Gilpin observer. (Central City, Colo.) 1897-1921, 1916-12-07
had done this thing TO aerryr She fen

q pang, naIf envy, half remOrSe. II
she had been wise, less than that II
she had been merely sage, could abe
not have saved Gerry to himself and
spared her faith the test of the three
long years lost out of their YOUTH
Gerry stood erect by he door. ooa
hand still holding the knob Why was
he waiting? Allx' raised hand went
slowly out to him in welcome but hs
did not move. She smiled al him but
A lump rose In Alix' throat and then
as pride came 70 her aid, a fare Of
color showed in her cheeks. Her lipi
opened. What could she say to hur
him enough, to pay him back for thii
added, unjust rebuff? She knew sc
little about this new Gerry. How could
she wound him2
And then he spoke. "Will you please
sit DOWN. There are things l must tell
you"
Gerry had blundered on magic
words. There is no moment so emo
donally tense that a true woman will
not drop the immediate issue to sit
down and listen to the untold things
she has wanted to hear. ak was
true woman. The flare died out of her
cheeks. She sank into n chair beside
the duly shining mahogany table and
with a nod of her golden head mo-
toned Gerry to seat opposite her.
She watched the easy swing of his
body as he moved across the room.
Gerry's mind was in sore conflict, but
| n in hao hoc yuQv nj
taking care of itself
Gerry sat down and gripped the edge
of the table with outstretched hands.
He looked steadily into Alix' eyes,
The moment he had foreseen had come.
Alix sat in judgment. She planted her
bare elbows on the table, laid one
hand, palm down on the other and on
them both rested her cheek. Her head
with its heavy crown Of hair was thus
to one side but also tilted slightly for
ward. That slight forward tilt gave
strength to the pose and intensity.
curious. measuring look came into
Alix' eyes. She was silent and she
was waiting.
Gerry dropped his eyes to the table
and began to talk. 1.-THE things have
got to tell you," he said, begin with
that day-our last day. l went out
and walked for hours and realized that
l had been rough and unjust and tc
blame. came over to the avenue and
was standing looking at some flowers
when you passed. l saw you in the
plateglass of the window. l turned
around to make sure. recognized
your trunk. followed you to the sta
ton. l saw Alan signal to you. ]
saw you get into the train"
Gerry stopped. His premise was
finished and he found that he had nc
tongue to tell the things he had thought
the long argument of the soul. He
realized that all that must be left out
He must confine himself to mere phys.
,, ical facts, let them troop up in the
order In which they had come upon
him and file naked before Alix. She
must dress them as she saw fit, as her
sympathies and her justice directed
He would give her but the ground.
work, plain simple words such as he
could command, telling the events that
had come upon him and how he had
met them.
OF the trip out he had nothing to say
but of Pernambuco he told her in de-
tail. Somehow 1t seemed the least he
could do for the filthy and beautiful
city that had given him an unques.
tioning asylum. He told her of the
quay, the Lingueta, with its line OF
tall. stained houses, its vast plane
trees and its cobbled esplanade, the
stage where the city's life was In per.
petual review. His words came slow.
ly but they left nothing out. Uncon.
sciously he created an atmosphere.
light Of interest burned in Alix' eyes
She saw the changing scene. II
charmed her to restfulness as it hac
Gerry.
She smelt the stacks of pineapples
the heaped-up mangoes, the frying fish
and through his eyes she saw the blue
skies dotted with white. still cloud
and gllmpsed the secret, high-wallet
gardens with their faring hibiscus
trailing fuchsias, fantastic garden
cOckscombs and dark-domed mango
and jack trees. She sat with Gerry
, and, later on the long slim coastin1
craft she listened with him to the creai
of straining masts and stays and to tn,
lap Of hurrying waters. She followed
him up the San Francisco. felt his i'm
patience with Penedo. took the little
stern-wheeler and learned the fascina
ton of a river with endless undiscov
: cred turns. They came to Piranhas
Here she felt herself on familiar
ground. Letters from the consul's en-
voy had made this place hers. Uncon
sciously she nodded as Gerry described
the tiers of houses, the twisted, climb
ing streets, the miserable little inn.
Gerry told Of the happy days of pom
derous canoeing and Of the unvaryins
. strings of fish He fingered over thosf