The Raymer enterprise., 1922-05-04

ltus EDDlu, uhu came III, question III
his bright eyes, his great plumy tai!
beating the floor as he lay down at
Peters side. Presently the dog laid
his nose on Peters knee and poured
forth faint sound that was not quite
a whine, not quite n sigh, and rose
restl"ssly. and went 10 the closed door
%! AXIS room, and paved it, his eager
nose 10 the threshold.
Not here. old fellow" Peter said,
strJklns the silky head under his
hand.
He had not been In this room since
the day of her death. Ii struck him
as strangely changed. strangely and
heartrendlngly familiar. The windows
were closed. as AliX had never had
them closed. winter or summer, rain
or sunshine. Her books stood In their
old order, her Students Shakespeare,
and some Of her girlhood's books,
Little Women" and Uncle Max" In
the closet. which exhaled a damp and
woody smell, were one or two OF the
boyish-looking hats he had SO often
seen her crush careiessly on her dark
hair. and the big belted coat that was
as plain as his own, and the big boots
she wore when she tramped about the
poultry yard. still spattered with pale
dry mud. Her fathers worn little b.
bic lay on the table, and beside II an.
other book, Duck Raising for the
Market" with the marks OF muddy
and mealy hands still lingering on Its
cover
Suddenly evoked by these silent
witnesses TO her busy and happy life,
the whole woman seemed to stand be-
side Peter, the tall, eager. vital woman
who had been at home here, who had
ruled the cabin with splendid and
vitul personality. He seemed TO feel
her near him again. 10 see the inter
estrd eyes. the high cheek-boncs
touched with scarlet. the wisp of haIr
that would fall across her face some
times when she was deep in baking
or preserving. or pOultry-farmlng. and
that She would brush away with the
back 0f an impatient hand, only to
huvc II slip loose again.
Dnc of her kitchen aprons caught In
the current Of air from the opened
door. blew about on Its hook. He re-
mriuhcred her. on many a wintry day,
butinned into just such a crisp apron.
riItnntly busy and brisk in her kitch-
Ell. stirring and chopping, moving con.
siantly between stove and table. With
strong hands still showing traces Of
flour she would come to sit beside him
ut the piano, 10 play a duet with her
Characteristic dash and finish. only to
jump up In sudden conjunction. with
an exclamation: "Oh, my duCks-Td
forgotten them! Oh. the poor little
wretChrs" "
And she would he gone. leaving a
streak of Wet, fresh air through the
warm house from the open door, and
he would perhaps glance from win.
dow Ia see her, roughly coated and
booted. ploughng about her duck yard
delying into barrels Of grain, turning
on faucets, welding stubby old
broom.
She loved her life, he unused. with
bitter henrtache, as he stood here
in her empty room. Sometimes he had
marvclcd at the complete and unques
tionlng JOY she had brought to It, Pc.
ter reminded himself that never In
thoir years together had he heard her
complain about anything. or seem t.
feel bored or at loss.
We've always thought Of Cherry MS
the child" he thought. But /; vas
Size, AliN. who was the real child. She
never grew up. She never entered into
the time of moods and sclf.anaIysis
and IralouSics and desires, She would
have played and plcnicked all her
life
His heart pressed like dull pain
in his chest. Duly, quietly. he went
out to the fire again. and duly and
quietly moved through the day. Her
books and music might stand aS they
were. her p0tted ferns and her scat.
tered small possessions-the sewing.
basket that she always handled with
a boys awkwardness. and the camera
she used so well-should keep their
places. But he went to her desk.
thinking In this long, solitary evening,
TO destroy various papers that she
might wish destroyed before the cabin
was deserted And here he found her
letter.
lie found It only after he had some.
what explored the different small
drawers and pIgeonholes OF the desk.
drawers and plge0nhOles which were.
to his surprise, all in astonishing or.
der for AlIx Everything was marked.
tied. pocketed; her accounts were bal.
anced. and II she had anywhere left
private papers. they were at least no.
where to be found.
Seeing In all this dread coniirma.
tion of his first suspicion OF her death,
Peter nevertheless experienced a shocl;
when he found her letter.
II had been placed in an empty
drawer. face up, and was sealed, and
addressed simply with his name.
He sat holding It In his hand, and
moments passed before he could open
1t.
O. - Rad hoov, truo than thn %. .