The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-09-21

IetterS, the words 'Oh, fudgeI The
girls laughed over this nonsense ap-
preciatiSeiy, but there was more than
laughter in Cherry's heart.
From that moment the world was
changed. Her father, her sister, her
cousin had second place, now. Cherry
had put out her innocent little hand,
and had opened the gate, and had
passed through il into the world That
hour was the beginning, and 1t had led
her surely, steadily, to the other hour
tonight when she had been kissed,
and had kissed in return.
''So-we walk home with young
menY unused the doctor, smiling.
Look here, girls, this little Miss Muf-
fet viii be cutting you both out with
that young man, IL you're not care
fulP'
Alix, deep In her story, did not hear
him, but Anne smiled family, and
family frowned as she shook her
head. She considered Cherry suffi-
GENTLY precocious without Uncle Lees
flI-considered tolerance.
He would have had them always
DR.. Strickland. He was in many
ways a child himself. He had never
made money in his profession; he and
his wife and the two tiny girls had
had a hard enough struggle sometimes.
Anne and her own father had Joined
the family eight years ago, in the
same year that the Strickland patent
fire extinguisher, over which the doc
tor had been puttering for years, had
been sold. 1t did not sell, as his
neighbors believed, for million dol
lars, but for perhaps One-tenth of that
sum. 1t was enough, and more than
enough, whatever Ii was. After
Anne's father died 1t meant that the
doctor could live on in the brown
house under the redwoods, with his
girls, reading, fussing with a new In
vention, walking, consulting with
Anne, laughing at Alix, and spelling
his youngest-born.
1t was a perfect life for the old
man; it was only lately that he begun
uneasily TO suspect that they would
some day want something more, that
they would some day tire of empty
forest and blowing mountain ridge,
and go away from the shadow Of Mt.
Tamalpais, and into the world.
Anne, nOw-was she beginning to
fancy this young Lloyd? DR.. Strick-
land was surprised with the fervor
with which he repudiated the thought.
This young engineer, who had drifted
already into a dozen different and dis
tant places, was not the man for staid
little Anne
what did you want to see Mr..
Lloyd about tomorrow, Dad?" Cherry
interrupted his thoughts to ask.
1.-The rose vine. What did he say
about coming over, Cherry?"
Cherry remarked, between two rend-
ing yawns, that Mr.. Lloyd was coming
over tomorrow at ten o'clock, and
Peter. too
"Peter won't be much goodl" Alix
commented. Cherry looked at her re-
proachfully.
you're awfully mean to Peter, late
lyP' she protested. Her father gave
her shrewd look, with his goodnight
kiss, and Immediately afterward both
the younger girls dragged their way
up to bed.
Alix and Cherry shared a bare,
woody-smelling room tucked away I'M
der brown caves. The walls were of
raw pine, the latticed windows, In
bungalow fashion, opened into the
fragrant darkness of the night. The
beds were really hunks, and above her
bunk each girl had an extra berth, for
occasional guests. There was scant
prettiness in the room, and yet II was
full of purity and charm. The girls,
like all their neighbors, were hardy.
bred to cold baths, long walks simple
hours, and simple food. In the soft
western climate they left their bed
room windows open the year round
they liked TO wake 10 winter damp
and fog, and go downstairs with blue
finger-tips and chattering teeth, to
warm themselves with breakfast and
the fire.
Alix rolled herself In a gray army
blanket, and was asleep in some sixty
seconds. But Cherry felt that she was
floating in seas of new Joy and utter
sleepy again.
Downstairs Anne and the doctor sat
staidly on, the man dreaming with a
knotted forehead, the girl sewing.
Presently she ran a needle through
her fine white work with seveL tiny
stitches, folded 1t. and. put her thimble
into a case that hung from her order
Iy workbag with long ribbon.
''Wait minute, Anne" said the doc
tor, as she Strengthened herself TO rise.
'This young Lloyd, now-what do
you think of himT'
She widened demure blue eyes.
SHOULD you be sorry If Liked
him, Uncle LeeF' she smiled.
The old man rumpled his silver hair
restlessly.
That's the way the wind blows,
eh p he asked kindly.