The Dolores star., 1922-02-10
Copyright BY Kathleen Norris

her. II was only to interrupt the words
with fresh tears.
Tears of joy, she told them, laugh
ing at the moisture in her fathers
eyes. She had a special joyous word
for Hong; she laughed and teased
and questioned Anne. when Anne and
Justin came back from an afternoon
concert in the city, with an interest
and enthusiasm most gratifying to
both.
After dinner she had her old place
on the arm of her fathers porch chair !;
Alix, with Bucks smooth head In her
lap, sat on the porch step beside Pc
ter, and the lovers murmured from
the darkness of the hammock under
the shadow VI the rose vine. 1t was
happy talk In the sweet evening cool
ness; everybody seemed harmonious
and In sympathy tonight.
Bedtime! !" said her father present
ly and she laughed In sheer pleasure.
''Daddy-that sounds SO nice again !"
But you do look tagged and pale,
little GIRL" he told her. you're to
stay In bed in the morning."
"Oh, I'll be down I" she assured him.
But she did not come in the morning.
none the less. She was tired in soul
and body md glad to let them spoil
her again, glad to rest and sleep In
the heavenly peace and quiet Of the
old home
Late In the afternoon. rested, fresh,
and her old sweet self in the white
ruflies, she came down to Join them.
They had settled themselves under
the redwoods. Anne nnd Justin, Peter
and Alix and Buck. the dog, all jumped
up to greet her. Cherry very quietly
subsided into a wicker chair, listened
rather than talked, moved her lovely
eyes affectionately from one to an
other.
Peter hardly moved his eyes from
dress her directly: Justin was quite
obviously overcome by the unexpected
beauty Of Anne's cousin; Anne her
self, with an underlined pang, admit
ted in her soul that Cherry was pref
tier than ever; and even Alix was az
fected. With the lovely background
Of the forest, the shade Of her thin
wide hat lightly shadowing her face,
with the dew Of her long sleep and
recent bath enhancing the childish
purity Of her skin, and with her blue
eyes full Of content, Cherry was a
picture OF exquisite youth and grace
and charm.
The evening was cooler, with sud-
den wind and promise of storm.
They grouped themselves about a fire
In the old way; Anne and Justin sit
ting close together on the settle, as
Martin and Cherry had done a year
ago. Cherry sat next her father, with
her hand linked in his; neither hand
moved for long, long time. Alix.
sitting on the floor, with her lean
cheeks painted by the fire, played
with the dog and rallied Peter about
some love affair, the details of which
made him laugh vexedly in spite of
himself. Cherry watched them, lit
tie puzzled at the familiarity of Peter
beside this fire; had he been so en-
tirely one Of the family year ago?
She could almost envy him, feeling
herself removed by SO long and
strange a twelvemonth.
BE that as 1t may, my dear" said
Alix, "the fact remains that you
taught this Fenton woman to drive
your car. didn't you? And you told
her that she was the best woman
driver YOU ever knew, better driver
even than Miss Strickland; didn't
you"
II did not" Peter said. unmovedly
smoking and watching the fire.
"Why, Peter, you did! She said
you didv"
"Well, then, she said what is not
true!"
"She distinctly told me-" Alix re-
marked, that dear Mr.. Joyce had said
that she was the best woman driver
he ever saw"
''Well, l may have said something
like that" Peter growled, flushing.
Alix laughed exultingly. 81 tell you
l loathe herl" he added.
Daddy, we have lovely home -
Cherry said softly. her eyes moving
from the shabby books and the shah.
by rugs to Alix's piano shining In the
gloom of the far corner. 1t was all
hOmelike and pleasant, and somehow
the atmosphere was newly inspiring
to her; she had felt that the talk al
dinner, the old eager controversy
about books and singers and politics
and science, was-well, not brilliant
perhaps, but worth while. She was
beginning to think Peter extremely
clever and only Alix's quick tongue a
match for him, and to feel that her
father knew every book and had seen
every worthwhile play In the world.
Martin, whose deep dissatisfaction
with conditions at the Emmy Young
er Mine" Cherry well knew, had en-
tered into correspondence some
months before relative to a position