The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1921-10-20
CHAPTER h.

- uAc ClI1ckidn0 mousse, ana smut II
behind her, and stood SO, with hei
hands behind her on the knob, and hel
slender body leaning forward, and bel
bosom rising and falling on deep
ecstatic breaths. It was May in Call.
\ fOrnia, she was jnst. eighteen, and fol
twenty lone minutes she had been en-.
gagged to be married. p
She hardly knew why, after that
Y last farewell to Martin, she had run
u 90 swiftly up the path, and why she
had flashed into the house, and closed
the door with such noiseless haste.
There was nothing to run for! But 1t
was ~ II she feared that the Joy with
IA her might escape into the moonlight
\ night that was SO perfumed with
iilacs and the scent Of wet woods. She
( vas afraid that 1t was all too won
derful to be true, that she would
awaken IN the morning to find It only
q dream, that she would somehow fall
short NJ Martins ideal somehow fail
him somehow turn all this magic Of
moonshine and kisses into ashes and
4 heartbreak. 9
She was miser with her treasure,
/ already; she wanted to fly with 1t,
and 10 hide It away, and 10 test its
reality In secret, alone. She had
come running in from the wonderland
down by the gate, just for this, just
Ito prove to herself that 1t would not
vanish In the commonplaceness of the
shabby hall, would not disappear be-
fore the everyday contact of7everyday
things. a a
Dad was in the sitting room, with
the girls. The doctors house was full
cf girls Anne, his niece, was twenty
four; Alixj 4 Cherry's sister, three years
younger-how staid and unmarried
and undesired they seemed tonight to
painting and glowing and glorifed
aeighteenl. Anne, with Alix's erratic
help, kept house for her uncle, and
was supposed to keep a sharp eye on
Cherry, too. But she hadn't been
sharp enough to keep Martin Lloyd
from asking her to marry him, exulted
Cherry, as she stood breathless and
laughing In the dark hallway. \
An older woman might have gone
upstairs, to dream alone Of her new,
Jcy, but Cherry thought that It would
be fun to join the family, and '.act
sas 4 nothing had happened!" She
was only a child, after all.
Consciously or unconsciously, they
had an tried to keep her child, these
three who hooked up to smile at her
sas che came In. One Of them, rosy,
sray-headed, magnificent at sixty, was
her father, whose favorite she knew
she was. he held out his hand to her
without closing the book that was in
the other hand, and drew her to the
vide arm Of his chair, where she set
tied herself with her soft young body
resting against him, Her slim ankles
crossed, and her cheek dropped
against his thick silver hair. n
Y ALI was reading, and dreamily
scratching her ankle as she read; she
Nas 4 tall, awkward girl, younger fur
~ tWenty-one than Cherry was at
sIghteen. pretty In gipsyish way, un-
tidyas to hair, with round black eyes,
high thin cheek-bones marked with
SCARLET, and wide, humorous mouth
that was somehow droll In it's express
sion even when she was angry or seri-
ois.
Anne, smiling demurely over her
white sewing, was a small, prettily
made little woman, with silky hair
trinity braided, and a rather pale,
small face with charming and regular
features. Anne had admirers" too,
Cherry reflected, looking at her to-
night, but neither she nor Alix had
ever been engaged engaged--en
gagged M gs
sS'.Aren't you home earlyr' said DR..
Strickland, rubbing his cheek against
his youngest daughters cheek In
sleepy content. He was never quite
happy unless all three girls were III |
hts sight, but for this girl he had al
ways felt an especial protecting fond
ness. He had followed her exquisite
with more than d fathers
usual devotion. perhaps because she
really had been an exceptionally en-
iearing child, perhaps because she had
been given him, a tiny crying thing in
basket, to flll the great gap her
ln0ther's going had left In his heart.
Mr. Lloyd had to take the nine
o'clock train, Cherry answered her
Iather dreamily, "and he ana Peter
walked home with me I" She did not
add that Peter had left them at his
5Wn turning, 4 quarter Of a mile away.
n thought he wasn't going to be at
Mrs North's for dinner" Anne ob.
served quietly, IN the silence she \
iad been informally asked to the
3orths for dinner that evening her.
|elf and had declined for no other 4
'eason than that attractive Martin u
Iloyd Wa presumably not to be there.
.'TIe wasn't, Cherry said. .He /
houElit Ne had u 20 To town at six. II I
ust stopped IL to Give them DADS
nessage, and they teased me 70 stay. Il