The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1943-01-21
sYMJHlEEN NORRlS I
W.N.U.RgteAss

some clothes and have had time to
look about little. must see Moth
er Superior before / go and make
the arrangements for you.''
And then they were walking back
toward the converts main building,
through wide, orderly, dinnly lighted
corridors.
81 must tell you about my FAM
lily, Cherry" the man said. my
mother lives with us-Mrs. Clay
Judson Marshbanks; she sounds a
little formidable and she is a little
formidable! Then there's my pretty
wife-I lost my first wife," he in
terrupted himself to explain, "and
Fran is almost young enough to be
my daughter. I've son Greg-he's
twenty-four, off at college in the
East, and also with us is my broth
er's daughter, Amy. Amy's mother
died when she was little girl; her
father was killed in an accident
few years after that, and my moth
er has had her since-making her
bow in society now and quite grown
up.
She was going away from the only
world she knew; the air was full
of farewells and heartaches, and
strange excited happiness of antici-
patton.
1t had once been a sufficiently
stark and comfortless regime. But
times were changed now. Mother
Superior was noted for the moderni-
ty of her views. Her girls, she said,
must presently face the world as it
was-with all its hurry of planes
and cars, its noise and progress.
"Old girls" were twenty, found
employment under responsible Gus
tody" in the unknown world, and
disappeared; new girls came in,
small and frightened and homesick
even from the most unfit and
wretched Of homes, or rebellious
and angry and full Of muttered
threats of escape.
So Cherry, formally discharged
from the books as Charlotte Raw
lings," with due details Of her ad-
mission and her thirteen years resi-
dence at the convent entered upon
fornidable-looking graph, was not
as entirely unprepared for entrance
into the world as her custodians
might have fancied her to be.
At leaving, Cherry wore the con-
vent uniform of black serge and
white collar, and round hat like a
small black basket turned upside
down. The hat dated back some
ten years, bu. it was a hat, and
that was all that girls from Saint
Dorothea's expected of headgear.
Mother Superior had given her
the ten dollars with parting word
of instruction. This money was for
any emergency; her tickets and
meals on the train would be paid
for by the Sisters in whose care
she was travelling.
''This wouldn't have been my
choice of school for you, Cherry"
the nun had said. ''I've been con-
sidering in my own mind whether
ought to say this much to you"
she added, "and I've asked for guid-
ance in the matter. But there seems
to be no harm in telling you that /
felt-and dear Mother Bertrand felt,
thirteen years ago-that you should
have been one of the Victor street
girls. Our school here is for cases
that are underprivileged-for girls
who are definitely unfortunate, per-
haps through no fault of their own.
However, the servant-your moth
er's servant, who brought you here
was very definite that it had been
her wish to put you with us. Mrs.
Haskell - Emma - you remember
her? you will see her now-had
known a fine woman who became
one of Saint Dorothea's Sisters, and
through her she knew exactly the
character of our work."
81 remember Emma" Cherry had
stammered, almost faint with this
final excitement. There had not
been any especial stigma attached
to her name then: she might have
been one of the Victor street girls!
Sister Fabian and Sister Gervase
were both indisposed on the train.
They did not want any supper; they
had the three berths made up i'm
mediately, and Cherry left them to
the little room, found a window
seat in the empty length of the car
and sat, fascinated, watching the
landscape flying by.
She jumped when old DR..
O'COnner touched her arm, real
lied that she was hungry, went
with him through the swaying
train to the dining car.
and was so rapt over its light
and warmth and the bewilder-
ing obligation of ordering something
from a menu for the first time in
her life that tea and biscuits and
honey were all she could murmur
when her companion poised his pen
Gil over the order blank.
Both little nuns were tucked up in
bed when she cautiously entered the
drawing room. Cherry had the
lounge, and slept the sleep of youth
and fatigue within its narrow boun-
daries. Breakfast was another ad.
venture-such smoking coffee, such
buttered toast!--and the long day
that dragged for almost everyone
else on board was too short for her.
But at quarter past seven o'clock
for the train was late-when they
descended somewhat grimy and jad.
ed at the Oakland Mole, sheer ner-
vous excitement and expectation had
exhausted her. She was pale, toe
much absorbed in her own emotions
l..