Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1934-08-10
SEVEN I~NSTALLMENT

beyond Marston. Wild flower.
banked the fireplace and nodded
from the old table. Martha wa.
blinking the tears back and think
ing that she had never seen the
child look so lovely. Barry was a
little nervous.
In another hour everyone but
Martha had gone.
ut does seem queer, never a line
from friends or folks, even when
she's gettin' married. And the tags
cut off her coat and things. 1t
beats me-but nobody can tell me
there's anything wrong about her,
anyway . I've lived with her."
Barry was pacing slowly up and
down the long veranda; Anne was
dressing for their first dinner at
home.
Her one evening dress was there,
a supple. shimmering thing in pale
gold.
Voices drifted up to her from
below.
you'd better go in to Marston
tomorrow morning and see if
there's any mail, Petry. I'm expect
ing a letter."
"Sure will. I was goin' to slip
off anyway, first thing" Petry's
voice sounded apologize. Got to
own up to somethin', I guess. You
gave me a letter to mail pref near
a week ago, and it must've slipped
down behind that old rug on the
back seat and l never missed it
when I picked up the Others"
"Oh! I see." There was a
perceptible pause. "Well, it can't
be helped. You'd better put an air
mail stamp on it, and I'll have an
other not ready to explain the
delay"
Anne adjusted a shoulder strap,
|patted her hair and surveyed the
result in the mirror.
Fingers beat a light tattoo on the
door. Barry came in. He said
"Whew!" softly.
us this what you dazzle me with,
Nancy. before I've been married
three hours?"
"Nancy!' She looked startled
"You never called me that BEFORE
"I don't know any better than
Anne. You're sweet, Nancy"
The soft notes of the gong were
sounding through the house. Barry
tucked her arm in his. Come on,
Mrs. Duane, and st at the head of
your table,
Petry did not start for Marston
until late afternoon. 1t seemed to
be one of those days when one
thing after another goes wrong,
and he insisted on attending to
them himself.
The evening meal was over be-
fore Petry came trampine up the
veranda steps.
"Tire blew out on the way
back" he explained. "Here's a
telegram for you, Barry. 1t come
in just before l felt town."
Barry opened the telegram, and
his face clouded with sudden
anxiety.
"I'm sorry" He looked apollo
getically at Anne. "I'm afraid we
shall have to shorten the honey
moon a little. My mother wires me
that she hasn't been we'll. I'm
afraid we'll have to start for home
in a day or So"
"Home!" Her heart was ice.
But Barry'I thought this was
home!"
ut is, for half of every year, and
I've lived here so much that this
seems more like my home than the
real one. That is back East, about
an hour out of New York. Perhaps
| ought to have told you before,
but I was keeping it for a little
surprise. Why Nancy, you lovely
little thing Do you think I married
you to let you be buried here in a
lonely mountain valley from one
years end to the other?"
"But I love it here!" Her voice
was edged with a sharp fear. "I-
I thought we were going to stay
here and work out your plans for
the Junipero! Aren't you going on
with that, Barry?"
"Of course, darling.'' He looked
surprised at her vehemence. But
going back East is really a part of
it. It's the biggest part, for that
is where I'm trying to raise the
money. Why Nancy-aren't you
glad?'
"Why-of course I'm glad. But