Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-12-23
CHAPTER VIII.

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Martins work was In the Contra
Costa valley, and he and Cherry mad
email house in Red Greek, the only
,own of any size near the mine. Red
rreek was In a fruit-farming and
dairy region and looked its prettiest
an the spring evening when Cherry
saw II first.
Her little house was a cottage with
porch running across the 'front.'
wbere windows looked out from the
sItting room and the front bedroom.
poet of these rooms were dark lit
10 bathroom that connected the front
bedroom with another smaller bed
rom a little dining room and
tItchen. Martin, man-fashion, had
merely camped in kitchen and bedroom
while awaiting his wife; but Cherry
buttoued on her crisp little apron on
the first morning after her arrival, and
,ttacked the accumulated dishes In
the sink and the scattered shirts and
collars bravely.
For a few weeks the novelty lasted
and Cherry was enthusiastic about
everything. She looked out across her
dlshpan at green fields and the begin
ming of the farms; she saw the lilacs
burst into fragrant piumes on the
bare branches of her dooryard tree;
spring flushed the whole world with
loyelness, and she was young, and
healthy, and too bGsy TO be home
sick
The days went on and on, each
bringing its round of dishes, beds.
weeping, marketing, folding and I'M
folding tablecloths, going back and
forth between kitchen and dining
room. Martins breakfast was either
promptly served and we'll cooked, in
which case Martin was silently salts
fed, or 1t was late and a failure, when
he was very articulately disguised; in
either case Cherry was left to clear
and wash and plan for another meal
In four hours more. She soaked fruit,
beat up cake, chopped boxes into
kindIings, heated q kettle of water
and another kettle of water. dragged
sheets from the bed only to replace
them, filed dishes with food only to
find them empty and ready to wash
again.
II get sick of It !" she told Martin.
well, LerdI' he exclaimed. Don't
yeu think everybody does? Don't L
get sick Of my work? You ought TO
have the responsibility Of it all for
whiler'
His tone was humorously reproving
rather than unkind. But such a
speech would fill Cherry's eyes with
tears and cause her to go about the
house all morning with a heavy
heart.
She would find herself looking
thoughtfully at Martin In these days,
studying him as IL he were an utter
stranger. 1t bewildered her to feel
mat he actually was no more than
that after two years of marriage. She
not only did not know him, but she
mad a bafiied sense that the very
nearness Of their union prevented her
from seeing him fairly She knew that
NE did him injustice In her thoughts.
1t must be injustice, decided Cherry.
tor Martin seemed to her less clever
Jess Just, less intelligent, and less
generous than the average man of her
acquaintance. And yet he did not
seem to impress other people in the
way he impressed her.
he was extraordinarily healthy. and
uau small sympathy for illness. weak
ness for the unfortunate, and the
eompiaining. He whistled over his
pressing, read the paper at breakfast,
'no was gone At noon he rushed In,
1"ays late, deyoured his lunch APP
peciatlyeiy, and was gone again. At
usn' ne was usually tired. inclined 70
suaffei about small matters. inclined
osspproye OF the new positions or
cf bedroom furniture. or the way
NAs'fys hair was dressed.
ns loved 10 play poker and was hos
vsaole 10 certain extent. He would
s"'sue and Joke oyer the prepare
~S"s iof d rarebif after game, and
"vp'a willingly walk i've blocks for
~, Cherry had forgotten 10 gen a.
~ sunday he liked 90 see her pretflly
s"Nsa nov and then they m0tored
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