The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-02-12


artin was on his knees, and the body
was resting against his shoulder.
guess seemed as reasonable as that
of everyone else's.
Cherry, you must have the
ory," Kelly said one day when they
were climbing the hill at Sausalito
behind Topcote.
II have about FOUR" she answered
judicially. "And Amy would add
one to that. She has strong suspi-
cions of you"
Interesting" commented Kelly.
''But after all, she may have no
more than FOUR" pursued Cherry,
''for one of my four is Amy her
self. Oh, / don't really think she
had anything to do with it," she in
terrupted his quick, surprised look.
"But she had motive. She knew
that Uncle Jud was the only per-
son who could really do anything
about this question of her identity
and mine. She was frightened
about the shame of it, and the
money, of course, and above all,
about Gogo. Amy knew in her heart
that Gogo would leave her fiat if
anything like that came out"
''Do Amy" Kelly said, in a mild
ly pleased tone, suspects me?"
~ don't say she suspects you.
But she knows you liked Fran, and
that you were there that night, and
she asked me the other day if !
thought by any chance you and I'm
Gle Jud could have had a quarrel"
cha! I wonder if she suspects
Gogo?"
''She was in perfect terror until
he'd been cleared"
"Amy acts like a person complete
ly innocent"
"She does, but at the same time
she and I and the old lady are hid
ing what did actually 60 on that
night, what the discussions and
quarrels were about, and I marvel
sometimes that they, the police,
don't smell a rat!"
"There's Fran" Kelly said
thoughtfully, stuffing his pipe.
'Oh, she wouldn't! Who was she
telephoning to that night, Kelly?"
"Any one of a dozen men. Men
fall for her the way soft coal goes
into Easements"
A few moments later, they re-
turned to the house. Cherry pulled
on her hat and handed Kelly her
coat to hold for her. 81 hate to go
back!" she said.
Kelly adjusted the collar in back,
square her about with his big hands
on her shoulders and carefully but
toned her coat.
'You don't have to go back, you
know" he said, after moment
in which he had cleared his throat.
SIT would be so good" she said,
her raised face close to his, "to be-
long here. Just peaceful days and
meals and digging in the garden
and climbing the hill"
''Why don't you do it, Cherry?"
because from the very begin
ming, Kelly, from the time | first
knew you, I've known you didn't
love me. And if ever came here"
Cherry said, "I'd want you to be
SO mad about me that you could
hardly bear it. I'd want you to feel
that marriage-marriage between
us-was miracle, and that if ever
we had child it would be mira
Gle to you, too, just as it would be
to mel"
Sand suppose I said that it was
that way with me, Cherry" the
man answered, catching her lightly
by the upper arms with both big
hands, holding her face to face with
him. Suppose I told you, on my
sacred oath, that for weeks, months,
/ didn't know what was the matter
with me, and that after you went
away this summer it came to me
suddenly that it was you-that it's
been you for long time. What
would you say then, Marchioness?"
s'I'd say" she stammered, don't
don't fool me, Kelly"
Cherry" he asked, and now she
was crushed so tight against his
heart that she could not find breath
to answer, Twill you marry me,
darling? Will you change my whole
life for me, and make it the most
wonderful life that any man ever
had in this world? Will you, Mar
chioness?"
After while he had to take her
home. For even with the most ex-
peditious plans in the world, they
had to wait until such time as they
could drive to San Rafael for mar
rage license, and Cherry had to OBJ
tain permission from the authori-
ties to leave the Marshbanks house.
ITO BE CONTINUED)