The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1943-02-25
his niece and her companion.


dinner and ! must go and dress,
he said. so you got caught IN
the rain. did you. Cherry?"
"Oh, we were drowned!" Cherry
said.
'sOver at Coates place, chr"
Things going pretty well over at
the Porter house?"
They've both been sick, you
know, Mrs. Porter and = and
Emma" She flushed brightly on the
last word; it seemed disloyal still
to call her no more than that.
But evidently he saw nothing
amiss. He told her that she looked
very nice in that thing of Amy's,
and that Rousseau was taking Fran
and him to the dinner and would
then come back and wait for Cher
ry.
"Oh, can walk! Only two blocks
and it's stopped raining" she pro-
tested. But he would not hear Of
it. Rousseau was to call for them
after their dinner party at half past
ten; he would be on service any,
way.
"Well, be good. Come and see
us again, Cherry" the judge said,
and when he was gone the girls fell
to eager talk again.
There was a light in Emma s
room when she quietly climbed the
stairs. Cherry went in, sat down
near the bed and poured out the
story of the day.
Emma listened in the GONZALES
cents mood of weary content until
Cherry came to the request from
Fran that Cherry on the return trip
come first to the Marshbanks house.
"Why on earth didn't she drop
you here if you were dripping wet?"
'Well, we weren't quite dripping.
We'd sort of dried out over at Mr..
Coates place. But she was wor-
ried for fear Judge Marshbanks
would be mad at her."
For going to have lunch with
Mr.. Coates?"
They've got an awful crush on
each other, Aunt Emma"
The title slipped out, Cherry's face
turning red as she heard her voice
saying it, and Emma's slow flush
burning in her thin cheeks in an
swer.
II can't help it. l think of you
as Aunt Emma now" Cherry said,
laughing, but little frightened.
"You can call me anything you
like" Emma conceded briefly. $50
Mrs. Marshbanks thinks she's in
love with this painter?" she asked.
Hes certainly in love with her.
Cherry answered.
"I've never met Judge Marsh
banks second wife," Emma said,
reflectively, "but I've seen her, and
she looks like one of the women
who live for that sort of thing.
They're always the ones with good
husbands too.'
He didn't seem very angry. He
came into Amy's room, and he was
awfully nice. Any'd had flu, and
since we'd had it here, there didn't
seem to be much danger of my
bringing it back, and so / had sup.
per with her. We had it on trays
|. and it was lots of funl"
II thought you didn't like Amy
Emma said, quietly watchful.
~ didn't" Cherry had a swif
moment of surprise that Emma
knew it. She was extremely snob
bish when we had the dance here
for Dorothy" she said; "but she
was lovely tonight. Oh, and Aun
Emma! Her grandmother is back
she got back today. She wouldn''
come into Amy's room because o.
the flu, but she brought her all sorts
of things-you're sick again!"
"No; just little faint. ! don'i
believe I'll ever get my strength
back again." Emma whispered
In the morning, old Mrs. Porter
had a serious setback and was dan
gerously i'll.
A few strange days-a week went
by; doctors came and went; law,
yers came and went. Judge Marsh.
banks had a long talk with Emma
The telephone and the doorbell, both
muff1ed, were constantly in action
All the world wanted to know how
old Dovey Porter was faring.
Just two weeks from the rainy
day when Cherry and Fran had
come home truants from Topcote
the old lady quietly passed away.
The judge and Amy and Fran
came to the funeral in the cathe.
dral with hundreds of other black
clad folks. Cherry and Emma with
the entire domestic staff were mod.
estly placed at the side of the
church.
ITO BE CONTINUED