Evening star., 1923-03-20

gently nor Bob, nor dad. Wel just
| have to make the best of things-some
! way"
| But how? How" came in
stified gasp. Cherry made motion
of her head and Pennington left the
| room silently. He had carried out his
/ unpleasant mission, thankful for the
f, Intervention of the daughter, which
| had saved him some of the brutality
of speaking the truth.
| But after the lawyer had gone the
touch Of her daughters nand seemed
| only to bring more tears, as she ylelo-
| ed without stint to her despair.
| II can't face it''--She sobbed-l
| can't. To have people slight us-be-
cause of this misfortune
We'll" said Cherry, with a shrug,
| "if there are any people who want to
! slight me let 'em begin al once.
| "Oh. my dear" sobbed the mother.
! you don't know the world as l DO
tom again with-with nothing what
/ ever to look forward to-
We'll, all I've got to say Is" said
Cherry, that if people think less or
me because of what's happened. I'll
think a devil Of lot less of them"
! But her mother was not consoled and
wept anew. ITO think that all this
should have happened. just when
| when our future-your rfuture-was SO
brilliant. And now-everythlng will
be $3.50 different"
"Oh. I don't care. Muzzy."
You do care You must care
sasped her mother, raising tear
you can't let II all go for nothing
She Strengthened and sat up again.
staring at Cherry. appraising her
quickly with a despairing air of reso-
| luton.
| "parhans W.. "a, saya sonetbipp ou,
| of the wreckage," she said. Her air
| of craft was familiar to Cherry, but it
| seemed very futile now. Her pretty
mother seemed to have grown sudden
| Cherry" she gasped. Cherry read her
thoug ghts, but gave no sign Of compre-
| hension.
Il mean John Chichester. Cherry"
been so kind-calling. sending notes
and fiowers-that have hopes that his
opinions may not have chansed-that
his regard for YOU"
you must" said Alicia with the
courage Of despair. You've got to
listen to me. You're the only hope 1
about you before this terrible thing
happened. He wanted to marry you"
"oh. did he?" said Cherry. We'll,
I'm not going to"
Cherry"
| 81 mean It, 1 don't love John Chi
chester. / haven't the slightest inten-
, tion of marrying him-even If he
| should ask me to. And don't believe
| Cherry, You can't understand how
desparte the situation is"
4 Yes, 1 understand. I've realized
1t from the flrst-but I can't imagine
any situation that will make me
desperate enough for that"
hysterfa which she saw in her moth
er's distended eyes and gasping breath
| she softened anu fell beside the couch
patting her gently.
/ Now Muzzy. You're not to think
about this any moro just now-not
to talk about it, because, after all,
Mr.. Chichester hasn't asked me. Now
has he? Perhaps he won't. There
are a lot of things more important
to think about. You'll be pretty sick,
II you let yourself give away. And
besides crying like this is positively
ruinous to your oomplexion-your
eyes-are all swollen now"
| Are they? l suppose they are. But
| Cherry, II you were only more sym
pathetic-if you'd only tell me-
Don't let's talk about this any
more, not now. Later perhaps. You
must battle your face-and then a
Lille"
| - No, not Lille III 90 Tor myself
She dabbed at her eyes for a moment
and rose wearily. III you'd only try
to think seriously of your obligations
to US ALTO me, Cherry" she said.
! I'll try to think of them, Muzzy,'
M Msaid Cherry calmly. AT present,
take a nap. You've had a trying
| afternoon"
! And 80 by dint OF argument and
persuasion Alicia Mohun was led tear
fully to her ablutions while, Cherry,
greatly disturbed, went to her own
| room.
! 1t was the first time that John Chi
| chesters name had been mentioned
to her since her fathers stroke. He
had never had a. very large place
| and the sudden CLEAN Of hope that
She had seen in her mothers eyes
as she thought of Cherry's possible
share In the restitution of their fallen
| fortunes affected Cherry with an un-
pleasant sense of carrying what had
| once been to her a mild sort of a
joke into the realm of a very un-
pleasant reality. But the appeal to
Cherry in the moment of extremity
| through the medium of her mothers
| emotions had not seemed quite fair
| And though 1t had given Cherry a
definite idea Of how deeply ingrained
was her mothers ambition for this
match, to have put it even by sug-
1 ~ Ahoi udusH HlcI rs ullal
obligation was doubly disturbing.
| From the days Of her girihood
| Cherry had always thought of her
mother with mingled admiration and
l ertainty-amenable to her ply
| steal perfections and charm, yet
| dubious as to her sincerity in her
| relations with those who were to
be OF use to her. Later on, as Cherry
| learned to think for herself, the
| beauty upon which people set such
, store became less impressive, for
| Cherry knew of the assiduities neces-
| sary to preserve It: and the sophis-
1 tries by means OF which her mother
| succeeded in the social Venture
| seemed little less than hypocritical.
But in the past the indulgence
which her mother showed her had al
| ways compensated for these deficien-
l cies, for Alicia had recognised in
Cherry a spirit that was master to
i her own and Cherry, left to her de-
/ Woes, had gone her own way, un-
i affected by the elements in her moth
ers character, with which she was
mother was certain, but it was a
habit that she should love her-a
habit inherited from the childhood
days when she had wanted nothing
! more in the world than to be in all
]; things as Alicia Mohun was. 1t
wasn't that her love for her mother
was any less than before. but it had
changed in substance, for pity had
taken the place. of admiration anu
today, in her helplessness, her mo III