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

forgot to meet him; now there was
something new In the world. And rap
idly all the world became only back
ground, only a setting, for this extra
ordinary sensation. The hills beyond
still swan in the hot sunlight, the
mountain rose into the blue, but the
light that changes all life lay over
them for Peter.
He said to himself that il was awk-
ward-he did not know how he could
enter that door and talk 70 Cherry.
And yet he knew that that meeting
of Cherry, that the common exchange
of words and glances. that the daily
trifing encounters with Cherry were
all poignantly significant now.
He felt no impulse toward hurry.
He might sit on his porch another
hour, might saunter Off toward the
creek. 1t mattered nothing; the hour
was steadily approaching when she
must reappear.
Alix drove In, full of animated apOl-
ogies. She managed the car far bet
ter than he, and no thought Of an &C
cident had troubled him.
The evening was warm, one of the
two or three warm evenings that
marked the height of summer even
in the high valley. There was not
a breath of air in the garden; roses
and waIlfiowers stood erect in a sort
of luminous enchantment Moonlight
sank through the low twisted branches
Of the nearby oaks and fell tangled
eth black and lacy shade through
the porch rose vine.
Alix sat on the porch rail, every
line of crisp skirt and braided head
revealed as if by daylight, but Cher
rvs pale striped gown was only q
glimmer In the deepest shade of the
vine. Peter, smoking, sat where he
could not but see her; they had bard
ly looked at each other directly since
the long, strange look Of this after
noon; they had exchanged hardly
word.
''Town tomorrow, Peter" Alix said,
after a silence during which she had
locked her arms behind her head,
stared straight above her at the path
the moon was making through faint
stars, and yawned. I've got to go in
to n meeting of the hospital board.
Good night, beloveds. I'm dead. Don't
sit out here incoming with Pete all
night, Cerise!"
Peter said to himself that now Cher
ry would go, too, but as the screen
door banged lightly after Alix, and the
dull glimmer of Cherry's striped gown
did not move in the soft shadow, a
sudden reluctance and distaste seized
him. He had been subcOnsciOuSly
aware of her all afternoon; he had
known q delicious warmth and stir
at his heart that he had not analysed,
If indeed it could be analysed. Now
suddenly he did not want the beauty
and gloom and charm of that feeling
touched. His heart began to beat
heavily again, and he knew that he
must stop the unavailing game now.
But he had not reckoned on Cherry.
She twisted in her chair, and he heard
a child's long, happy sigh.
'Oh, SO am / tired, tool" she
breathed, reluctantly. 81 hate to
leave it-but I've been almost asleep
for half an hour You can have all
the moonlight there is, Peter" Her
white figure fiuttered toward the door.
Good night" she said,. dropping her
little head to choke a yawn. A mo-
ment later he heard her laughing with
Alix
You fool-you fool-you foolr" Pc
. ter said to himself, and he felt an
emotion like shame, little real COM
junction that he could so utterly mis-
read her innocence. He felt it not
only wrong in him, but somehow STAIN
ing and hurtful to her.