The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-01-08

s'I'm in tr-trOuble and I've Deen c
c0me-cOme and take me for drive
"Well, that-that-he went on talk
ing about it, and that Aunt Emma
was so fine even if she was rather
cold, and then he said that his broth
er Fred was really good person
but impulsive and always getting
into trouble ;"
Ellis brother Fred!" Kelly had
kneeled to straighten slipped log
in the fire. He shot her a look
over his shoulder. Erred was Amy's
father?"
eyes. Amy's name is Amy Marsh
banks
''That's right too. There was an
other brother?"
"No. Only Amy's father"
Kelly stopped his pipe halfway to
his mouth and stared at her.
Huh" he commented, in a brief
sound like a grunt.
: "And it - it killed me-" Cherry
said, not crying now, but pale and
beginning to be agitated again. "1t
killed me! She's always had every
thing-she'n have more now-but
it's not that! It's that they all loved
her and wanted her and they've
made so much of her and she's al
ways had-I mean, I don't want
anything she has-but they love
her ="
She steadied suddenly at the sight
of his attentive but not too sympa-
thetic face and for a moment looked
at him in silence.
II mean" she went on presently,
gaining self-control with every word,
81 mean that tit sickened me to-
think that Amy and are half sis
tiers, and that he, my father, could
treat my mother so terribly-my
mother was so gentle, and she was
i'll so long! And she got nothing,
and I spent all those years at Saint
Dorothea's while Amy was travel
ing s. :"
Her voice trailed off into an
ashamed silence; the look she
turned to Kelly became aggrieved
and then apologize. For full min
ute neither spoke, and then Cherry
said something timidly, Don't you
think that's terrible?'
"You rather knew, / suppose"
Kelly began, shat things in your
background had been somewhat ir-
regular"
ooh, yes, did. Indeed, did!
They don't tell you anything at Saint
Dorothea's, you know, but of course
the girls talk. And we read books"
"Well, then, looky, Cherry. Why
is it so much worse to know that
your father came of good family,
and that he really tried to do what
he could for you? suppose it was
he who supported your mother, EN-
mas sister, and left money to take
care of your"
eyes; the judge said so today"
you're better off than am"
said Kelly. You're twenty and I'm
thirty-one. You've got all the world
before you, and I'm so damned in
love with a married woman that !
don't know what to do with my
self"
He glanced at his watch. cts
ten-ten. I'm going to run you home"
They went out into the darkness to
the car.
He stopped at the gloomy Porter
mansion and got out and went up
to the door with her.
you'll never know what you've
done for me tonight" Cherry said in
the dark columns of the entrance.
"You did something for me too.
I've been seeing blue devils all day.
Listen" he went on in a brighter
tone, 'shere's a bargain. If you get
too down, you telephone me, and if
I'm going crazy any time I'll tele-
phone you, and we'n walk it off
together. There are swell walks up
over the hills over my way. How
about it,"
81 would think it the incest thing
that ever happened to me-" she said
in low tone.
''It's a 60, then"
''There's only one thing. If we
do that then / mightn't ever have
any troubles" Cherry explained, her
hand in his.
"You know what you ought to get
for that!" His arm held her lightly,
his lips brushed her forehead and
he was gone.
Emma had gone with her kitten to
the country now, and Cherry was to
leave for Palo Alto in a few days,
to take possession of a room in the
house of one Mrs. Pringle, and to
begin summer-school work and to do
certain amount of coaching so as
to be able to enter college as regu-
lar student in the fall. On this par
ticular day she was going down in
the li,,oo,,ciy,a with Fran yyh0 had a