MY dear benighted wife
there is such a thing as soul-a mind
Ia personality To be tied to "a
well, to coarsening influence day after
day is living death! 1t is worse than
any bodily discomfort"
Il don't see it !" AIix persisted. II
think there's lot of nonsense talked
about the fanny oncompreezy-but Ii
seems to me that if you have home
and meals and books and friends and
the country to walk in, you"
"Oh, heavens, Alix; you don't know
what you're talking about!" Cherry
interrupted her impatiently. Some
times | think your marriage is as
as queer as my own"
Nothing more was said for several
days upon the subject Of a possible
divorce One afternoon Peter crossed
the porch, tired and hot, and found
everything apparently deserted. He
dropped into q chair and was still
breathless from the rapid climb up
hill, when stray notes from the piano
reached his ears; chord, carefully
played bit of bass; then a chord again.
Then slowly, but with dainty accuracy
and even feeling, Cherry began to play
a strange little study of Schumann.
Peter knew it was Cherry. because
Alix's touch was always firm and sure;
more than that, he himself had played
this same bit no longer ago than last
night, and he remembered now that
Cherry had asked him just what 1t
was.
He experienced sudden and pleas
ing emotion he did not stop to analyze
1T. But he had been ruff1ed In spirit
a moment before; Alix had known he
was to come on this train and had not
met him with the car; and while he
really did not mind the walk up, he
disliked the feeling that they had en-
tirely forgotten him.
Presently there was silence; then
Cherry tried another little study and
finished 1t, and the hot summer still
ness reigned again.
With sense that he had been doz-
ing, Ii only for a few minutes, Peter
opened his eyes. Framed in the cabin
doorway, poised like butterfly against
the dark background of the room,
stood Cherry. He knew that she had
been standing so for some time, for
full minute; perhaps more.
They looked at each other in a ST.
lence that grew more and more awk-
ward by great plunges. Peter had