Fair play. [volume], December 31, 1921, Image 7

About Fair play. [volume] (Ste. Genevieve [Mo.]) 1872-1961

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Missouri; Columbia, MO

                
FAIR PLAY. STE. GENEVIEVE. MISSOURI.
- ' - , l
COMPANION KNEW "OLD BIRD"
MOTHER! MOVE
SISTERS
OoprflM kr XMMeea Dorrls
80METHINQ NEW.
ynopli.-Doptor Strickland. r
tired, la living In Mill Valley, near
8n Francisco. His family consists
of his daughters, Allx, 21, and
Cherry, 18, and Anne, his niece, S4.
Thslr closest friend Is Peter Joyce,
lovable sort of recluse. Martin
Lloyd, a vlsltln mining engineer,
wins Cherry, marries her and car.
rles her off to El Nldo, a mine
town. Peter realizes that he loves
Cherry. Justin Little woos Anne.
Cherry comes home for Anne's
wedding. Cherry realizes her mar
riage Is a failure. Peter tells Cher
ry of his "grand passion," without
naming the girl. Martin comes for
Cherry. Martin and Cherry drift
apart. Dr. Strickland dies. Peter
returns from a long absence. Peter
and Allx marry. Cherry comes to
visit them.
CHAPTER XI Continued.
10
It was here that Peter found Cher
ry. She came up to htm. nnd he took
Bth her hands nnd, ufter n second of
kfntlnn, ktsited lief. She freed one
Ito put It on IiIh shoulder and.
ng so, she seriously returned
Is. l or a moment Ids nrm eit
her waist; he had forgotten
I-Thia la the Nicest Thing
Has Happened for a Long
I' He Said.
her eyes were, with Just a
corn-colored hnlr loosened
sin, nnd what husky, exquls
sh notes were In her voice.
v this Is the nicest thing
happened for a long, long
Iae said,
and Allx are angels to let
II" Cherry answered, as they
nd with laughter and eager,
fed talking went back to the
I, Peter saw at once, was dlf-
i every, way. Cherry was full
Iss, of ready response to any
IT sympathy nnd comprehen
le had been misunderstood,
I neglected; she hud devel
Rugh suffering a certain timid
I was almost a shrinking, a
shy clinging to what was kind
pd.
happiness here was an hourly
ito both Allx and himself. She
to flower softly; every duy
Simple forest life brought her
C vest, new energy, new bloom,
ifnd Allx unshed their hulr again.
aed the creek again, tramped and
duets ngaln. Sometimes they
ed, often they went Into the old
bless spasms of laughter at noth-
or almost nothing.
rne evening, when In the sitting
n there was no other light than
of the tire that a damp July eve-
made pleasant, about u week
her arrival, Cherry Bpoke for
first time of Martin. She had
la long letter from hlra that day.
pages written In a flowing hand
en pages of the lined paper of a
p hotel, with a little cut of the
ling standing boldly against a
ferel sky at the top of each page.
pas well, he had some of his din-
I at the hotel, but lived at home;
lid been playing a little poker nnd
I luckier than ever. He was look
Into a proposition in Durango,
co, and would let her know how
Inned out.
jer had been playing the piano
when the letter was tossed to
by Allx, who usually drove
the village every morning after
fast for marketing and the mall.
.seen Cherry glance through
the little distasteful move-
'.-'the muscles about her nose,
her put It carelessly under
tick on the mantel for later
tloo. At luncheon she bad
;to It, and now it evidently
ner to be thoughtful and
bled.
ay go to Mexico I" she said.
i with a sigh. '
V Peter asked, quickly.
gtd.
MwssaaaaaaaaaaaaMssMSMsjsMSMsasjM
7T I
"Ag much as he stays anywhere!"
she answered, drily.
"Il'ml Does that menn you?" Allx
asked.
"1 suppose that's the plan," Cherry
said, lifelessly. "Ho says he'll want
me to join hlra about the middle of
August."
"Oh, help 1" Allx sold, disgustedly.
Cherry was silent a few minutes,
nnd Peter smoked with his eyes on the
fire.
"If "Cherry said presently, "If
I get my money I'll have enough to
live on, won't I, Peter?"
"You'll hnve about forty thousand
dollars yes, at live per cent you could
live on that. Especially If you lived
here In the Galley," Peter answered,
after some thought.
"Then I wunt you to know," Cherry
went on quietly, with sudden scarlet
In her checks, "that I'm going to tell
Martin I think we have tried It tong
enough 1"
Peler looked gravely nt her, sober
ly nodded, and resumed his study of
the tire. But Allx spoke In brisk pro
test.
"Tried Itl You menn tried mar
riage I But one doesn't try marriage!
It's a fact. It's like the color of your
eyes."
"Allx," the little sister pleaded eager
ly, "you don't know what It Is you
don't know what It Is 1 Always meeting
people I don't like; always living In
places I hate; always feeling that my
own self Is being smothered and lost
and shrunk; always listening to Mart
complaining and criticizing people "
Peter Interrupted seriously:
"I'll go this far, Cherry. Lloyd mar
ried you too young."
"Oh, far too young!" she agreed
quickly. "The thing I I enn't think
of," she said, "Is how young I was
only a UttJe girl. I knew nothing;
I wasn't rendy to be anybody's wife!"
Something In the poignant sorrow of
her tone went straight to their hearts,
and for the first time Peter had an
Idea of the renl suffering she hud
borne.
"If I had a child, even, or If Martin
needed me," Cherry said, "then It
might be different I But I'm only a
burden to hlin "
"Ills letter doesn't sound ns If he
thought of you as a burden," Allx sug
gested mildly.
"Ah, well, the minute I leave him
he has a different tone," Cherry ex
plained, nnd Peter said, with a glance
almost of surprise at his wife :
"It's an awfully difficult position for
a woman of any pride, dear!"
Allx, kneeling to adjust the Are, as
she was constantly tempted to do, met
his look nnd laid a soot-streaked hand
on his knee.
"Pete, dearest, of course It 1st
But" nnd Allx looked doubtfully from
one to the other "but divorce Is a
hateful thing!" she added, shaking her
hend. "It It never seems to me Jus
tifiable 1"
"Divorce Is nn Institution," Peter
snld. "You may not like It any more
than you like prisons or madhouses;
It has Its uses."
"People get divorces every day I"
Cherry added. "Isn't divorce better
than living along In marriage without
love?"
"Oh, love!" Allx snld scornfully.
"Love Is Just another name for pas
sion and selfishness nnd laziness, half
the timet"
"You can say that, because yours
Is one of the happy marriages," Cher
ry said. "It might be very different
If Peter weren't Peter 1"
As she said his nnmc she sent hlra
her trusting smile; her blue eyes shone
with affection, nnd the exquisite curve
of her mouth deepened. Peter smiled
back, nnd looked away In a little con
fusion. "I can't Imagine the circumstances'
under which I shouldn't love you nnd
Peter!" Allx summarized It, triumph
antly. "And Mnrtln?" Peter nsked.
"Ah, well; I didn't mnrry Mnrtln t"
his wife reminded hlra quickly. "I
didn't promise to love and honor Mar
tin In sickness nnd health; for richer,
for poorer; for better, for worse by
George!" Allx Interrupted herself, In
her boyish way, "those nre terrific
words, you know. And a promise is
a promise I"
"And even for Infidelity you don't
believe people ought to seperate?"
Cherry asked. '
"Nonsense I" Peter said.
"But you said that Martin never"
"No, I'm not speaking of Martin
now 1"
"Well, wouldn't that come under
'worser'?" Allx nsked.
"But, my chlltl," Peter expostulated
kindly. "My dear benighted wife
there Is such a thing as a soul a mind
n personality! To b tied to a
well, to a coarsening Influence day after
day Is living dentil ! It Is worse than
any bodily discomfort"
"I don't see Itl" Allx persisted. "I
think there's a lot of nonsense talked
about the famray oncorapreezy but It
seems to mo thot If you have a home
and meals and books and friends and
the country to walk In, you "
"Oh, heavens, Allx; you don't know
what you're talking about I" Cherry
Intemintftd her Impatiently. "Some
times I thins your marriage Is as
as queer as my own."
Nothing more was said for several
days upon the' subject of a possible
divorce. One afternoon Peter crossed
the porch, tired .nnd hot, and found
everything apparently deserted. He
dropped Into n chntr, and was still
breathless from the rapid climb up
hilt, when stray notes from the piano
reached his cars; a chord, n carefully
played bit of bass; then a chord again
Then slowly, hut with dnlnty uccurncy
and even feeling, Cherry begnn to play
a strange little study of Schumann
Peter knew It was Cherry, because
Allx's touch was always llrm and sure;
more than that, he himself had played
this same bit no longer ago than last
night, nnd he remembered now that
Cherry had nsked him Just what It
was.
He experienced a sudden and pleas
Ing emotion ; he did not stop to analyze
It. But he had been ruffled In spirit
n moment before; Allx hnd known he
was to come on this train nnd had not
met htm with the car; nnd while he
really did not mtnd the walk up, ho
disliked the feeling that they had en
tlrely forgotten htm.
Presently there was silence; then
Cherry tried another little study nnd
finished It, and the hot summer still'
ncss reigned ngaln.
With a sense that he hnd been doz
Ing, If only for a few minutes, Peter
opened his eyes. Frnmed In the cnbln
doorwny, poised like a butterfly against
the dark background of the room,
stood Cherry. He knew thnt she had
been standing so for some time, for a
full minute; perhaps more.
They looked at ench other In a si
lence that grew more and more awk
ward by great plunges. Peter had
time to wish that he hnd kept his eyes
shut ; to wish that he had smiled when
he first snw her he could not have
forced himself to smile now to won
der how they were ever to speak-
where they were rustling rushing
rushing before she turned noiselessly
nnd vanished Into the dim room.
Peter tny there, nnd his heart
pounded. A moment ago he hnd been
a tired man, fretted because his wife
forgot to meet him; now there was
something new In the world. And rap
Idly all the world became only a back'
ground, only a setting, for this extra'
ordinary sensation. The hills beyond
still swnm In the hot sunlight, the
mountnin rose into the blue, but the
light that chnnges all life tny over
them for Peter.
He said to himself that It was awk
ward he did not know how he coutd
enter that door and talk to Cherry.
And yet he knew thnt that meeting
of Cherry, that the common exchnnge
of words nnd glances, that the dally
trifling encounters with Cherry were
all poignantly significant now.
He felt no Impulse toward hurry.
He might sit on his porch another
hour, might saunter off toward the
creek. It mattered nothing; the hour
was steadily approaching when she
must reappear.
Allx drove In, full of animated apol
ogies. She managed the car far bet
ter than he, and no thought of an ac
cident hnd troubled him.
The evening was warm, one of the
two or three warm evenings thnt
marked the height of summer even
In the high valley. There was not
a breath of nlr In the garden ; roses
They Looked at Each Other In
Silence,
and wallflowers stood erect In a sort
of luminous enchantment. Moonlight
sank through the low twisted branches
of the near-by onks and fell tangled
with black and lacy shade through
the porch rose vine.
Allx sat on the porch rail, every
line of crisp skirt and braided head
revealed as If by davllcht. but Cher.
jy's pale striped' gown was only a
glimmer in the deepest shade of the
vine. Peter, smoking, sat where be
could not but see her; they had hard
ly looked at each othar directly since
"By
KATHLEEN
NORRIS
tlio long, strange look of tills after
noon ; they had exchanged hardly a
word.
"Town tomorrow, Pete?" Allx said,
after a silence during which she had
locked her nrms behind tier head,
stared straight above her at the path
the moon was making through faint
stars, nnd yawned. "I've got to go in
to a meeting of the hospital board.
Good night, beloveds. I'm dead. Don't
sit out here mooning with Pete all
night, Cerise I"
Peter suld to himself that now Cher
ry would go, too, but ns the screen
door banged lightly after Allx, and the
dull glimmer of Cherry's striped gown
did not move in the soft shadow, a
sudden reluctance and distaste seized
hint. He had been subconsciously
aware of her all afternoon; he had
known a delicious warmth and stir
at his heart that he had not analyzed,
If Indeed It could be, unnlyzed. Now
suddenly he did not want the beauty
and gloom and charm of that feeling
touched. His heart began to beat
heavily agnin, and he knew that he
must stop the unavailing game now.
But he had not reckoned on Cherry.
She twisted In her chair, and be heard
a child's long, happy sigh.
"Oh, so nm I tired, too!" she
breathed, reluctantly. "I hate to
leave It but I've been almost asleep
for half an hour I You can have all
the moonlight there is, Peter." Her
white figure fluttered toward the door.
"Good night 1" she said, drooping her
little head to choke a yawn. A mo
ment later he heard her laughing with
Allx.
'You fool you fool you fooll" Pe
ter said to himself, nnd he felt nu
emotion like shame, a little real com
punction that he could so utterly mis
read her Innocence. He felt It not
only wrong in him, but somehow staln
lug and hurtful to her.
CHAPTER XII.
Again Peter reckoned without Cher
ry. It was only the next day, when
he was entering the Palace court for
his lunch, that he experienced a sud
den and violent emotion. His thoughts
were, nt the moment, far from Cher
ry, and he fancied himself in a hurry.
But every other feeling but excite
ment was obliterated at the sight of
a slender, girlishly mnde woman, In
u pongee gown, und a limp brown hut
covered with poppies, waiting In the
lounge.
Peter went toward her, nnd the col
or rushed Into Cherry's face. It was
the first time they had nccidentnlly
encountered each other, and it had
a special place of Its own In the his
tory of their lives.
The surprise of It kept them laugh
ing, hands clasped, for a minute ; then
Cherry said:
"I was to lunch here with Mary
Cameron. But she's full twenty min
utes Intel You hate her, don't you?"
she added, looking up from under the
poppies at Peter.
"I don't like her," he admitted, with
a boy's grimace.
"Then suppose we don't lunch here?"
Cherry suggested, Innocently. Peter
laughed Joyously, and tucking her lit
tle gloved hand under his nrm, led
her away. They went to Solarl's, and
had a window table, and nodded, as
they discussed their lunch, nt half a
dozen friends who chanced to be
lunching there, too.
She had snld that she wanted to tell
him "nil about It," and Peter, with
quick knowledge that she meant the
unhnppiness of her marriage, nodded
a grave permission.
"I've mnde a failure of It!" Cher
ry said, sadly. "I know I ought to
struggle on, but I can't. I hnve no
Individuality, Peter, I have no per
sonality ! As for my dignity my priv
acy "
Her face was scarlet, and for a mo
ment she stopped speaking.
"Just tell me nn alternative!" she
snld, after a while. "It can't be thnt
there Is no other life for me than
going back. Peter, I'm only twenty
four!" "I know you nre," he snld, with n
brief nod.
"Why, every one has some alterna
tive," Cherry pleaded. "It can't be
that marriage Is tho only the only
Irrevocable thing! If you hnd a part
ner thnt you couldn't go on with, you
could come to some agreement I"
"You don't love hlral" Peter said.
"I must go homo I must go
back to Mart tomorrow!"
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
That Word "8trlke."
The first use of tho word "strike,"
as applied to Inhor troubles, occurred
In a London newspnper In 17C5. In
September of thnt year were numerous
references to a great stoppage of labor
In the coal fields, and tho workers are
said to hnve "struck out" for higher
wages. Indianapolis News.
Tribute to Agriculturist.
The agricultural population pro
duces the bruvest men, valiant sol
diers, and a class of citizens the least
given to evil designs. Cat.
Inquiry Brought Instant Response
Considerably Embarrassing to
Youthful New Teacher.
I was Just out of college nnd had
gone for tho first time to teach in a
high school. I 1 1 it (1 not yet lost my
college girl propensity for seeking to
extract fun out of everything, whether
serious or comic. A format meeting of
the faculty of the city was In progress,
with tho prnmient school men super
intendent, commissioners, nnd princi
pals seated on tho platform. Among
them wns n severe-looking old pedu
gogue with n long white, flowing beard.
Next to me sat u sedate woman
whom I rashly had taken to ho n new
member of the faculty.
I turned to tier with what I sup
posed to be nn Infectious hurst of con
fidence nnd giggled: "Who's the old
bird with the whiskers?"
The woman turned her faro directly
toward me, looked mo up and down,
with an expression that congealed the
blood within me, nnd snld, curtly:
"My father I" Chicago Tribune
FLATLY REFUSED TO "SLIDE"
Elderly Lady's Dignity Was Hurt by
Request Made to Her by Fel
low Passenger.
She wns one of those fussy little old
women, all primped and with her hair
In a curl.
When she got nbonni tho street car
several men yes, there are some who
still respect gray tiairs on n street car
got up and offered a seat. She ac
cepted one gentlemanly proffer, but
didn't keep the scat long. When she
had Anally found repose a woman
next to tier snld:
"Would you mind sliding over Just
a bit, please? Then another lady can
have u seat."
Her gray-lialred majesty rose to
lofty heights.
"Slide? Slide?" she sputtered. "I
will not slide. I will arise and take
my body elsewhere."
And, suiting her actions to her word,
she nrose nnd took her body up to tho
front of tho car, where her dignity
would not be nssnulted by a request to
slide. Indianapolis News.
Called to Order.
Fattier (sternly, at breakfast the
next morning) :
"You are not under the Impression
that you are living In Norway, sir?"
His Son nnd Heir Er no. W-what
makes you usk me?
Father Nothing; only from the
time you got In Inst night I concluded
you thought this wns the lnnd of the
midnight son. See that you nre not
out Inter than ten tonight, or you will
hear from me.
Colorful.
"Your narrative Is too highly
colored," remarked the editor, return
ing the bulky manuscript.
"In what way?" Inquired the disap
pointed author.
"Why," replied the editor "In the
very first chapter you make the old
man turn purple with rage, the villain
turn blue with cold." Edinburgh
Scotsman.
Pulled Through.
"Your son has settled down to hard
work."
"Yes," said the proud father. "I'm
glud now that I hnd confidence In the
boy. When he took to playing thp
ukulele and 'stepped on the gas' when
lie wasn't dancing, I got a bit discour
aged, but I kept telling mother not to
worry, that he'd make a man out of
himself yet."
Doubtful.
"Maud appears to be well pre
served." "Oh, yes; but I hardly think she
would stand a chemical analysts."
Boston Transcript.
Those Pencil Marks.
Sunday School Teacher "Who was
It saw the handwriting on the wall.
Bobby?" Bobby "The landlord."
Life.
Coming to a Showdown.
Jennie "Do you approve of knicker
bockers for women?" Lizzie "Not if
they're nny longer tlmn skirts."
Modernized.
"Life Is a game of give nnd take."
'Give and take, or put and tnke?"
WASPIRIM
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 foe
Colds Headache Rheumatism
Toothache Neuralgia Neuritis
Earache Lumbago ' Pain, Pain
Accept only "Bayer" package which contains proper direct!,
Bandy tia boxes of 12 tablets Bottles of 24 and 100 All dr
dasMa l It mot Butt tt Bjr HwMn t " 1'imiwm tt
CHILD'S BOWELS WITH
CALIFORNIA FIG SYRUP
Hurry, mother! Even a sick child
loves the 'fruity" taste of "California
Fig Syrup" and It never falls to open
tho bowels. A teaspoonful today may
prevent n sick child tomorrow. If con
stipated, billons, feverish, fretful, hu
cold, ccllc, or If stomach Is sour,
tongue coated, breath bad, remember
good cleunslng of the little bowels la
often all thnt Is necessary.
Ask your druggist for genuine "Call
fornln Fig Syrup" which has direction
for babies and children of all ages)
printed on bottle. Mother! You must
say "California' or you may get aa
Imitation tig syrup. Advertisement,
DIDN'T HAVE TO HAVE PROOFS
Colored Lady Had Confidence In the
Ability of Witnesses to Sustain
Her Charge.
A southern magistrate hod before)
him as a complaining witness a col
ored woman who had caused to be)
held a mnn on the charge that be had
attacked her with a pair of scissors.
"He mighty neah gouged my ay
out, Jedge," she said. "He poked me)
In the face with them scissors, Jedge,
not once, but fo' or five times. Ha
Jest cut up my face like it was a yard
of ribbon. There ain't no mo' danger
ous mnn nllve, Jedge."
The magistrate looked her over.
She had n wide, smooth, yellow faca
thnt did not have a mark on It Ha
told her to repeat her story, and aba
went through It again, telling how the
man had slashed her face with that
pair of scissors.
"But," said the Judge, "there lent
a mark on your face."
"Marks' 1 she exclaimed Indignantly.
"Murks! What I care fo' marks, lemma
usk yo' that? I got witnesses, I tail
you I"
Only on "Appro."
In one of our ancient towns which
lias recently been the scene of
pngennt, n prnty of Americans was be
in K conducted over tho admirable ab
bey. The age of this part and that wera
pointed out by a learned attendant,
nnd. at length : "That arch," said be,
"may possibly go back to Alfreda and
Edward."
"Don't you like It?" said a guest
promptly.
The attendant explained that be did
not understand.
"Why nre you sending It back, any
way? Doesn't it suit yon?"
Surely the Proper Thing.
They were ttirown Into each other
society In n country house, without
common Interest or the least attrac
tion for ench other.
Finally, after casting about for
fertile subject of conversation, only
to fall in every attempt, he said des
perately: "Will you marry met"
She considered long and deeply.
"I think I'll say yes," she replied st
Inst. "It will give us so much more tm
talk about while we're here."
Nature 8tud7esv
Mrs. Porcupine I understand that
all the great nations of the earth are)
considering disarmament.
Mr. Porcupine Well, they can talk
about disarmament all they've 'a mlndt
to. but these here quills of mine arau
going to sticky right on my back.
Foul Play.
The Scottish bowling team la ac
companied by a band of pipers which
plays prior to every Important match.
The general opinion Is that this gives)
n very unfair advantage to the
Northerners, who are used to 1L The)
Passing Show (London).
The Finish of Bluebeard.
Bluebeard Well, I'm a widower
nguin. How about it? I'm crazy aboat
you.
His Latest Love I think a lot of
you, Blooey, but you'll hnve to ahavej
first. I'm nwfully ticklish.
Whv does a womun bIwht tnrn
nncK to ner companion when
opens ner purse?
Patience Is all right In Its place, has
It Is better to back tenacity to win.