Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1921-08-31
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KATHLEEN
NORRIS

Copyriahs b. Ksthissa Nerr,.

W6 uoOnlHueI to"dru the middle or
August. Martin, who had been play
Ing poker the night before, was sleep
( Ing late this morning. Coming home
at three o'clock dazed with close air
and cigar smoke, he had awakened
his wife to tell her that he would be
dead" In the morning, and Cherry
had accordingly crept about her dress.
Ing noiselessly. had darkened the bed
room and eaten her own breakfast
without the clatter Of dish. Now
she was sitting by the window, pant
Ing In the noon heat. She was think
Ing, rs it chanced, Of the big forest
ut home and Of a certain dny-just
one Of their happy days only year
: ago, when she had lain for dreamy
hour on the soft forest floor, staring
up idly through the laced fnnlikc
branches, and she thought of her fa.
ther, with his mild voice and ready
smile; and some emotion. almost like
fear came over her. For the first time
4 she asked herself, in honest bewilder
mcnt, why she had married.
4 The heat decpened and strengthened
gand increased us the burning day
wore on. Martin walked up, hot and
headachy, and having further uls-
tressed himself with strong coffee and
+ eggs, departed into the dusty notion
less furnace out of-doors. The far
brown hills shimmered and swan, the
Emmy Younger looked its barest,
Its ugliest, It's least attractive self.
There was a shadow In the door,
way; she looked up surprised. For a
minute the tall figure in striped linen
, and the smiling face under the flow
cry hat seemed those Of a stranger.
Then Cherry cried out and laughed,
and In another instant was crying In
Alix's arms,
Alix cried, too, but it was with
great rush Of pity and tenderness. for
Cherry. Alix had not young lov:3tFndI
novelty to soften the outlines Of, the
Emmy Younger and she felt, as she
frankly wrote later to her father "at
last convinced that there Is hell |"
The heat and baroness and ugliness
of the mine might have been over
looked. but this poor little house of
Cherry's. this wood stove draining
white, ashes, this tin sink with Its
pump, and the bathroom with neither
faucets nor drain. almost bewlltlered
Alix with their discomfort.
Even more bewlldertng was the
change In Cherry. There was a GER
tain hardening that impressed Alix ut
once. There was weary sort Of pa
tlence, disillusioned concession to
the drabness Of married life.
But she allowed the younger Sister
to see nothing Of this. Indeed, Cherry
so frightened under the stimulus of
Alixs companionship that Martin told
her that she was more like her old self
than she had been for months Joy
ously she divided her responsibilities
with Alix, explaining the difficulties
OF marketing and housekeeping, and
5oyously Alix assumed them. Her VI
tally infected the whole household.
She gave them spirited accounts Of
Anne's affair. Hes nice little aca-
demic fellow" she said Of Justin Lit
tie. IF he had a flatlron In each
hand he'd probably weigh close to
hundred pounds He's a-well, a sort
of damp-looking youth, If you know
what / meant I always want to take
crash towel and dry him Off"
"Fancy Anne with a shrimp like
that!" Cherry said, with q proud look
at her own mans fine height. "Ie
sounds awful to me-"
Hes not, really. Only 1t seems that
he belongs to the oldest family In
America, or something, and Is the
only descendant"
Money!" Cherry asked, interest.
edly.
"No, I don't think mo- cy, exactly.
At least I know he Is getting q hum
dred month I'm his uncle's law office,
and Dad thinks they ought to walt
until they have a little more. She'll
have something, you know" Alix
added, after n moments thought.
"Your cousln7' Martin asked.
Well, her father went into the fire.
extinguisher thing with Dad" Alix
elucidated. "and evidently she and
Justin have had deep, soulful thoughts
about 1t. Anyway, tho other day she
said--you know her way, Cherry
"rell me- Uncle, frankly and honestly,
may Justin and 1 draw out my share
for that little home that Is going to
mean 80 much to us"
"1 can hear h"rw giggled Cherry.
dad Immediately said that she
could, Of course" Alix went on. ale
was adorable about 1t. He snid, 1T
will do more than build you little
home, my dear ="
"We'll get slice Of that some time"
Cherry snid thoughtfully, glancing at
her husband. IL don't mean whom
Dnd dies either" sbe odded in n,,,ol,