Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-27

~ q new AuIullIy. he turned AK s
face up TO his. His lips moved In an
effort TO thank her but words failed
him. Alix understood She lifted her
arms around his neck and drew his
head down. He held her body very
close as he kissed her, softly. ador-
ingly- Alix hid her face against his
shoulder for a moment and then threw
back her head and shook the tears
from her eyelashes She smiled through
wet eyes. Il am afraid he's not quite
perfect-inside. Such a temper. Gerry.
I'm afraid he'll grow UP into a man
about town and awfully wild" She
turned grave eyes on Gerry, Jr., and
her brows puckered. what do you
Think"
Gerry smiled. 'From the looks of
him | predict he gets his letter in
freshman year-center on the football
team"
yes, perhaps" said Alix thought
fully. Everybody calls him Fatty al
ready"
1t was from Alan that Gerry learned
ClOSlIg
his connection with the orchid firm.
Gerry wired him, begging him to come
to The Firs for a few days before he
went West AliX had told of Kemp's
word of comfort
After the first excitement of getting
home was over Gerry found himself
restless with che same restlessness that
had attacked him during the days at
Ptranhas. He tried for a solution in
the same way. Day after day, long
before the rest of the Hill was awake,
he was off for ten-miIe walk.
At first it was with head dropped
and eyes on the ground that he plowed
his way through a dew-soaked world.
but there came a time when he walked
with head thrown back, full lungs and
level eyes.
Then Kemp arrived. Gerry tried to
get him to join him in his walks but
Kemp shook his head sadly.
EFF yo' can't let me have a boss Mr.,
Lansing" he said, 'I'Il ride the cow"
Gerry laughed. They saddled the
horses themselves and started out. On
the top of old Bald Head Gerry dis
mounted and sat down on a rock.
Kemp followed suit
Kemp" said Gerry, 81 want to
thank you for the things you said to
my wife-Alix."
Kemp flushed and waved deprecat-
ing hand.
You saw things straight" went on
Gerry, land [ want to thank you, too,
for letting me hog-tie myself"
II amt curious about that. Mr. Ian
sing" said Kemp, 80 much's about
what you're gcin' to do when yo' unite
yo'seff"
We'll" said Gerry, 1--WE thought
that out too. For a while it used to
break my heart to think about Fa-
zenda Flores but it came to me the
other day that what there is of me that
amounts to anything is just Fazenda
Flores.
"When a man learns to eat work
just like he does food because he's
hungry for it, there's bound to be
place for him anywhere. It has struck
me there are a lot of fields around
mere, some Of them mine, that are
about ready for resurrection, and res
direction is my job.
Il don't know exactly how I'm 60
Ing to start but it may be planting DO
tatoes. You can begin a resurrection
with any one Of number OF simple
things. It doesn't matter much which
one you pick on as long as you start
right down at the bottom and spread
yourself in the subsoil of things.
Everything that grows starts down
deep except your orchids and they are
parasites"
easy on Orchids" interjected Kemp.
SORRY, Kemp. Orchids are ornamen-
tai but excepting your favorites they're
not even beautiful. Look at a Cypri-
pedium Vexillarium-"
Hybrid" grunted Kemp.
"a man in his D. It's couldn't beat
1t for gorgeous horror" finished Gerry.
"But that's neither here nor there.
What I'm driving at is this. If l had
never been tossed over the home fence
| would have lived and died an orna-
mental citizen with the girth of a beer
barrel. But now my eyes are a bit
open and l can see that the simple
things of life are the big things.
Growth from the roots is the strength
of a man and Of his people. I've
come home in more senses than one.
I'm going to send down my roots right
here"
Kemp had been whiting. When
Gerry had finished he pocketed his
knife and gazed thoughtfully down
the valley. 1T seems to me, Mr.. Ian
sing, that you md me have been tray
elm different trails but come together
at the same gap. You remember The
Purple City,"
Gerry nodded.
oval, seems to me thet 'ceptin' in a
mans own mind the amt no purple
cities. What mans got to find amt
purple cities but the power to see one
when he's got it. You had yourn right
here in this valley an yon side on Red
Hill. You growed up in it but you
never seen it-not till you learned
how. What you been sayin' about the
simple things of life-the things tibet