Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-11-22
swered.

SWereQ.
Alix departed.
"It's very pleasant to me to have
Alix so much at home here" Cherry
said. when Alix was gone, and the
doctor wandering happily about the
garden. ~ don't know what we'd
do if any one ever usurped our places
here,"
She had said 1t deliberately; the
fascination of her recent discovery
was too strong to resist. The man
flushed suddenly. For full minute
he did not speak, and Cherry was sur
prised to find herself little thrilled
and even frightened by his silence.
"What put that into your head?'
he asked, presently, smoking with his
eyes fixed upon the valley far below.
perhaps It's because there are so
many changes, Peter; my marriage,
Annes-everything different! 1t Just
came to me that it is nice to have this
always the same"
perhaps Alix will come up here
and help keep it so some day." the
man said, deliberately. Cherry's look
of elaborate surprise and pleasure
died before his serious glance. She
was silent for a moment.
"Why don't you ask herr" she said
in low, thoughtful tone, trembling,
eager to preserve his mood without a
false note.
"I have" he answered simply.
Cherry's. heart jumped with sudden
unexpected emotion. What was It?
Not pleasure, not all surpriseasurely
there could be no jealousy mixed with
her feeling for Peters plans? But
she was dazed with the rush Of feel.
ing; hurt in some fashion she could
not stop to dissect now.
"And she said no?" she stammered
in confusion.
"She said no. Or, at least, I init
mated that was a lonely old affec-
tionate man with this; and that to Of
fer. and she intlmated that that wasn't
enough ought to have said-I ought
to explain-that I had told her, only
few days previously, that l had al
ways loved somebody else!"
"Oh-h-h" Cherry was enlightened.
She visualized an affair in the last
years of the old century for Peter
ooh, and-and she didn't love your
Cherry asked. -
"The lady? She was unfortunately
married before l had chance to ask
her." said Peter.
"Oh-h-h" Cherry said again, i'm
pressed, land you'll never get over
IT." she asked, timidly. peter, l
never knew that" she added as he
was silent. "DOes-dOes Dad know"
"Nobody knows but AliX, and she
only knows the bare facts" he as
sured her.
"Oh!" Cherry could think Of nothing
to add to the sympathetic little mono
syllable.
"Finishcd with the shower ~
shrieked Alix from the warm darkn ass
inside the doorway. Hurry up,
Peter, something smells utterly
grand"
That's the chicken thing" Peter
shouted back, springing up to disap-
pear in the direction Of the bath
room. Cherry sat on, silent, wrapped
still in the new spell of the pleasant
voice, the strangely appealing and yet
masterful personality.
The dinner struggled as all Peters
dinners did; Alix mixed salad dress
ing: Peter himself flashed in and out
of the tiny, hot kitchen hundred
times. Kow, in immaculate linen,
came back and forth in leisurely
tablesetting. Suddenly everything
was ready; the crisp, smok!ng-hOt
French loaf, The big brown jar Of bub-
bling an; odorouS chicken. the lettuce
curled in itn bowl, the lonT-necked
bottles In .hsir straw caSEh and
+ chcescS AMI crackers and olives anc
figs and tiny fish in oil and marrohs
in nutcd paper that were Il part ol
all Peters dinners.
After dinner they watched the moon
rise, until Alix drifted in to the piano
and Peter followed her, and the 0lh-
ers came in, too, to sit beside the ire.
AS usual it was midnight before any
one thought of ending one of Pcter
evenings.
And all through the pleasant, quiet
hours, and when lie bundled them up
in his own big loose coats to drive
them home, Cherry was thinking OF
him in this new light; Peter loving u
woman, and denied. The knowledge
seemed to fling strange glamor
| about him; she saw new charm IN
him, or perhaps, as she told herself,
! she saw for the first time how charm
ing he really was. His speech seemed
/ actually the pleaSanter for the STAN
! mer at which they had all laughed
years ago; the slight limp lent its
| own touch of individuality, ana the
mans blunt criticisms of books and
music politics and people, were soft
! encd by his humor. his genuine hu'