The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1933-09-07

I my practical little wife, my me
son who has his own good wife,
and Rockwell st. Gardens lives very
respectfully too-up In northern
New England near the Canadian
border, where It is too cold for
me-"
.Early In July we will visit him."
said Mrs. Du Val. "We will go
up to his daughters wedding"
eyes," said Oscar, shat is so.
Beatrice Is to be married in july"
Mrs. Du Val's voice often trem-
bled on a note Of ecstasy so fra
| gfle that overtones of despair and
sadness could be heard beyond her
Joy. Rocky will be back by then
and we will all go together"
Doris felt the tremor OF happi-
ness behind the mothers words. It
caught response in her. Could 1t
possibly be true that in six weeks
she would be the normal, happy,
remembering wife of Rocky? It
must be so.
She went to bed early. The
sounds of bullfrogs and crickets
lulled her quickly to sleep. Her
last thought was that she would
wake up in the morning knowing
all about her past.
But the next day everything was
the same. She felt secure and full
of happiness. She was In her right
place, and Rocky's picture was on
her dressing table.
She thought Of her new family.
Mrs. Du Val-"Mother" was dear,
and she seemed really to like Do
ris. She review her eyentful yes
terday with tranquility. ALI that
fright about the m&n In the cab
had been so useless, 80 silly. Any
way, 1t was all before she knew
that she had this quiet refuge, be-
fore she had even seen Rocky's
picture. She took 1t up now and
studied it thoughtfully for the
twentieth time.
Her husband! Where had she
met him? How long had she known
him? Not long, apparently. She
had gathered this from her well
come
And yet Mrs. Du Val had met her
before Mrs. Du Val had recog-
nized her in the Biltmore! Or
had she? Doris shut her eyes again,
and tried to imagine the scene.
Mrs. Du vars greeting had been
something about how beautiful she
was. Could it be possible that Mrs.
Du Val as well as her husband
had never seen Rocky's wife be-
fore?
It was too confusing. Today her
memory would return. It must! 1t
would! 1t had to!
But it just didn't. The more she
willed to know. the more the cur
tain of the past seemed to shut
down on her, banker than the un-
known future on which she could
at least make few tentative plans
of her own.
The days were always the same.
At nine o'clock promptly every
night the family went to bed. And
at six o'clock the NEXT morning
1t was time to get up. From six
thirty until noon Mr.. Du Val
worked in his studio.
After lunch he worked again.
Meanwhile his wife occupied her
self with the house, superintend-
ing the gardening, the diaries, the
farm. Aside from her work in run
ming the huge place, Mrs. Du Val
spent much Of her time in acting
as guard to her husband against
the outside world. Hardly day
passed that did not bring group
of tourists eager to see the sculp-
tor at his work. His wife kept
them away from him. II she hadn't
1t would have soon become imposst-
BILE for him to work, for they would
have swamped him, overwhelmed
him. He lived In his work, and
he was utterly dependent on his
wife, who made 1t possible for him
to work so steadily and ardently.
ut is dull for you here, Doris?"
he would say sometimes at lunch.
mo, no. I love the quiet of the
country. And besides there's real
IN Iot RI do -
Doris was really learning great
deal. Already the peas and aspara-
gus were being canned In the big
kitchen. She had helped start dam
delion wine, seen the red currants
come off the bushes, watched them
bubble In enormous pots. Mrs. Du
Val was making barbecue "such
as you will not get, my Doris, this
side Of the water"
There was a batch Of new setter
puppies. Doris was weaving them.
This occupied much of her atten-
ton. Then there were many vases
in the big house to be filled with
| flowers. This had become Doris
task. There was, as Doris had
said, lot to do. And she enjoyed
doing It.
Every night she fell asleep