Grand Forks herald., 1922-06-10
5 / 5 T. f. r S
BY KATHLE EN- NORRIS.

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her' near him again, to see the inter,
estsd eyes, the high cheek-bonee
/ touched with scarlet. the> wisp Of hair
! that would fall across her face some
times when she was deep in baking
or preserving, o. poultry IA rning. and
! that she weuld brush away with the
back of an impatient hand, only to
haye 1t slip loose again.
ons Of her kitchen aprons, caught
! IN che current OF air from the opened
memhered her, on many wintry day,
Duttoned into just such a crisp apron,
radtantiy busy and brisk in her kitch-
en-; stirring and chopping, moving
constantly between stove and table.
with strong hands still showing traces
% 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 compunc-
u0n. with an exclamation: "Oh. my
dncks-1d forgotten them! Oh, the
poor little Wretches!'' u
And she would be gone. leaving a
streak of wet, fresh air through the
warm house from the open door, and
ne would perhaps glance from win
dow to see her, roughly coated and
booted, nlowing about her duck yard
delv1ng into barrels of grain, turning
on faucets, welding stubby old
broom,
She bowed her life, he mused, with
aabttter heartache, as he stood here
IN her empty room. Sometimes he had
marveled at the complete and unques-
tfoning. .jQy 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 chtld!" he thought But it 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
His heart pressed like a dun, main
in his chest. DULY, quietly he VENT Vent
out to the fire again, and duliy and
quietly moved through the day. He,.
DOCKS and music might stand as they
were, her potted ferns and her scat
teFea small Possessi0ap--the sewing
basket that she always handled with
a boys awkYardness, and the camera
she ueed Ho well-should keep their
pleces But he went to her desk.
thinking In this long, slitary evening,
to destroy various papers that she
might wish to destroy before the cab
n was deserted. And here he found
her letter.
He found it only after he had some
what explored the different sinai,
drawers and pigeonheles OF the desk.
dFaWep and pigeonholes which were
70 his surprise, all in astonishing or-
der for Alix. Everything was marked
tle9, pOcketed; her accounts were bal
aaeed. and II she had anywhere left
private papers, they were ut lleast no
where to be found.
Seeing In all this q dread confirmo-
ton Of his first suspicion Of her cath.
Peter nevertheless experienced a
shock when he found her letter .
It had besh placed in an emn,v
drawer. face up. and was sealed, and
4ddreseed Rimply With his name. 4.
he sat holding it In his hand. and
meMsnts pissed before he could open
30 IT haA hssp true. then, the fear
that he had tried Ill these weeks to
crush? He had sbSen weighing, meas.
:nane, reMemb bertng, until. his very
soul was sick with the
MS mind had been q con nfused web OF
af this casual word and
that look ct What she had possibly
heard. had probably sseen,. had sus- @
Rected-known- NJ u y
Now he would know. He tore o,er
.thA epvelope,- and the dozen write e.
ifnse we're before his eyss The iet-
Ter Na1 dated, . most unusual thIns
Tor AK to do, and Saturday. n,,s
o'clock. was written, under the dafe
y vas the day Of her death
!, .Rs.eT. !. ,,s Dear Don't f..l .ee s.4,y