Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-05-24
VIII bet it's a put-up job between
you and Alix-" Martin said in indul-

<Il bet it's a put-up job between
you and AliX-" Martin said in ndul-
gent suspicion.
| Her indignant glance sobered him;
The hastily arranged money matters
and that night she got off the train in
the dark Wetness of the valley, and
was met by rush OF cool and fra
grant air. Cherry got. a driver, rat
tied and ierked up to the house in a
surrey. and jumped out, her heart al
most suffocating her.
Alix came .flying to the door: the
old lamplight Inc the odor Of wood
smoke poured through. There was
no, need for words: they burst into
tears and chung together.
An hour later Cherry, feeling as if
she vas not the same woman who
walked in Red Creek this same morn
ing and got Martins eggs and coffee
ready. crept into her fathers room.
Alix had warned her to be quiet, but
at the sight Of the majestic ole gray
head n The fine old hands .claspe1.
together on the sheet her self-control
forsook her entirely n she fell to
her knees and began TO cry again.
The nurse looked at-her d%isapprov-
ingly, but after all, it made little d'f-
ference. DR.. Strickland reused only
once again n that was many hours
later Cherry and Alix were still
keeping their vigil; Cherry. worn out.
had been doing; the nurse was rest
ing on a couch III the next room.
Suddenly both daughters wire wide
awake at the sound of the hoarse We:
familiar voice. Alx fell ION her knees
and caught the cold and wandering
hand;
joking maternal manner was all, in
earnest now. Z
"Peter?" he said thickly.
Peters In China. dear. You re-
member that Peter was 10 20 aroun.l
the world? You remember that
lDad?" N
No he said musingly. They
thought he slept again, but he pres
Icntly added: Somewhere in Matthew
mo. in Mark-Mark' is the human
one-Mark was as human as his NJ j.
ter &5s
Shall {. read you from Mark?"
Adx ASKED. as his voice sank again.
A shabby old Bible always stood at
her father's beside: she reached for it,
and making q desperate effort to
steady her voice. began to read. The
place was marked by an Did letter,
and opened at the chapter he seemed
to desire. for as she read he seemed
to be drinking in the words. Once
they heard him whisper, wonder
full" Cherry got up on the bed and
took the splendid dying head in hen
arms: the Murky winter dawn crept in
and the lamp burned sickly in. the
daylight. Hong could be heard stir
ring. Alix closed the book <and cx-
tinguished the lamp. Cherry did not
move.
"charity!" the old man said pres
entity, in a simplef childish tone. Later.
with bursts Of tears, in all the utter
desolation of the days that followed,
Cherry loved to remember that his
last utterance was her name. But
Alix knew. though she never said It.,
that 1t was to another Charity he
SPOKE.
subdued. looking younger and thin
ner II their new black, the sisters
came downstairs, ten days later, for,
a business talk. Peter had been named
as one executor: but Peter was far
away. and. 1t was a pleasant family
friend, a kindly old surgeon, of DR..
IStricklard's own age. or near 1t, and
the lawyer, George Sewall, the other
executor. who told them about their
lanairs. Anne as co-heiress. was pres
lent at This talk. with Justin sitting
had come down for the funeral, was
there. I
The house went to the daughters;
there were books and portraits for
Anne. a box orr two In storage for
Ammo, and Ammo was mentioned In the
only will as equally inheriting with
Alexandra and Charity! e For some
legal reason that the lawyer and Dr.
Younger made clear. Anne could not
only q trifle less than her cousins.
Things had reached this point when
Justin Little calmly and ~contIdentiy
claimed that Anne's share was to be
based upon an old loan Of Anne's Ia
ther to his brother. q loan ofEthree
thousand dollars to float Lee B.yick-
lands mention, With the underetand-
Ing that Vincent Strickland Dc suhee-
qnently entitled TO one-tfsM o. the
re.urna AZ The patent, & been sold
9 nearly one hundred and f51ty
thousand dollars, 0ne-thtrd-of Il. With
accommodating Interest for ten years 81
which no payment had .over bo4n made
Anne. = q larxe proportion Of the
entire estate. ana the dev0a0nfasnt Of
this claim. In JuStin LittiS,s saauuredf
|woodeny voice. caused every one to
aeon srays,
drsd ana Na fisty vi '.s4o aos MUr dn, rcs: hun hun
BY any means: It md been reducedy III
little more than tw6sSAirds 81, that
sum. and Anne NNbs4ght concern thst
every oF1At, shouId be sa4lel1edI With
what waR right. and her inesnuons
|plSaDure In JNptin,s cleyefnem IN
|thinkillx. Of this ~pukabiItNy, sYeTs met
with nOticeable coldneqs. gSs
y Anne wss wrOng. ahdsth paps
ne ned % her hanA wceth,sss, sechr
fortune, but IL AfnS WSsSrSht mSSss
n AH0lAltx .fvvRnSX S~Es