Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-05-16
r I.

Cherry Strickland came IN the door
OF the Strickland house, and shut 1t
behind her, and stood so, with her
hands behind her on the knob, and
her slender body leaning forward, and
her bosom rising and falling on deep,
ecstatic breakhs. 1t was May in Cali
fornia. she was just eighteen, and for
twenty4one minutes she had been en-
tagged to DO married.
She hardly knew why, after that
last farewell to Martin, she had run
so swiftly up the path, and why she
had flashed into the house, and closed
the door with such ~noiseless haste.
There was nothing to run for! But it
was as IL she feared that the JOY with
in her might escape into the moon
light night that waS % perfumed with
ulAcs and the scent Of wet woods. she
was afraid that 1t was all too won
derful to be true, that she would
awaken in the morning to find It only
a dream, that she would somehow tail
short Of Martins ideAl-sorhehow fail
him-somehow turn all this magic OF
moonahine and kisses into ashes and
heartbreak.
She was a miser with her treasure,
already; She wanted to fly with it.
and to hide it away, and to test it's
reality in secret, alone. She had
come running in from the wonderland
down by the gate, Just for this. Just
vanish In the cornmonplacenAsS Of the
shabby hail, would not disappear be-
fore the everyday contact of everyday
things.
Dad wat in the citing room, with
the girls. The Doctors house was full
Of girls. Anne, his niece. was twenty
four; Alix. Cherry's sister, three years
younger-how stAld and unmarried
and undesred they seemed tonight to
painting and glowing and glorified
eighteen! Anne, with AXIS erratic
va supposed to keep q sharp eye on
Cherry, too. But she hadn't been
sharp enough to keep Martin Lloyd
from asking her to marry him, exult-
ed Cherry, AZ she stood breAthle8s And
laughing in tho dark hallway.
An older woman might have gone
upstairs, to dream alone OF her new
JOY. but Cherry thought that It would
be fun to join the family, and "Act
was only a child, after al.
Consciously or unoonsciously. they
had all tried to keep her q child, these
three who looked up to smile at her
a. she came In. One Of them, rosy.
sray-headed, magnificent at sixty,
wa her father, Whose favorite she
knew she was. He held out his hand
to her without closing the book that
NJ in the other hand. and drew her
abe settled herself With her ADft young
body resting against him, her slim
ankles crossed, and her cheek
dropped against his thick silver hair.
Alix WA reading, and drearntly
scratching her ankle 81 she read: she
wa q tall awkward girl, younger TAR
II twenty-one than Cherry WA ut
eighteen, pretty In 4 g1psytsh way, un-
tidy az to hAir, with round black eyes.
high, thin cheek.bonss married With
scarlet, and. a wide. humorous mouth
sion ven when she VA angry Or eeri-
Gus.
Anne, smiling dennurely over nor
white sewing, was small. PRETTY
made little woman, With Mlky hair
trinity braided, ana 4 rather pale,
small face with charming and regular
features. Anne had "Adfhirers,"" too,
Cherry reflected, looking at her to-
nisht-hut neither she nor AK had
ever cen ensaEed- -ensaged-en-
Aren't you home sarly4 =, aid DR..
Strickland, rubbing his cheek against
his youDEest dAuSliters cheek In
sleepy content. He VA never auite
happy unless all three s4fls were In
his adAht, bat Tor this SRI he had al
ways felt An Asptoikl protecting fond,
ness. He had. followed her s1dnddte
childhood with nAogs than III fathers
usuAl devotion. perhaps bAtAnSS Shs
Rally hAd besi In SxcAptlDnAlly an
d4artns child. perhaps becAtse 1he
hAd be4n@ Ktvpn him. = Tiny crying
thing In q basket. to MI the er6At zap
Iftether's toing hAA left IN hil
mi. Lloyd md 70 take M niss
O'clock train" Cherry answered hsr
fathsf dreafniIy. and 10 and Pst1s
Walked home with mst" Gle ia not
add thAt PstSf shAd s5lokt thStn atahis
own turning, q auastsr M s fltissasAygs
n thon9ht 10 wasn,t ,sslnS ~ - &C
Mr., Nefth.s fof dinlssfs AaSa ub-
ssfvsS qniesly, Y shp elt6.ss. shs
.hnA hesn internally .asks4 to the
Noftha for dinner ,thAt evoalS9 hers
sei1 and had dselineds foe no8ofher
ressest than that AttsActive Martin.
hey1swe1 preeAna4bly apts9 k6sthsfs.
37EEESAy tI@x