THE NORTTI PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
KATHLEENS
NORRIS
CSJyrKMir f?
KATHllCW HORRiy
CHAPTER XVI Continued.
15
"Good-night, old girl!" Something
In the tone touched her, with it vngno
hint of unhnpplness, hut she did not
Atop to nrtnlyze It. She wont buck
through IiIh room, mid through the lit
tlo passage, nnd rejoined Mnrtln. Tbo
freedom of Peter's apartment Allx
had always taken as nnturnlly ns she
did the freedom of her father's.
"Can't hear us, oh?' Martin asked,
when again she stood beside hi in.
"Positively not I" she answered.
"Look here," he said, abruptly.
"SVhnt brought me up here lh (bis.
Who's mnklng love to '".crv?"
Indignant, and with rising color, she
tlfrred at Mm.
"Who what I"
"She's having n nice little quiet flir
tation with somebody," Martin snld,
with a significant nnd warning smttc
"Who Is It?"
"I don't know who's been talking
to you nbout Cherry, Martin," Allx
said, sharply, "but you know you can't
repeat that sort of rotten scandal to
roe I"
"I don't menu any harm I don't
mean any harm I" he assured her, with
a quick attempt to quiet the storm he
had rnlsed. "Don't get mad don't
get mad! Hut I happen to know that
there's some attraction that's keeping
Cherry here, and I came up to look
over the ground for myself, do you
Hoe? Come on, now, nut me on I"
Allx made an effort at self-control.
"Murtln, you're mistaken l" she said,
quietly. "You have no right to listen
to any one who tels you such things,
and It It wnsn't that you're Cherry's
husband I wouldn't listen to you t Hut
you'll huvo to take my word for It
that It's u He. We three have lived
up here without seeing any one- any
one I Cherry has hardly spoken to a
man, except Peter and Autonu and
Kow. since she camel"
"Who Is this George Sownll?" he
asked, shrewdly.
"The lawyer I Oh, heavens, Mnrtln!
Why, Oeorge was a beau of mtne ; he's
a widower of fifty, and has Just an
nounced his engagement to the trained
nurse that took care of his boy!"
"U'ml" Murtln commented,
"If any one mentioned Cherry'H name
hi connection with Oeorge," Allx said,
firmly, "that was a perfectly malicious
iandur "
"Sowall's wasn't mentioned I" Mar
ft snld, hustlly.
""Whose name was mentioned,
linV" Allx pursued, hotly.
"Well, nobody's name was men
tioned." Martin took a greut many
creased nnd rubbed papers from bis
vnst pockets, and shifted them over.
Klimily, with a fat, deliberate bund be
d'tlected ono and put the others awuy.
"This is from my mother," he said.
"My mint, Mrs. North"
"We saw her here, a week or two
ngol" Altx said as ho paused.
"Well, she was In Portland, nnd saw
the folks," said Martin. "And my
mother writes me this" And nfter
a few seconds of searching ho read
from the letter:
" 'Bessie North saw Cherry and Mrs.
Joyce In Mill Valley, and If 1 was you
I would not let Cherry stay away too
long. A wife's place Is with her hus
band, especially when she lu as pretty
as Cherry, and If Hessle Is right, some
body else thlnkti she's pretty, too, and
you know It doesn't take much to start
people mitring. It Isn't like she had
o couple of children to keep her busy.'
"That's ull of that," said Martin,
folding the letter. He eyed Allx keen
ly. "Well, what do you think?" he
asked, triumphantly.
"I think that's a mean, wicked thing
to snyt" she said, Indignantly, "No,
Mnrtln," she snld, silencing him, as
ho would v have Interrupted her, "I
know she Is beautiful and young, and
I know because she's told me thut
you und she feel thut your murrlugo Is
a mistake, hut If you think"
"Oh, she said that, did she? Now,
look bore," with his air of assurance.
"By Oeorge. she hud something on her
mind when she met me today. She
vis fussed, nil right, and It wasn't nil
ike surprise of seeing me, either. First
she wunted to telephono you then
she fussed over your message "
"Cherry gets fluttered very easily I"
Allx reminded htm.
"Well, sho was fUHsed all right this
rooming. She said not to mention It
to Allx, because she Had promised
that It should go on time, I thought
maybe she meant thut you wanted her
to go herself; no, she suld, u note
would do"
"I don't know what you're talking
about I" Allx snld, puzzled.
"Your note!" Martin explained.
"Whnt note! I didn't write any noto.
Cherry telephoned "
"No," ho said, patiently und per
functorily, "you wunted Cherry to
say good-hy to those people
who were sailing I Thut wns nil.
Mhe wrote It! It got there In -time, I
juess. Anyway, I heard the girl suy
ft rush it to the boati"
"Oh I" Allx said. "Oh- " she added.
Her tone betrayed nothing, hut she.
was thoroughly at sea. "Old 1 ask
Cherry to say good-hy to any one?"
she asked herself, going back to the
beginning of thf long day. Instinct
warned her hint nothing would be
gained by sharing her perplexity with
Martin. "I give you my word that she
hasn't been five nilnules nlone with any
one but Peter nnd me!" she snld,
frankly, looking Intti Martin's eyes.
"Now. are you satisfied?"
"Sure. I'm satlslled !" he answered.
"I'll lake your say-so for It." He
ynwned. "Trouble with Cherry Is. she
hasn't enough to do!" he finished snpl
ently. "I'm a poor person v. 1th whom to
discuss Cherry!" Allx hinted, with an
unsmiling nod for good-night,
And she looked at Cherry's corn
colored head, ten minutes later, with
a thrill of maternal protectlveness.
Cherry was evidently asleep, burled
deep under the blue army blankets.
Hut Allx did not get to sleep that
night.
She did not even undress. For It
was while sitting on the side of her
bed, ready to begin the process, Hint
through her excited nnd Indignant and
whirling thoughts the first suspicion
shot like u touch of flume.
"I'll tell Peter nil this when Martin
has gone," Allx decided. "He'll bo
furious he ndorea Cherry he'll be
furious he thinks that there Is no one
like Cherry"
The words she had said came hack
to her, and she said them ngaln, half
aloud, with a look of pain and almost
of fear suddenly coining Into her
eyes.
"Peter ndores Cherry "
And then she knew. Kvcn while
the sick - suspicion formed Ttsclf,
vague nnd menacing and horrible, In
her heart, she knew the truth of It.
And though for hours she was to
weigh It and measure It, to remember
and question nnd compare all the
duys und hours that she and Peter und
Cherry had been together; from the
moment the thought wus born she
knew thut it was to he with her an
accepted fact for ull time to come.
For u few seconds Allx felt III,
dazed, nnd shocked almost beyond en
during. Sho snt Immovable, her eyes
fixed, her body held rigid, us a body
might be In the second before It fell
ufter a bullet had cleanly pierced the
heart.
Then she put her hand to her throat,
nnd looked with a sort of terror ut
the silent figure of Cherry. Nobody
must know thut wus Allx's first clear
thought. She was breathing hard, her
breust rising and fulling painfully,
und the blood In her temples began to
pound; her mouth was dry.
With n blind Instinct for solitude
she went quickly and silently from the
sleeping porch, and Into the wnrm sit
ting room. For u few minutes Allx
stood, with ono foot on the chain thnt
linked the old brass Are dogs, her el
bow on the mantel, and her cheek
resting against her arm.
"No," sho whispered, almost audi
bly, "no It can't bo thut 1 It enn't be
Cherry and Peter Oh, my God I Oh,
"No," Sho Whispered. "No, It Can't
Be That."
my Ood, It has been that, nil the time
thut, nil the time and I nover knew
It I never dreamed Itl
"It's Peter nnd Cherry I They hnv
como to caro for each other they
have come to cure for each other." she
I Ulllll ti ImiiunM 1m l. .!...
1 mid tumbling In mod confusion as she
I rested and tried the new fenr. "It
fiiust be so. lint It can't bo sol" Allx
interrupted herself In terror, "foi
wliat shall we do what shall we do
Cherry In love with Peter. Hut Peter
Is my husband ho Is my husband'
And in n spnsm of pnln she shut her
eyes, nnd flung her hend ns If suffo
cating. The bcntlng of her heart
frightened iter. "I shall be sick If I
go on this wny!" she reminded her
self. "And then they will know. They
mustn't know. But Peter " she
whispered suddenly. "Peter, who has
always been so goofl to me so gen
erous to me nnd It was Cherry nil
the time! Even those years ago,
when we used to tense him nbout the
lady with the crinolines nnd ringlets,
it was she. Hut why dldiv't he nsk her
Instead of me?" wondered Allx, and
with an aching head und n frowning
brow she began to piece it all together.
The terrible truth rose triumphant
from ull her memories. Sometimes for
a second hope would flood her with
almost painful Joy, hut Inevitably the
truth shut down upon her ngnln, nnd
hope died, and she realized afresh that
Wltjrow, stronger than before, was
waiting to seize her ngnln.
"Well 1 enn't stand It In here!"
Allx said, suddenly. She crosseil to
the door, nnd opened It, and slipped
noiselessly out Into the night, catch
ing a coat from the rack as she
passed.
The night was wrapped In nn ocean
fog, there was no moon and no stars,
but the nlr was soft nnd wnrm. With
no goal in view, Allx climbed upward,
walking rapidly, breathing hard, nnd
frequently speaking aloud, as some
poignant thought smote her, or stand
ing still, too sick with pnln, under nn
unexpected rush of emotion, to move.
"He would have told me nbout It
why didn't I let him 1" ran Allx's
thoughts. "I thought of some older
womnn, I don't know why nnyway, I
didn't care so much then. Hut I care
now! Peter, I cure now I I can't give
you up, even to Cherry. It Is non
sense to talk of giving him up," Allx
told herself, sitting down In the Inky
dark, on a log ugnlnst which her wild
wulk had suddenly brought her, "for
we are all married people, and we all
lovo each other. Hut oh, I am so sor
ry! I am so sorry, Peter," she whis
pered, ns If she were speaking to him.
"ou couldn't help It, I know thnt.
She is so pretty nnd so sweet, Cherry
nnd she turns to you as If you were
her big brother!"
She got to her feet and went on.
"Whnt am I thinking about It's ab
surd! Can't people like ench other, In
this world, Just becuuse they happen
to he ninrriedl Peter would be the
first to Inugh at me. And Is It fair to
Cherry even to think thnt she would
"Oh, but it's true!' the honester im
pulse Interrupted, mercilessly. "It is
true. Whether it's right or wrong, or
senslblo or absurd, they do love each
other; thut's what has changed them
both."
And she begun to remember u hundred
a thousund trifles, thnt made it nil
hideously cleur. Words, glances,
moods subtler thun either, came buck
to her. Cherry's confusion of late,
when the question of her return to
Mnrtln wns rnlsed, her Indifference to
her Inheritance, her restless talk dur
ing ono hour of Immediate departure,
und during the next of nn apparently
termless visit; all these were slgnlfl-
cunt now.
"I um desperately unhappy I" Cherry
hud snld. And Immediately after that,
Allx recalled wretchedly, hud come a
brief and apparently aimless talk
nbout Allx's rights, and her eagerness
to share them with her sister.
"Poor Cherry I" the older sister snld
uloud, standing still for a moment.
and pressing both hands over her hot
eyes. "Poor little old Cherry life
hasn't been very kind to Jier! She
and Peter must be so ' sorry nnd
ashamed about this! And Dnd would
be so sorry; of all things ho wanted
most thnt Cherry should bo happy!
Perhaps," thought Ailx, "he realized
that sho was that sort of a nature, sho
must love and be loved, or sho ennnot
live ! Hut why did ho let her marry
Martin, nnd why wusn't he here to
keep me from marrying Peter? Whnt
a mess mess mess we've made of It
all !"
As she used the term, she realized
that Cherry had used It, too, this same
evening, nnd fresh conviction wns
ndded to the greut weight of convic
tion in her heart.
"Oh, Peter Peter Peter!" she
moaned, writhing ns the cry escaped
tier. "Why couldn't It have been me,
why couldn't you have loved me that
way? I know I nn) not bo pretty us
Cherry," Allx went on, resuming her
restless walk, "nnd I know that those
things don't seem to mean ns much to
me us to most women! But, Peter."
she snld softly, nloud, "no wife ever
loved n mnn more than I love you, my
dearl" She remembered some of his
hulMnughlng, hnJM'rctful repronchos,
when ho had told her that she loved
him much ns she loved Buck, nnd that,
in theso respects, she wns no more
than a healthy child. "I may bo n
child," snld Allx, feeling thnt a dry
name was consuming her heart, "but
a child can love! My dear my dear
"I wish I could cry," she said sud
denly, finding herself sitting on n log
where low oaks met tho forest and the
open mendows "But now wo must
fnco tills tiling sensibly. Whnt Is to
be done? They must not know that I
kuow, nnd in some way wo must get
out of tills tangle. Even If Peter were
free, Cherry would not bo free," she
decided, "nnd so tho only thing to do
is to neip tuem, until it (lies awny."
No suspicion of tho truth stabbed
her, although sho remembered Martin
and his strange tnle of a message nnd
wondered nbout it a little In her
thoughts. To whom had Cherry been
sending thnt telegram It' not to Peter?
And If to Peter, why had Rhe not
simply telephoned? Because she had
known thnt Peter was not In his of
lice, because she had been going to
meet him somewhere. But where?
Well, ut thu boat. Murtln hud heard
her tell the boy that ho ruust cater
tbe boat.
Allx did not guess thu truth. Bat
she guessed enough to make her feel
frightened nnd sick. &ho could not
suppose that Cherry and Peter hud
planned to go awny on thnt boat to
gether, because at most her thoughts
would have grnsped the Idea of one or
two days' nbsenco only, and they hnd
given her no wnrnlng of that. But
until this Instant the thought of the
pnsslonate desire thut enveloped them
had not reached her; she bud Imag
ined Cherry's feeling for Peter to be
something only a little stronger than
her own.
Now she thought of Cherry's beauty,
her fragrnnce and softness, the shine
In her blue eyes nnd the light on her
corn-colored linlr, nnd knew thnt life
for them nil, of late, had been mined
with frightful dnnger.
"Cherry would be disgraced, nnd
Mnrtln Mnrtln would kill her, If he
found her out! . . . Oh, my little
sister! She would ho town talk; she
Is so reckless, she would do nnything
she would be a public scnndnl, and
the pnpers would have her pictures
Dad's little yellow-bended Charity 1
Oh, Dnd," she snld, looking up Into
the durk, "tell me whnt to dol I need
you so! Won't you somehow tell mo
what to do?"
Silence nnd darkness. But even In
thnt gloom Allx could tell the fog was
lifting, nnd a sudden sweep of breeze,
like a tired breath, went over the tops
of the redwoods.
Stendlly came the change. The dark
ness, by Imperceptible degrees, lifted.
"Light t" Allx whispered, awestruck.
And u fow moments later she ndded,
"Dawn !"
It wus dawn Indeed that wns-creep-
Ing Into the valley, and ns it bright
ened nnd deepened nnd wnrmed mo
mentarily, Allx felt some of the peace
"Bucky! Did You Miss Me, Old
Fellow?"
and glory of It swelling in her tired
heart. She was still sitting on the
log, dreamily watching the expanding
beauty of the new day,, when there
was a crashing In tho underbrush be
hind her, nnd wild with Joy, and with
twigs nnd dried brown grasses on his
wet coat, Buck came bounding out of
the forest, and leaped upon her.
"Bucky I" she faltered, as he stood
beside her, his quick tongue flashing
ecstatically, close to her face, every
splendid muscle of his body wriggling
with euger affection. "Did you miss
me, ohl fellow? Did you come to find
me?"
She had not cried during the long
vigil of. the night, when n storm hnd
raged in her heart, and hnd left her
weak nnd sick with drend. But there
wus pejice now, and Allx locked her
arms nbout tho dog's shoulders, nnd
laid her face against his satiny head,
nnd cried.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
MONARCH A MEAN NEIGHBOR
Sennacherib, Ancient Ruler of Egypt,
Evidently a Bully of the
Highest Order.
Going nhout knocking down other
king's cities when they failed to "kiss
his feet," wns one of the plnyful habits
of Sennncherlb. ruler of Egypt some
two tUuisnnd yenrs ago, according to
cuneiform tablets Just placed on ex
hibition ut the University of Chicago.
Sennacherib kept a "diary" of his
"playful hnhlts." The big stot.e slabs
were brought to the United Stntes,
with other records of ancient Egypt,
by Prof. .Tnmes H. Brensted. "In my
third campaign I mnrched ngalnst the
'and of Hnttl (Palestine)," snld Sen
nacherib In his "diary." "The kings
of the west land brought rich gifts he
fore me for the fourth time nnd kissed
my feet." "Hezeklnh, the Judenn, who
hnd not submitted to my yoke, I be
sieged nnd took 40 of his strong-wnlled
cities, together with countless smnll
cities, by nssnult of battering rams
and siege engines, attack by foot sol
diers and hy mines nnd breaches. 1
enptured some two hundred 'thousnnd
people, some small nnd great, men nnd
women, oxen and Innumerable sheep-"
"Hezeklnh himself I shut up In Je
rusalem like a cnged bird." Other
tablets showed that Sennacherib had
a Cheops "Jazz band," a dromedary
"toddle" and desert "homo brow."
Technical.
The dramatic trlnngle, Robert, la
caused hy peoplo not being on the
square.
When n man laughs nt inlaftvrtune
It's generally that of another.
Your
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These walls should be Alabastined in the latest,
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The walls of the old home, whether mansion or cottage, can be
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Instead of kalsomine or wallpaper
It is absolutely necessary if you expect Alabastine results that
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Avoid kalsomines under various names and insist on the package
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HIS POINT QUITE REASONABLE
A Good Logic In Negro's Contention
as to Lion's Probable Change
to a Meat Diet.
A negro employed nt one of the
Hollywood movlo studios was drafted
by a director to do a novel comedy
scene with n lion.
"You get into this bed." ordered the
director, "and we'll bring the lion in
nnd put him in bed with you. It will
be a scream."
"Put n lion In bed with me!" yelled
the dnrky. "No, sah! Not a-tall. I
quits right here and now."
"But," protested the director, "this
lion won't hurt you. This Hon was
brought up on milk."
"So wns I brung up on milk," wailed
the darky, "but I eats meat now."
Los Angeles Times.
New Medical Standards for China.
The United States Phnrmacopoela
Is being translated into the Chinese
language under tho direction of the
Philadelphia College of Phnrmncy nnd
Science. Before the war Germany
tried to have the German Pharraa
copoein translated Into Chinese, with
the object, of course, thnt German
manufacturers might export to China
drugs of German standards. Great
Britain hns made similar attempts
Commuter's Impression.
"Is this an accommodation train?"
asked the traveling mnn.
"Only In a tcchntcnl sense," replied
Mr. Crosslots. "As a matter of fuct
It's one of the most disobliging tralni
I ever rode on."
Whose fault is it when your
husband is cross at
breakfast?
If you hit your thumb
"With a hammer you
-wouldn't blame your
thumb for hurting.
Then why blame your
husband whose nerves
may have been pounded
by coffee, and whose rest
probably has been broken
by the irritation of the
caffeine it contains?
If you stay awake half
the night you don't feel
any too cheerful.
The caffeine of coffee
nnd the thein of tea are
known drugs. If their use
is persisted in, sooner or
later the nervous system
may give way.
Then you may have
insomnia, or disturbed
Bleep. Your nerve3 and
tissues will be robbed of
that stability essential for
normal and happy living.
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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
I TAKES UMBRELLA TO MASTER
Clever Dog That Keeps a New York
Commutes Dry When He Gets
Caught in Rain.
"I'll show you a regular dog," said
Gardiner to his friend Johnson, whom
he hnd invited to dinner at his home
In Long Island, according to the New
York Sun. They had alighted from
the train and It was raining. Gardi
ner gazed up and down the street
anxiously.
"Whnt are you looking for?'' asked
Johnson.
"There!" exclaimed Gardiner, Ignor
ing v his friend's question and point
ing down the street. "There's a reg
ular dog."
A Belgian police dog came running
toward the stntlon with nn umbrella
In its mouth. The dog stopped in front
of Gardiner.
"That's my dog," said Gardiner. "On
rainy duys my wife gives him an um
brella and he brings it down to the
station so I don't have to walk home
In the wet."
The Caddie's Retort.
"IIow nre you playing?" we asked
a golfer at the club the other day.
"You know me," snld the man. "My
regular gnme a lot of careless work,
hut now nnd then n good shot. Always
there nre some good shots sprinkled
through the day like plums In a pud
ding." Timely Advice.
"I want to leave footprints on tbsj
sands of time."
"Well, keep out of the mud."
You can avoid this
possibility if youH stop
drinking tea and coffee and
drink instead, rich, pleas
ing Postum.
Postum is the deli
cious cereal beverage with
a coffee-like flavor. It
afford9 the advantages of
a hot drink, without tho
ill effects of tea or coffee.
Order Postum from
your grocer today. Try
it with the family for a few
days, and see what a dif
ference there'll be how
it will permit Nature to
bring sound sleep and
strong, sturdy, quiet
nerves. Sold by grocers.
Poatum comas In two
forms: Instant Postum (In tins)
made instantly In the cup by
the addition of boiling water.
Postum Cereal (in packages of
larger bulk, for those who pre
fer to make the drink whilo tha
meal is being prepared) mada
by boiling for 20 minutes.
A
