News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1921-12-07

Tultu we CuDlH WIFI Splenulu anu
vital personality. He seemed to feel
her near him again, to see the inter
ested eyes, the high cheeli-bones
touched with scarlet, the wisp Of hair
that would fall across her face some
times when she was deep in baking,
or preserving, or poultry-farming, and
that she would brush away with the
back of an impatient hand, only to
have it slip loose again.
one of her. kitchen aprons, caught in
| the current of air from the opened
J door, blew about on its hook. He re-
| membered her. on many wintry day,
buttoned into just such a crisp apron,
radiantly busy and brisk in her kitch-
en-, stirring and chopplng, moving con
I stantly between stove and table. With
strong hands still showing traces of
flour she would come to sit beside him
at the piano, to play duet with her
characteristic dash and finish only to
jump up in sudden compunction, with
an exclamation: "Oh, my ducks-Td
forgotten theml Oh, the poor little
| wretchesn
And she would be gone, leaving a
! streak of wet, fresh air through the
warm house from the open door, and
he would perhaps glance from win
dow to see her, roughly coated and
I~booted, ploughing about her duck yard,
delving into barrels of grain, turning
on faucets,> welding a stubby old
broom.
She loved her life, he unused, with
bitter heartache, as he stood here
in her empty room. Sometimes he had
marveled at the complete and unques-
tionng joy she had brought to it. Pc
ter reminded himself that never in
their years together had he heard her
complain about anything, or seem to
feel bored or at a loss.
"We've always thought of Cherry as
the child" he thought. But Il was
she, Alix, who was the real child She
never grew up. She never entered into
the time of moods and self-analysis
and jealousies and desires She would
have played and picnicked all her
life"
His heart pressed@like a dull pain
in his chest. Duly, quietly, he went
out to the fire again. and duly and
quietly moved through the day. Her
books and music might stand as they
We're, her ported ferns and her scat
tered small possessions-the sewing
basket that she always handled with |
a boys aWkWardness and the camera |
she used so well-should keep their |
places. But he went to her desk, |
thinking in this long, solitary evening, |
to destroy various papers that she
might wish destroyed before the cabin |
was deserted. And here he found her
letter
He found it only after he had some
what explored the different small
drawers and pigeonholes of the desk,
drawers and pigeonholes which were,
to ,his surprise, all in astonishing or
der for Alix, Everything was marked, +
tied pocketed; her accounts were bal
anced, aud if she had anywhere left
private papers, they were at least no.
where to be found.
Seeing in all this dread confrma
ton of his first suspicion of her death,
Peter nevertheless experienced shock
when he found her letter.
1t had been placed Gin an empty
drawer, face up, and was sealed, and
simply with his name.
He sat holding it in his hand, and
passed before he could open
it,
SO it had been true then, the fear
that he had tried all these weeks to
crush? He had been weighing, meas
lring, remembering, until his very
soul was sick with, the uncertainty.
His mind had been confused web of
of this casual word and
hat look, of what she had possibly
heard, had probably seen, had suspect
Now he would know. He tore open
he envelope, and the dozen written
ines were before his eyes. The let
er was dated, most unusual thing
or Aix to do, and Saturday. one
o'clock" was written under the date.
t was the day of her death.
He read: =
''Peter, Dear-Don't feel too badly If
find a stupid way out. I've been
linking for several days about it,
,ou've done so much for me, and after |
ou, of course, there's no one but II
yherry. She could be free now he Z
ouldn't prevent it. When | saw your d
ace a few minutes ago | knew we
ouldn't fight it. Remember, this is Z
ur secret. And always remember that !,
want you to be happy because love II
GU sol"
1t was unsigned.
Peter sat staring at it for while u
TithOut moving, without the stir of a u
hanging expression on his face. Then u
e folded it up, and put it in the peck "
{ of his coat, and went out to the u
ack yard, where Row was feeding the
dickens. Tie wet, dark day was end "
X brilliantly in wash of red sun Il
az lipht fhof Sant long shadows from III