The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-04-27

you must have been OVERRIDING it,"
Then, sharply, Il say, there's
nothing wrong, is there?"
Cherry answered Simon auto
matically. No, there was nothing
wrong, except perhaps that she
was little tired. Anything to
gain time. She needed to think
swiftly. She had not yet made up
her mind what she was going to
do. The discovery of Denise's en-
gagement ring that she thought
she'd never see again - that ring
had told her that somewhere at
this moment Denise might still be
alive - was as yet so recent. ST.
mon came to her and put his
hands on her shoulders. His eyes
looked deep and questioningly in
to hers. you're sure you're all
right, darling"
why, yes, Simon!"
A quivering sigh escaped her
Simon put her from him and
looked at her anxiously. ''You
know, you've been OVERRIDING it!'
She pushed the soft dark hair
upward from her forehead with
her cold hands.
perhaps have just a little
Furniture moving's hard work."
''You should have waited till ]
came along to help you"
II wanted the cottage to look
nice by the time you arrived"
"You've certainly succeeded"
The cottage did look charming
with its gay chintz curtains
cleaning oak floors, the ingle.
hooks beside the red brick fire
places.
Simon and Cherry had their
tea out on the lawn beneath ar
old lichened apple tree.
'This time next week, Cherry
Pie -" he said, smiling at hel
as he balanced his cup on his lap
cts not long, is it Simon?"
She laughed uncertainty. She
knew now that she couldn't tell
him. Right or wrong, she loved
him too much to break the lovely
happiness that was theirs at this
moment. If necessary she would
fight to keep that happiness. On
ly she knew that Denise was
probably alive. 1t was her secret
and one she would never share
On the face of it, in world
where right was white and wrong
was black, she was going to trans
gress every rule which she'd been
brought up to believe in. But
there was some excuse for what
she was doing. After all, she
wasn't certain. There might still
be some explanation of the ring.
Hadn't she, too, a right to hap
piness? Denise had had her
chance. Denise had snatched ST.
mon from her in those early days.
She had married him, wearied of
him, then run away with another
man. Denise had trampled on his
love for her without a thought of
what it would mean to him.
Then fate had stepped in, MAX
ing it look as if Denise were dead.
No one questioned it. There had
been a notice in the papers. Moth
ing could have been more final
than her tragic death. And now,
no one need ever know of the
faintest possibility of mistake.
Not, indeed, if Cherry chose to
keep the secret locked away in
her heart.
She looked at Simon, happy
now because she had treasured
him. She thought passionately.
can't tell him. I can't! I won't!
She knew in that moment that
she would marry him with her
eyes wide open. She would hurt
no one but herself, but she would
always live with fear that one
day she might turn corner and
find herself face to face with
Denise, that one day Denise
might return and want Simon
back. She must face the possibili-
ty that Simon might return to
Denise, even after he had learned
the truth. Men had been known
to forgive and forget. In that case
it would be up to Cherry to stand
aside, to say, cts all right, ST.
mon, I understand. You mustn't
consider me-" But after all it
might not happen. She was bv no