The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1937-08-06
CHAPTER VIII

Serena, wife of Spencer Ashley
George Morrison, was by birth part
English and part Dane; she had
been married to this, her third hus-
band, for only few years, and was
in her early thirties when the Nor
risons came to California in search
of sunshine and health. Not that
Serena herself was not glorious in
health and strength, and her child,
Gita, seven years old, as strong as
little bullock, but her husband
had been seriously injured in hunt
ing accident and would never be
whole and well again.
There was a good income some
where. The little family could af-
ford to choose what place and what
climate it preferred. Menlo Park
some eighteen to twenty miles
down the peninsula from San Fran
cisco-finally had seemed to be the
ideal place, and they had bought
the Tracy house, right next door to
DR.. Quentin Hardisty's big place, in
the week when Madeleine Hardisty
was year old.
The Hardistys' old-fashioned place
was spacious, plain, comfortable.
But the Morrisons' residence was
quite new, and lovely in plastered
Spanish patios, tiled oddments of
sloping roof, oaks, peppers, roses,
tagged paths. Little Gita Stewart,
Serena's daughter, lonely and Curl
Gus and bold, had lost no time in
creeping through the evergreen
hedge that separated the two gar
dens, crossing the Hardistys' old
tennis court and, skirting the berry
patch, threading her way under the
oaks and over the lawn, and finally
discovering what she later had de-
scribed to her nurse as the most
fascinating family she had ever
met: a mother who was fixing the
puppy's hurt head with rags and
water and medicines, and boys
named Kenty and Dicky and Bobs,
and girls named Gwen and Sue, and
baby that could walk.
The adult members of the family
did not meet so simply. It was at
a country-club lunch that Victoria
first noticed the straw-haired woman
and identified her as the beauty
Quentin had noticed more than a
year earlier. Everyone was MOTTO
ing Serena that day and asking
about her; it was her first social
appearance since the long-ago night
at the opera, although she had been
IN her new house for almost
month.
Quentin and some of the other
men had been playing golf since
breakfast time; Victoria had come
later to the club to carry her hus-
band home for lunch. With Gwen
and her two older children she was
watching the tennis when she saw
Mrs. Morrison for the first time;
presently Phyllis Tichnor came up
with the newcomer in tow.
"Vic. you know Mrs. Morrison?"
II DON'T" Vic said, smiling. "I'm
so glad to-! remember seeing Mrs.
Morrison at the opera last year,
and think our children know each
other?"
sour children" echoed the beau
tiful Mrs. Morrison, raising the del
icate dark line of her eyebrows.
isn't your small girl Gita Stew
art?"
"You ought to know each other"
said Phyllis. "You live right near.
Is there place between you and
the Tracy house or aren't you right
next door,"
"Oh, of course we are," Serena
said slowly, with no change of ex-
preston beyond a hint of languid
curiosity. cts your children Gita
talks TO Amah about?"
II am not very formal person.
You can't be, when you have six
children" Vicky explained, when
they were comfortably seated,
watching the tennis. "But / do
mean to come and see you one of
these daysl"
(TO BE CONTINUED