Cimarron Valley Clipper (Coyle, Okla.), Vol. 21, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 2, 1922 Page: 2 of 6
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Cimarron Valley Clipper and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
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»
THE COYLE CLIPPER
Sisters
# <By
KATHLEEN
NORRIS *
Copirriabt br Ktlhlug KorrU 1
CHAPTER IX.
—8—
In January, however, he came home
nm: noon lo find her hatted and
wrapped to go.^
•'Oil. Mart—It’s Daddy!” she if Id.
"He's iJI—I’ve got to see him! lie’s
awfully 111.”
“Telegram?" asked Martin, not par-
ticularly pleased, hut not unsympa-
thetic. either. • *
« For answer Rhe gave him the yellow
paper that was wet with tier tears.
“Dad III,” he read. “Don’t wort$.
Come If you can. Alls."
“I'll het It’s a put-up Job between
you and Allx—” Martin said in Indul-
gent suspicion,.
Her Indignant glance sobered him;
lie hastily arranged money matters and
that night she got olf the train In the
dark wetness of tin* valley, and was
met by a rush of cool and fragrant
air. Cherry got a driver, rattled and
jerked up to the house in a surrey,
and jumped out, her heart almost suf-
focating her.
Allx came flying to the door; the
old lamplight and the odor of wood
smoke poured through. There was
no need for words; they burst Into
tears and clung together.
An hour later Cherry, feeling as If
she was not the same woman who
waked in Hed Creek this same morn-
ing and got Martin's cg^s and coffee
.ready, crept into her* father's room.
* Alix had warned her to he quiet, but
at the sight of the majestic old gray
head and the fine old hands clasped
together on the sheet, her self-control
forsook her entirely and she fell to
her knees and began to cry again.
The nurse looked at* her disapprov-
ingly, hut after all, It made little dif-
ference. Dr. Strickland roused only
once again and that was many fours
Inter. Cherry and AJix were still
keeping their vigil; Cherry, worn out.
had been dozlnfj; the nurse was rest-
’ lug on a couch in the next room, •
Suddenly both daughters were wide
awake at th<>.sound of the bourse yef
familiar voice. Allx fell on her knees
and caught the cold und wandering
hnnd.
“What ls.it, darling?" The old, hnlf-
jnking maternal manner was ull In
earliest now.
“Peter?” he said thickly
“Peter’s In Chinn, dear. Yon remem-
ber that Peter was to go around the
world? You remember thnt. Dad?"
“No—” he said musingly. They
thought he slept again, but he present-
ly added: "Somewhere in Matthew—
no. In Mark—Mark is the human one
—Mark was as human as his Mas-
ter—”
“Shall I read you from Mark?” Alix
asked, as his voice sank again. A
shabby old Itllile always stood at her
father's bedside; sue reached for It.
and making a desperate effort to
steady her voice, began to read. The
place was marked by an old letter,
and opened at the chapter lie seemed
lo desire, for as she read he seemed
to be drinking In the words. Once
they heard him whisper, "Wonderful 1“
Cherry got up on the lied and took
the splendid dying head In her arms;
the murky winter dawn crept In and
the lamp burned sickly In the daylight.
Hong could be •heard stirring. Allx
closed the hook and extinguished the
lamp. Cherry did not move.
"Chnrity!” the old man said pres
e’ntly, In u simple, childish tone. I.ater,
with bursts of tears, In all the utter
desolation of the days that followed.
Cherry loved to remember that his
last Utterance was tier name. But
Allx knew, though sue never said It,
that it was to another Charity he
s;K>ke,
Subdued, looking younger and thin-
ner In Ihelr new black, the sisters
came downstairs, ten days later, for
a business talk. Peter had been named
us one executor; but Peter was far
away, und it was u pleasant family
friend, u kindly old surgeon of Dr.
Strickland's own age, or near It, and
the lawyer, George Scwall, the'other
executor, who told them about their
affairs. Anne, as co-heiress, was pres-
ent at this talk, with Justin sitting
close beside her. Martin, too, who
had come down for the funeral, was
there. ♦
Tlie house went to the duughters;
there were books und portraits for
Anne, a box or two in storuge for
Anne, and Anne was mentioned in the
only will us equally Inheriting with
Alexandra and Charity. For some
legal reason that the lawyer und Dr.
Younger made clear, Anne could not
fully Inherit, hut *lier share would.be
only a trifle less than her cousins’.
Things had reached this point when
Justin Little calmly and eonfldently
claimed that Anne's share was to be
based upon an old loan of Anne’s fa-
ther lo Uis* brother, a loan of threj
thousand dollars to flout I.ee Strick-
land’s Invention, with the understand-
ing that Vincent Strickland be subse-
quently entitled to one-third of the re-
turns. As the .pateftt had been sold
for nearly one hundred and fifty thou-
.sanil dollars, one-third of it, with ac-
cumulative Interest for ten years, of
which no payment had ever been made
Anne, was a large proportion of the
entire estate, and the development of
lliis claim, in Justin Little’s assured,
woodeny voice, caused every one to
look gruve. . #
The estate vjns nht worth one hun-
dred and fifty thousand dollars now,
by tiny means; It had been reduced to
little more than two-third* of that
sum, and Anne’s bright Fonoern that
every one should he satisfied with
what was right, and her Ingenuous
pleasure In Justin's cleverness In
thinking of this possibility, were met
with noticeable coldness.
If Anne was wrong, and the paper
she hold In her hand worthless, each
girl would inherit a comfortable little
fortune, but if Anne was right, Cherry
and Alix would have on If a few thou-
sand dollars apiece, and the old home.
The business talk was over before
nny of then realized the enormity of
Anne’s contention, and Anne and Jus-
tin hud departed. But* both the old
doctor and the lawyer agreed vwlth
Martin that it looked as if Anne was
right, and \vli?n the family was alone
again,*und had had the time to digest
the matter, they felt as if a thunder-
holt had fallen across their lives.
“That Anne could do it!” Alix said,
over and over. Cherry seemed dazed,
spoke not at all, and Martin had said
•ittle.
“People will do anything for mon-
ey !” he observed once drily. He had
met Justin sternly. “I’m not thinking
of my wife's share—1 didn’t marry het
for her money; never knew she had
any! But I’m thinking of Alix.” t
“Yes—we must think of darling
Alix !'« Anne had said, nervously eager
that there should he no quarrel. “If
Uncle Lee intended me to have all this
money, then I suppose 1 must take it,
but I shan't he happy unless things are
arranged so that Alix shall be com-
fortable l" *
“B-but the worst of it* Is, Alix!”
Cherry ^stammered, suddenly, oi^ the
day before slie and Martin Nvere to
return to Bed Creek, "I—1 counted on
having enough—enough to live my own
life! Allx, 1 can’t—I can’t go back!”
"Wliy.Tny darling—” Alix exclaimed,
ns Cherry began to cry In her arms,
“My darling, it Is as bad as all that?"
"Oh. Alix," whispered the little* sis-
ter, jrembllng, "1 can’t bear It. You
don't know how i feel.’ You und Dad
were always here; now that’s all gone
—you’re going to rent the house and
try to teach singing—and I've nothing
to look forward to—I've nobody I"
* “Listen, dear,” Allx soothed her. “If
they advise It, and especially Jf Peter
advises It whet^he gets hack, we'll fight
Anne. And then if we win our flgnt,
1 11 always keep^ the valley house open.
And If we don't, why I'm going to visit
you and Martin every year, anil per-
haps I’ll have a little apartment some
day—1 don't Intend lo hoard always—"
But she wns crying, too. Everything
seemed chunged, cold and strange; she
had suspected that Cherry’s was not u
successful marriage; she knew It now,
and to resign the adored little sister
to the unsympathetic atmosphere of
Bed Creek, and to miss ull the old
life and the old associations, made her
heart ache.
“There's—there’s nothing, special.
Cherry?" shc*askcd after a while.
"With Martin? Oh, no," Cherry an-
swered, her eyes dried, und her pack-
ing going on composedly, although her
voice trembled now and then. ”^io.
It’s Just that 1 get bad moods,” she
said, bravely. “1 was pretty young to
marry at all, I guess."
''Martin loves you," Allx suggested
timidly. •
"He takes me for granted,” Cherry
said, after a pause. "There doesn’t
seem to he anything alive In the feel-
ing between us,” she added, slowly. "If
he suys something to me. 1 make an
effort to get his point of view before
I answer. If 1 tell him some plan of
mine, 1 can see that he thinks It sounds
crazy! I don’t seem very domestic—
that's all. 1—I try. Beally, 1 do I
But—” and Cherry seemed lo brace
herself in soul and body—“hut that’s
marriage. I'll try again I”
She gave Allx a long kiss In parting,
the next day, and clung to her.
• “I’ll write you about the case, and
wire you If you're needed, und see you
soon!” Allx said, cheerfully. Then she
turned and went back Into the empty
house, keeping bnckjier tears until the
sound of the surrey hud quite died
away. '
CHAPTER X.
Alexandra Strickland, coming dftwn
(lie stairway of the valley house on an
April evening, glanced curiously at the
door. Only eight o’clock, but the dav
had been so long and so quiet that she
hull fancied that the hour was much
later, and had wondered who knocked
so lute.
She crossed to the door and opened
If* to darkness and rain, and to a tnau
In a raincoat who whipped off a spat-
tered cap and stood smiling in the
light of the lump she held. Instantly,
with n sort of gasp of surprise and
pleasure and some deeper emotion, she
set down the lamp, and held out her
•hands gropingly and went into his
arms. He laughed Joyously as he
kissed her, and for a minute they
clung together.
“I’eter!” she said. “You angel—
when did you arrive and what are you
(Ming, and tell me all uhqpt it!”
"But Alix—you’re thin!” I’eter said,
holding her at arm’s length. "And—
and—” He gently touched the black
she wore, and fixed puzzled anil
troubled eyes upon her face. “Alix—”
lie asked, apprehensively.
For answer she tried to smile at
him, but her lips trembled and her
eyes brimmed. She had led the way
Into the old.sittlng room.
’“You heard—about Dad?" Allx fal-
tered, turning to face him at the man-
tel.
“Your father!” Peter said, shocked.
“But hadn’t you heard, Peter?”
“My dear—my dearest child. I’m
just off the fitearuer. I got in at six
o’clock. ,I’d been thlfiklng of you all
the time, and I suddenly decided to
cross the bay and come straight o’n to
the valley, before I even went to the
club or got my mail I Tell tne—your
father—”
She^ had knelt before the cold
hearth, and he knelt beside Iier, and
they busied themselves with logs nnd
kindling In the old way. A blaze'
gjcpt uf) about the logs and Alix ac-
cepted Peter's handkerchief nnd
yviped n streak of soot from her wrist,
quite ns if she was a child again, as
she settled herself in her chair.
Peter took the doctor's chair, keep-
ing his concerned aiqj sympathetic
cyan upon her.
"He was well one day,” she said,
simply, "and the next—the next, he
didn't come downstairs, and Hong
waited anil waited—and about nine
o'clock I went up—und he hud fallen
—he had* fallen—”
She was in tears again and Peter
put his hand out and covered hers and
held it.
“He must have been going to* call
some one,” said Alix, after a while,
“they said he never suffered at all.
This ivus January, the lust day, and
Cherry got here the same night. He
knew us both toward morning.' And
that—that was all. Cherry was here
for two weeks. Martin came and
went—”
"Where is Cherry now?” Peter In-
terrupted.
. “Back at Red Creek.” Alix wiped
her’eyes. “She hates It, but .Martin
had a good position there. Poor
Cherry, it made her 111.”
"Anne came?"
“Anne and Justin, of course." Peter
could not understand Allx's expres-
sion. She fell silent, still holding his
hand nnd looking at the fire.
He looked at her with a great *rush
of admiration and affection. She was
not only a pretty and a clever wom-
an; hut. in her plain black, with this
new aspect of gravity nnd dignity, ail'd
with new notes of pathos and appeal
In her exquisite voice, he realized that
she was an extremely charming wom-
an.
Before he said good-by to her. be
had asked her to marry hitn. lie well
remembered her look of blight and in-
terested surprise.
"D’you mean to tell me you have
forgotten your lady love of the hoop-
skirts and ringlets?” she bad de-
manded.
“No,” Peter had told her, frankly.
“I shall always love her, in a way.
But she Is married ; she never thinks
of me. And.I like you so much, Allx;
I like our music and cooking and
tramps and reading—together. Isn’t
thnt a pretty good busis for mar-
riage?"
“No I” Allx hail answered,‘decidedly.
“Perhaps If I were madly In love with
you I should say yes, nnd trust to
little fingers lo lead you gently, and
so on—”
lie remembered ending the corner-
satlon In one of his quick moods of
Irritation against her. If she couldn't
take anybody or anything seriously—
he had said.
Poor Allx—she wns taking life seri-
ously enough tonight, Peter thought,
as he watched her.
"Tell me about Cherry," he suld,
“Cherry is wall, but Just a little thin
and heartbri*ken now, of course. Mar-
tin never seems to stay at any one
place very long, so I keep hoping—’’
“Doesn't make good!" Peter said,
shaking his bead.
"Doesn't seem to! It’s partly Cher-
ry, I think,” Alix said honestly. "She
was too young, really. She never
quite settles down, or takes life In
earnest. But he’s got a contract now
for three years, und so she seems to
be resigning herself, und siie has a
maid, I believe.” *
"She must love him,” Peter submit-
ted. Allx looked surprised.
“Why not?” she smiled. “I suppose
when you’ve had ups and downs with
a man, and been rich and poor, nnd
sick and well, and have lived In half-
a-dozen different places, you raliier
take him for granted!’’ she added.
“Oh, you think it works that way?"
Peter asked, with a keen look.
“Well, don’t you think so? Aren’t
lots of marriages Bite {hut?"
“You l^lse alarm. You quitter!" he
answered. Alix laughed, a trifle guilt-
ily. Also she flushed, with a great
wave of splendid young color that
made her face Ytfnk seventeen again.
“Your father left you—something,
Alix?” Peter asked presently, with
some hesitation.
That,” “she answered frunkly, "is
where Anne comes in!”
Anne?” .
Anne and Justin cams .straight
over,” Alix’ went on, “and they \ver»
really lovely. Doctor Younger and
George Scwall were here every day;
you and George were named as exeeu
tors. I was so mixed up in policies
and deeds and overdue taxes and iu
terest und bonds—”
“PiSar old Alix, if I had only been
here to help you !” the man suid. And
for u moment they looked a little con-
sciously ‘at each other.
“Well, unywaL” the girl resumed
hastily, “when it came to reading the
will, Anne* and Justin sprung a mine
under us! It seems that ten years
aifb, when the Strickland patent fire
extinguisher was put upon the mar-
ket, my adorable father didn’t have
mqcli money—he never did have,
somehow. So Anne’s father, my Un-
cle Vincent, went into it with him to
the extent of about three thousand
dollars—”
"Three thousand!” Peter, who had
been leaning • forward, earnestly ut
tentive, echoed iu relief.
“That was all. Dad had about
tbr^c hundred. D;pl did all the work,
and ptit in his three hundred, and Un-
de Vincent put in three thousand—
and the funny tiling is,” Alix broke
off to say, musingly, “yncle Vineenl
w as perfectly splendid about It; 1 my-
self remember him saying, 'Don’t
worry, Lee. I'm speculating on uij
own responsibility, not yours.’ ” *
“Well?” Peter prompted, us she hes-
itated.
“Well. They bad a written agree-
ment (lien, giving Uncle Vincent a
third interest in the patent, should II
be sold or put on the market—”
“Ha!” Peter ejaculated, struck.
“.Which, ®f course, was only a little
while before Uncle Vincent died,” Alix
went on, with a grave, nod. “The
agreement lay in Dad's desk all these,
years—fancy how easily he might
have burned it many’s .the time I But
he didn’t. George Bewail says that
Anne is right. They’ve broken the
will.”
Peter, in the silence, whistled ex-
pressively/
“Gee-rusalem!" he exclaimed. "What
does it come to?”
At this Allx looked very sober,
gazed down at the tire and shook her
head. • •
“All he had 1” she answered, briefly.
Peter was silent, looking at her in
stupefaction.
“Almost, that Is,” Alix amended
more cheerfully. “As It was—we
should have had more than thirty
thousand apiece. As It is, Anne gets
it all, or If not quite ull, nearly all.”
“Gets !” he echoed, hotly. “Hot«w do
you mean?”
“It seems to he perfectly Just,” the
girl answered, rather lifelessly. But
■Immediately she laughed. “Don't look
so awful, Peter. In the first place.
Cherry tmd 1 still linve the house. Iu
the second place. I am singing at St.
Raphael's for five hundred u year, nnd
singing other places now and then.
Anyway, I’m glad you’re lfome again,
Peter!’’ she added.
"Home again," he answered, half-
angrily. "I should hope I am—and
high time, loo! Has tills—this money
been turned over to Anne?" • ,
"Not yet. Nobody gets anything
until the estate Is cleared—a, year or
more from *now. There are some
things to be thankful for.” Alix added,
dashing the sudden teurs from her
eyes, “and one Is thut Dad never knew
It t’V
CORNS
«
Lift Off with Fingers
“Dear old Alix!” he said, pul-
ling his arm about her.
Doesn’t hurt a bit! Drop a little
“Freezone” on an aching corn, instantly
that corn stops hurting, .then shortly
you -lift it right off with fingers. Truly!
Your druggist sells a tiny bottle ot
•‘Freezone” for a few cents, sufficient to
•remove every hard corn, soft corn, or
corn between the toes, and the calludes,
without soreness or irritation.
7 DON’T
DESPAIR
If, you are troubled with pains or
aches; feel tired; have headache,
indigestion, insomnia; painful pas-
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COLD MEDAL
The world’s standard remedy Ibr kidney,
liver, bladder and uric acid troubles and
National Remedy of Holland since 1696-
Three sizes, all druggists.
Look for the name Gold Medal on every boa
and accept no imitation
Shave With
Cuticura Soap
The New Way
Without Mu{|
Rats in the Cellar,
Mice in the Pantry,
Cockroaches
in the Kitchen
What can be more disagreeable than a
home infested with pests? Destroy them
with Stearns' Electric Paste, the standard
exterminator for more than 43 years.
Kill rats, mice, cockroaches, waterbugs
or ants in a single night. Does not olow
aw ay like powders; ready for use, better
than traps. Directions in 15 languages in
every box. Order from your dealer.
2 oz. size 35c. 15 oz. size $1.50.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Some men stand on principle and
gome others probably would If they
hud any to stund on.
"Your own will come to you. If you
bold the thought firmly und—bustle.”
Hale is hell's inside track to trouble..
DYED HER BABY'S COAT,
A SKIRT AND CURTAINS
.WITH “DIAMOND DYES”
# ____
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sweaters, coverings, draperies, hangings
everything. Buy Diamond Dyes—no other
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the material* you wish to dye is wool or
silk, or whether it is linen, cotton, ot
mixed goods. Diamond Dyes never streak
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The crowd never lends.
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FOR INDIGESTION
6 Bell-ans
Hot water
Sure Relief
ELL'ANS
25$ and 75$ Packages. Everywhere
KING PIN
PLUG TOBACCO
Known as
“that good kind”
c7n/ it-and yon
will know why
100 Seedliiifr Alberta I'emli Tree*. *7.r>o. iuo
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Ilrnistitching & ricotlng Attachment. Works
on uny sewing mach.; ensily udjunietl. Prtc*’
| J 60 delivered, with full Instructions. Gam
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Cimarron Valley Clipper (Coyle, Okla.), Vol. 21, No. 31, Ed. 1 Thursday, March 2, 1922, newspaper, March 2, 1922; Coyle, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc911339/m1/2/?q=%22Business%2C+Economics+and+Finance+-+Advertising%22: accessed July 16, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.