The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-11-10

MdIlI. lJdSldul d1I. anu lllt OIu CltIBN
man, whose venerable, Ieonine heat
in its crown of snowy hair, Peter coul
thickened with tears. Strangers, o
almost strangers, had beer touching
Peters hand respectfully, timidly. hat
been praising Alix. She had beer
good" TO this one, good" to that one
they told him; she had always been 81
interested" and so happy"
Her coffin was buried in flowers
many of them the plain flowers she
loved, the gillies and stock and YER
bena, and even the sweet, sober wall
flowers that were somehow like her
self. But it was the roses that scented
fresh creamy buds had been placed
between the waxen fingers. And still
that radiant look of triumphant love
fingered on her quiet face, and still
the faint ghost of a smile touched the
once kindly and merry mouth.
They said good-by TO her at the
church, the villagers and old friends
who had loved her, and Peter and
two or three men alone followed her
down along the winding road that led
to the old cemetery. Cherry vas
hanging over the bedside of her hus-
band, who still %eliraculously fingered
through hours of pain, but as Peter,
responsive to a touch on his arm,
crossed the church porch to blindly
enter the waiting motor car, he saw,
erect and grave, OF the front seat,
in his decent holiday black, and with
his felt hat held in his hands, Kow,
claiming his right to stand beside the
grave of the mistress he had loved
and served so faithfully. The sight of
him, in his clumsy black, instead of
the usual crisp white, and with a sad
and t~ear-stained face shook Peter
strangely, but he did not show a sign
of pain.
The twisted low branches Of oak
trees threw shadows on the grave
when they finally reached it, and sheep
were cropping the watered grass of
the graveyard. The soft autumn sky.
the drift of snowy clouds across the
blue, the clear shadows on brown
grass under the oaks, all these were
familiar. But Peter still looked dazed-
~ at his black cuff and at the turned
earth next to the doctors headstone,
himself again that this was for
Alix. How often he had seen her sit
ting there, with her bright face sObered
and sweet, as she talked lovingly,
of her father They had Of
ten come here, Peter the more willing
" because she was so sensible and
happy about ii she would pack lunch,
herself into one of the crisp
blue ginghams, chatter an the road
n her usual fashion. And If, for a
moments. the train of memory
fred by the sight OF the old doctors
became too poignant and tears
she. always se0lded herself with
hat mixture of childish and maternal
mpatience that was SO Characteristic
# her, and that Peter had seen her
Use to this very father years ago!
He remembered her, a tall, awkward
irl, with a volume Of Dickens slip I
ling from her lap as she sat on a has
ock by the fire, teasing her father, !
colding and reproducing him. Blazing {
ed OF her high cheekbones, untidy I
lack hair, quick tongue and ready 4
augh; that was the Alix of the old
avs, when he had criticized and pat s
onized her, and told her that she
hould be more like Anne and little q
"
he remembered being delegated, one I
to take her into town to the den b
Ist, and that upon discovering that y
he dentist was not in his office, he had
AIKEN her to the circus instead. She
ad been about thirteen. and had eaten c
90 many peanuts, he thought, and v
ad lost a petticoat in full sight of the
But how grateful and d
Apply she had BEEN W
Dear little old blue petticoat! !" he "
lid. Dear little old madcap Ally" G
There was silence, the silence Of :
about him. He came to
with 3 start. He was up on u
lie bills, in the cemetery-this was ~
lix's grave, newly covered with wilt !
* masses of flowers, and he was II
everybody waiting. He muir pl
an apology; the waiting men az
ere all kindness and sympathy.
He got back into the motor a y
e man who drove them quickly to. ~
ard the valley talked easily and AZ
to Peter, attempting to inter "
t him In the affairs Of some water
mpany In San Francisco. When they ~
t to the valley q city train was ar. =
wing, and Peter saw people looking ~
him furtively and sorrowfully. He w
the many. many times n =.
TX had waited for him at the trains 81
glanced toward the big madrOne ~
der which she always parked her
she was usually deep IN a DooE er.
ne crossed from the train. but she Of
llQ hing IN fafn fuA lacL oaaf a.A ne