The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-28
A NEW LEAF
CHAPTER 81

The wedding over, Aunt Maude re-
turned to the farm.
It's a shame you didn't come" she
told Dora THE men could have man
aged. 1t was a grand affair." and she
looked fine. None of your pale and
fainting brides for her. l never saw
such color, and all her own
Dora had sudden vision of her
cousin, with a smile of triumph as she
had her way at last, in the most i'm
portant event that had happened to
her so far.
Il don't know if she'll be happy,
though. Morton amt so lively and
interesting" Aunt Maude went on
meditatively. Whatever ideas she had,
she always expressed aloud. The re-
suit was that Peter, Gladys, Grandma
White protestingly brought back
again to the country-and now Dora,
we're made the confidant's of her inner
most thoughts.
oh. she'll be happy" Dora answer
ed with the slightest ironical accent
upon the she
"Oh. do you think so?" Aunt Maude
was not capable of understanding
irony We'll, it's real generous of you
to say So"
Dora smiled to herself-the bitter
sort of smile that hurt. Gladys would
be happy-it wasn't generous of her to
say that. Would Morton be happy she
wondered?
The days slid past into weeks
Gladys was still away Norris City's
largest photographer had been called
in to take pictures of the bride, the
bridegroom, the two together-Gladys
with not a triumphant smile as Dora
thought, but a pleased and self-con-
scious expression. There was a large
picture of the whole wedding party
too.
Her dress took grand" Aunt Maude
reflected out loud. And the flowers
too. She made Mort send TO the city
for real nice bouquet. 1t cost lot,
expedite whole wedding and trous-
seau was something awful in price. But
it's only once in my lifetime, l sup
pose l shouldn't grudge an extra hun
dred or So
Certainly she never expected Dora to
marry, She gave Dora all the details
of the ceremony-who was present and
what each wore and the probable cost
of each wedding present. Then she
took Dora in one day to make the new
house ready for the couple, the day
before they were to get back. There
was no way of getting out of this task.
u Dora had to go through the house,
Mlay wedding present sheets on we'd
ding present bed, unpack and put away
the trunks of clothes that had been
sent there, dust and straighten sc
everything should be in readiness
She felt hideously uncomfortable and
unhappy, as though she had been force d
to look in upon the intimacy of theil
life together. But Aunt Maude had nc
such sensitiveness as she unpackec
Morton's shirts and clothes and lait
them away in bureaus and closets.
Such bad taste and quality" she
observed holding up a striped shirt
Gladys will change all that"
Dora actually blushed a little-anC
hurried with the busting so as TO bt
through and out of the house.
1t wasn't the sort of house HI
should live in, she thought as the.
drove home. She pictured a tin,
home, filled with the dark mahogan!
and quaint old pieces of the now EN-
pity farmhouse She thought what ful
legs and backs mended, and to rul
and rub at the old wood with beeswa-
and turpentine, until the grainin,
showed and the dark surface glowet
from the proper care.
1t should be the proper home sh
had read about, but had never seen il
Norris City - with quaint diamont
windows and rosebud patterne,
chintzes and old prints and mirror
and mahogany. with library filled Z
the ceiling with shelves crammed wit
books In such a home Morton woul
be appreciatedh GLADYS had selecte,
everything as new and ornate as pos
sible. with patterned carpets and pal
Aterned curtains and a great deal O
NNyhat she called cheerful" red.
Once to console herself, Dora wrot
letter to Mrs. Gates. But week afte
week passed without an answer
why should she write?" she argued
What could l be to her? She ha
entirely forgotten me, or else sh
thinks me impairment TO intrude upo
her time
So. as the effect of her neglect an