THE NOItTII PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
1
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
CHAPTER XX Continued.
20
"You must ni'vi'i" worry about mon.
iv," ho told her. "And If over you
need It If It Is a question of a low;
trip, or of more uperutfotiN--lf there Is
liny clmnce "
"I shall remeinher tlmt I have u big
brother 1" she suld.
The room was scented by the sweet,
clamp flowers, and by the good odor
of lazily burning logs; yet to Peter
there was chill nud dosolatencss In the
air. Cherry tool; up the glass bowl In
both careful bunds, and "wont away In
the direction of the study, but he stood
at the window for a long time s.tnrlng
dully out at the buttered chrysanthe
mums and the swishing branches, and
the steadily falling ruin.
A few days later, on a day of un
certain sunshine and showers, Peter
left them. To Cherry Peter's going
was a relief; it burned one Wore
bridge behind her. It confirmed her
In the path she had chosen ; it was to
"Yes, I'm Going Nowl" He caid.
her spirit like the cap that marks the
nccepted student nurse, or like the
black coif tlmt replaces the postulant's
white veil of probation.
He had been in the downstairs bed
room, talking with, Martin, for per
haps an hour; he had drawn them a
rough sketch of the little addition to
the house that Cherry meant some day
to build next to the study, and he and
Martin bad been discussing the de
tails. Cherry was sweeping the wet,
dun-colored leaves from the old porch
when a sudden, step In the doorway be
hind her made her look up.
Peter had come out of the house,
with Buck beside him. He wore his
old corduroy clothes and his shabby
cap, but there was something In his
aspect that made her ask:
"Not going?"
"Yes, I'm going now!" he said.
I3he rested her broom against the
thick trunk of the old bauksla, and
rubbed her two hands together, and
caine to the top of the steps to sny
good-by. And standing there, under
the. rose tree, she linked her arm about
It, looking up through the branches,
where the shabby foliage of last year
lingered.
"How fast it's grown since that
terrific pruning we gnve It all that
long time ago !" she said.
"Little more than six years ago,
Cherry 1" ho reminded her.
"Only six years " She was ob
viously amazed. "It doesn't seem pos
sible that all this has happened In six
years!" she exclaimed.
He did not answer. He had her
hand now for farewells, and perhaps,
with the thought of those short six
years had come also the thought Mint
this slender figure In the housewifely
' blue linen, this exquisite little head,
o trim and demure despite all its
vebel tendrils of gold, this lovely face,
ctlll the face of n child, with a child's
tniRtlng, uplifted eyes, might have
been his. The old home might have
heen their home, and perhaps who
knows, there might have been n new
Cherry and a new Peter beginning to
look engoHy out at life through the
screen of 'he old rose vine!
Too late now. A single Instant of
those lost years might have brought
him all this, but there was no going
back. He put his arm about her, and
kissed her forehead, and said: "God
Wess you. Cherry!"
"God bless you, dear!" sho an
awered gravely. She watched the tall
figure, with Its little limp, and with
the dog leaping and circling about It
m ecstasy, until the redwoods closed
around him. Then she took up the
broom again, and slowly and thought
fully crossed the old porch, and shut
the door.
Peter, walking with long strides,
unci" with n furrowed brow and absent
eyes, crossed the village, and climbed
once more the old trail that led up to
thp cabin.
It was dusted, orderly, complete; he
find Allx might hnvo left it yesterday.
Kow had reen him coming, he thought,
iid hml i ail Mine to light the tire
JL jL
which was blazing freshly up to the
chimney's great throat. He sat down,
staring at the llnmcs.
Duck pushed opon the swinging
door between the pantry nnd the sit
ting room, and enme in, a question In
his bright eyes, his great plumy tall
beating the lloor as he lay clown at
Peter's side. Presently the dog laid
his nose on Peter's knee and poured
forth a faint sound that was not quite
a whine, not quite a sigh, and rose
restlessly, and went to the closed door
of Allx's room, and pawed It, his eager
nose to the threshold.
"Not here, old fellow!" Tcter said,
stroking the silky head under his
hand.
He had not been in this room since
the day of her death. It struck him
as strangely changed, strangely nnd
heartrendlngly familiar. The windows
were closed, as Allx had never had
them closed, winter or summer, rain
or suushlne. Her books stood In their
old order, her student's Shakespeare,
nnd some of her girlhood's books,
"Little Women," nnd "Uncle Max." In
the closet, which exhaled a damp and
woody smell, were one or two of the
boyish-looking hats he had so often
seen her crush carelessly on her dnrk
hair, nnd the big belted coat that was
as plain ns his own, nnd the big boots
she wore when she tramped about the
poultry yard, still spattered with pale,
dry mud. Her father's worn little Bi
ble lay on the table, and beside it an
other book, "Duck Rnlslng for the"
Mnrket," with the mnrks of muddy
and mealy hands still lingering on Its
cover.
Suddenly, evoked by these silent
witnesses to her busy and hnppy life,
the whole woman seemed to stand be
side Peter, the tall, eager, vital woman
who hnd been at home here, who had
ruled the cabin with a splendid nnd
vital personality. He seemed to feel
her near him again, to see the inter
ested eyes, the high cheek-bones
touched with scarlet, the wisp of hair
that would fall across her fnce some
times when she wns deep In baking,
or preserving, or poultry-fnnnlng, and
that she would brush away with the
back of nn Impatient, hand, only to
have It slip loose again.
One of her kitchen nprons, caught In
the current of air from the opened
door, blew about on Its hook. He re
membered her, on mnny a-wintry day,
buttoned Into Just such a crisp npron,
rndlnntly busy and brisk In her kitch
en, stirring nnd chopping, moving con
stantly between stove and table. With
strong hnnds still showing trnces of
tlour she would come to sit beside him
at the piano, to piny a duet with her
characteristic dash and finish, only to
Jump up in sudden compunction, with
nn exclamation: "Oh, my ducks I'd
forgotten them! Oh, the poor little
wretches 1"
And she would be gone, leaving a
streak of wet, fresh air through the
warm house from the open door, nnd
he would perhaps glance from n win
dow to see her, roughly coated and
booted, ploughing about her duck yard,
delving Into barrels of grain, turning
on faucets, wielding a stubby old
broom.
She loved her life, he mused, with
a bitter heurtache, as he stood here
In her empty room. Sometimes he had
marveled at the complete und unques
tioning Joy she had brought to It. Pe
ter reminded himself that never In
their years together had he heard her
complain about nnythlng, or seem to
feel bored or at a loss.
"We've always thought of Cherry as
the child 1" he thought. "But It wns
xhe, Alix, who was the real child. She
never grew up. She never entered Into
the time of moods nnd self-nnalysls
and Jealousies nnd desires ! She would
hnvo played and picnicked nil her
heart pressed like a dull pain
In bis chest. Dully, qufrtly, he went
out to the fire again, nnd dully nnd
quietly moved through the day. Her
books nnd music might stnnd as they
were, her potted ferns and her scat
tered small possessions the sowing
basket that she nlwnys handled with
n boy's awkwardness, and the camera
she used so well should keep their
places. But he went .to her desk,
thinking In this long, solitary evening,
to destroy various papers that she
might wish destroyed before tho cabin
was deserted. And here he found her
letter.
He found It only after ho hnd some
what explored the different small
drawers nnd pigeonholes of the desk,
drawers nnd pigeonholes which were,
to his surprise, nil In astonishing or
der for Allx. Everything was marked,
tied, pocketed ; her accounts were bal
anced, and If she had anywhere left
private papers, they were at leust no
where to be found.
Seeing in all this a dread confirma
tion of his first suspicion of her death,
Peter nevertheless experienced u shock
when he found her letter.
It had been placed In nn empty
drawer, face up, and was senled, and
addressed simply with his name,
He sat holding It In his hand, nnd
moments pussed beforo he could open
It.
So It had been true, then, the fenr
that he had tried all these weeks to
.crush? Ho had been weighing, meas
JL v3
CopjrlRht by Kathleen Norrls
uring, remembering, until his very
soul was sick with the uncertainty.
His mind hnd been n confused web of
memories, of this casuul word und
that look, of what she had possibly
heard, had probably seen, had suspect
ed known
Now ho would know. Ho tore open
the envelope, and the dozen written
lines were before his eyes. The let
ter was dated, u most unusual thing
for Allx to do, nnd "Saturday, one
o'clock," wns written under the date.
It wns the day of her death.
He read: (,
"Peter, Dear Don't feel too badly If
I find a stupid way out. I've been
thinking for several days about It.
You've done so much for me, and after
you, of course, there's no one but
Cherry. She could bo free now, ho
couldn't prevent It. When I saw your
face a few minutes ago I knew we
couldn't tight H. Remember, this Is
our secret. And always remember that
I want you to be happy becuusfc I love
you sol"
It was unsigned.
Peter sat staring at it for a while
without moving, without the stir of n
changing expression on his face. Then
he folded it up, nnd put it in the pock
et of his coat, and went out to tho
back yard, where Kow was feeding the
chickens. The wet, dark day was end
ing brilliantly in u wash of red sun
set light that sent long shadows from
the young fruit trees, and touched
every twig with n dull glow.
"Kow," Peter said, after an effort
to spenk that was unsuccessful. The
Chinese boy looked at him solicitous
ly; for Peter's face was ashen, and
about his mouth were drawn lines.
"Kow," he said, "I go nowl'
"Go now other house?" Kow nodded,
glancing townrd the valley.
But Peter Jerked his head instead
townrd the bnro ridge.
"No, I go now not come back!" he
said, briefly. "Tonight maybe Bo
llnas tomorrow, Inverness. I don't
know. By and by the big mountains,
Kow by and by I forget I"
Tears glittered In the Chinese boy's
eyes, but he smiled with a great air
of cheer.
"I keep house!" he promised.
The dog came fawning and spring
ing trom the stauies, und l'eter wms
tied to him.
"Come on Buck I We're going now 1"
He opened the farmyard gate whero
her hand had so often rested, crossed
the ' muddy corral, opened another
gate, and struck off across the darken
ing world toward tho ridge. The last
sunlight lingered on crest nnd tree-top,
tangled Itself redly In the uppermost
branches of a few tall redwoods, and
was gone. Twilight a long twilight
that had In it some hint of spring lay
softly over the valley; the mountain
loomed high In the clear shadow.
Gaining the top of the first ridge, he
paused and looked back at the cabin,
the little brown house that he had
built almost fifteen years ago. He re
membered that It was In the beginning
a sort of experiment; his mother and
he were too much alone in their big
city house, and she had suggested,
'with rnre wisdom, thnt ns he did not
care for society, nnd us his travels nl
ways meant grent loneliness for her,
he should have a little eyrie of his
own, to which he might retreat when
ever the fancy touched him.
She liked Del Monte and Tahoe, her
self, but she had come to Mill Valley
now and then In the dnys of his first
wild delight in Its freedom nnd benu
ty, sllk-gowncd and white-gloved and
very much disliking dust. She had
sent him plants, roses, nnd fruit trees,
nnd she hnd told him one dny that he
had a neighbor In the valley who was
an old friend of hers, a Doctor Strlek-
lund, a widower, with children.
He remembered snunterlng up the
opposite ennyon to duly cnll upon this
Inventor-physician one day, and his
delight upon finding n well-read, mu
sic-loving, philosophic, erratic man,
who had at once recognized a kindred
spirit, and who had made the younger
man warmly welcome.
Presently, on the first call, nn en
chanting little girl In a shabby smock
had come In a little girl nil dimples,
demurcness nnd untouched boyish
benuty. She hnd snld that "Anne wnth
mad wlv iier, and thnt Allx " she
managed to lisp tho nnme, "wath up
In the madrono I"
A somewhat older child, named Allx,
a freckled, leggy llttlo person with
enormous front teeth, had proved the
claim by falling out of the madrone,
and hnd recolved no synipnthy for .n
bump, but a to him rather surpris
ing censure. He had yet to realize
thnt nothing ever hurt Allx, but thnt
she always ruined her clothes, nnd
frequently hurt other persons and oth
er things. He found her a spirited, en
thusiastic little person, extremely ar
ticulate, nnd quite unself-consclous,
nnd she hnd entertained him with nn
excited account of a sex feud that was
being pushed with some violence at her
school, und hnd used expressions that
rather shocked Peter. A quiet third
girl n niece, he gathered had Joined
the group, n girl with braids nnd clean
hnnds, who elucidated:
"Allx nnd I don't like our tencher!"
"She's n sneak nnd a skunk!" Allx
hud frankly contributed. Chtrry, now
quietly established In her fnthcr's lap,
hnd smiled with mischievous enjoy
ment; nobody else, to Petor's surprise,
hud paid tills extraordinary remnrk the
slightest attention. He remembered
that he hnd fancied only the smallest
of these chlldron, und had been glad
when they, ull went out of the room.
Looking down at the cabin, Mm
years slipped past him like a flying
ill in. nnd It was the present again, unci
Allx Allx was gone.
Ho roused himself,- spoke to the clog.
und they went on their way aguln.
Mud squelched beneath Peter's boots
in the roadway; the dog sprang light
ly from clump to clump of dried grass.
But when they left the road, and Out
straight across the rise of the hillside,
the ground wns tinner, and the two llg-
ures moved swiftly through the dark
night. The early stars came out, und
showed them, silhouetted against the
.sky above Allx's beloved Tnmalpals,
the man's erect form with Its slight
limp, the dog following faithfully, his
plump tnll nnd fenthered ruff showing
n dull luster in the starlight.
Cherry, with her violet eyes nnd
corn-colored hulr, Cherry, with her lit
tle hnnds gathered in his, und her
heart beating against his heart, and
Allx, his chum, his companion, his
comrade on so many night walks un
der Uie stars he had lost them both.
But It wbb Allx who was closest to his
thoughts tonight, Allx, tho thought of
whom wus grnduully gripping his
heart nnd soul with a new pain.
Allx was his own ; Cherry had never
been his own. It wns for him to com
fort Cherry, it hnd always been his
mission to comfort Cherry, since the
dnys of her broken dolls nnd cut fin
gers. But Allx wns his own comfort
er, und Allx might havo been luughlng
hnd stumbling und chattering beside
him here, In the dark, wet woods, full
of n child's hnppy satisfaction In tho
moment und confidence In the mor
row. "Allx, my wife!" he said softly,
aloud. "I loved Cherry always. But
you were mine you wero mine. Wo
belonged to each other for better and
for worse and I hnvo let you gol"
He went on nnd on and on. They
were plunging down hill now, under
the trees. Ho would see a light nfter
n while, nnd sleep for a few hours, and
have a hunter's breakfast, and be gono
ugnln. And ho knew thnt for weeks
for months perhaps for years, he
would wnnder so, through tho grent
mountains, with their snow nnd their
forests, over the sens, In strange cities
and stranger solitudes. Always alone,
nlwnys moving, alwayB remembering.
Tliut would be his life. And some dny
some dny perhaps he would corao
back to the valley she had loved
But even now he recoiled in dis
taste from that; hour. To see the fa
miliar faces, to come up to the cabin
again, to touch the music and tho
books
Worse, to find Cherry a little older,
hnppy nnd busy In her life of sncrl-j
nee, not needing him, hot very much
wanting tho reminder of the old tragic
times
An owl cried In tho woods; tho
mournful sound floated and drifted
away Into utter silence. Some small
nnlmnl, meeting tho death Its brief
life had evaded a hundred times,
screamed shrilly, and wns silent.
Grent branches, stirred by the night
wind, moved high nbove his head, and
when there wus utter silence, Peter
could henr the steady, soft rush of the
ocean, dulled hero to tho sound of a
gigantic, quiet breathing.
Suddenly she seemed again to bo
beside him. He scmed to seo the dark,
animated face, the slender, tall girl
wrapped In her big, rough coat. Ho
Suddenly She Seemed Again to Be
Beside Him.
seemed to hear her vibrating voice,
with that new, tender note In It thnt
he had noticed when sho last spoke to
him.
"I'll go home ahead of you, Peter,
and wait for you there!"
Tears suddenly Hooded his eyes, nnd
lie put his hand over them and pressed
it there, standing still, wh.Uo the wuve
of tender nnd polgnnnt and exquisite
memories broke over him.
"We'll go on, Buck," he whispered,
looking up through tho trees nt h
strip of dnrk sky spangled with cold
stars. "We'll go on. She's she's
waiting for us somewhere, old fel
low l"
THE END.
Man's Ways.
Some men come homo from work
with a smile, nnd other men Just come
home from work.
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Tho Remedy With a Record of Fifty
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All who suffer with nervous dyspep
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tions of digestive disorder, will Unci
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llvo years this medicine has been suc
cessfully used la millions of house
holds all over the civilized world. Be
cause of Its rcmnrkablc merit and
widespread populnrlty Green's August
Flower can be found today wherever
medicines nro, sold. Advertisement.
If tho shoo llts, wear It unless you
nro a woman ; then, of course, you will
want a size or two smaller.
Men who own electric plnnts are sat
isfied with light harvests.
VPspirifl
Never say "Aspirin" without saying "Bayer."
.WARNING! Unless you see name "Bayer" on tablets,
you are not getting genuine Aspirin prescribed by
physicians over 21 years and proved safe by millions for.
Colds Headache 'Rheumatism
iToothache Neuralgia Neuritis
Earache Lumbago Pain, Pain
'Accept only "Bayer" package which contains proper directions
' Bandy tin boxes of 12 tablet Bottles of 24 and 100 All druggists.
Aiptrln U u trad matk of Byr Uurafeetwr ( UonooatlctdIctcr of Bl!c7llcc!4
Every woman knows how to manage
her daughter's husband.
Bed Cross Ball Bluo Is the finest
product of Its kind In thp world. Ev
ery woman who has used It knows
Uils statement to bo. true. Advertise
ment. No ono is ever forgiven for explod
ing n man's bubble of self-conceit.
Had Dreamed Before.
Friend "If you hnd a million dol
lars what would you do?" Pessimist
"Wake up nnd find that it wnsn't
so."
Tho Materialist
"What would you suggest for our
literary club to rend?" asked Mrs.
Flubdub.
"A good cook-book," responded her
brutal husband.
Sleeping Sickness Thief.
Tho caso of a boy who beenmo a
thief nfter on attack of encephalitis
lcthargla (sleeping sickness) Is de
scribed In tho Lancet, (London Eng
lnnd.) When eleven years old ho re
mained In a state of stupor and leth
argy for five weeks, Ho had been a
normal, intelligent, nnd docile child.
After his Illness ho showed uncon
trollnblo criminal tendencies, hns been
convicted for theft on several oc
casions, and Is regarded by tho police
as an Incorrigible thief. His Intelli
gence ,dops not seem to bo Impaired.
This little bit of advice may help
you regain your Health,
Strength and Vitality
Thousands of people suffer from nervous
ness. They are run down and miserable without
knowing the reason why.
They do not stop to think that much of their
trouble may be caused by drinking tea and coffee
which contain the drugs, thein and caffeine. When
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Postum, made from scientifically roasted
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Postum helps build sound nerve structure,
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In flavor, Postum is much like high-grade
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Order Postum from your grocer today.
Serve thi3 rich, fragrant beverage for the family.
See how the children will like it, and how much
better everybody will sleep at night
Postum comes in two forms: Instant Postum (in tins)
tirade instantly In the cup by the addition of boiling water.
Postum Cereal (in packages of larger bulk, for those who
prefer to make the drink while the meal Is Doing prepared)
made by boiling for 20 minutes.
Postum for Health
"There's a Reason"
Watch Your Daughter
A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IS
ALWAYS A WELL WOMAN
Dixon, Nebr. i.'For tho young girl
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nothing hotter than Dr. Picrco's Favor
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At that timo of my lifo I was sadly in
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would ndviso its uso by all young girls
this critical period of life" Mrs. E,
Long.
Health is most important to every
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Invalids' Hotel, Buffalo, N. Y.
W. N. U., OMAHA, NO. 46-1921.
Happiness is a pearl of great price
which may sometimes bo bought for
a mite.
FRANCES E. WILLARD MUSEUM
Little Schoolhouso Near Jancsvllle
Wis., Dedicated to Memory of
Great Temperance Leader.
Log cabins nnd marble palacesv
courthouses nnd round towers are now,
and aguln turned Into museums In tht
memory of somo historic person. Mens
rarely tho building is a schoolhouae,
but such Is tho caso with tho , now;
Frances B. WUIard museum. Tho UN
tlo country schoolhouso near Janes
vllle, Wis., has recently been dedicated
by followers of tho American temper
ance leader, among them former pu
pils of Miss Wlllurd's In Wesleynn
seminary and at Northwestern unlveri
slty, and nntlonal ofllcers of tho Wom
an's Christian Temperance union. The
schoolhouso Is far from Imposing. Miss
Wlllurd referred to It ouco as "u sort
of big ground-nut," but It symbolizes)
tho progress of n child who came Into
a wilderness with her pioneer family,
and through her good work gained a
place for herself In tho Hall of Fame
at Washington, Uio only woman s
honored.
In Justice to Justice.
"Justice Is blindfolded but Just th
same sho can talk." "Yes, she doe
sometimes pccpl" Wayside Talcs.
A Student's Wish,
"nistory repents Itself."
"Well, I wish arithmetic would earn
itself up."
