The midland journal., 1916-05-12

a pang, haif envy, half remOrse. II
she had been wise. less than that. II
she had been merely sage, could she
not have saved Gerry to himself and
spared her faith the test of the three
long years lost out Of their youth7
Gerry stood erect bJ he door. one
hand still holding the knob Why was
he waiting? Alix' raised hand went
slowly out to him in welcome but he
did not move. She smiled al him but
his eyes remained steadfast and grave.
A lump rose in Alix' throat and then.
as pride came 70 her aid. fare of
color showed in her cheeks Her lips
opened. What could she say to hurt
him enough, to pay him back for this
added, unjust rebuff2 She knew so
little about this new Gerry. How could
she wound him?
And then he spoke. 'Will you please
sit down? There are things must tell
you."
Gerry had blundered on magic
words. There is no moment so emo
tfonally tense that true woman viii
not drop the immediate issue to sit
down and listen to the untold things
she has wanted to hear. Alix was a
true woman. The flare died out of her
cheeks. She sank into chair beside
the duly shining mahogany table and
with 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
body in perfect health has way of
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. A
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. went out
and walked for hours and realized that
had been rough and unjust and to
blame came over to the avenue and
was standing looking at some flowers
when you passed. / saw You in the
plate glass of the window. ] turned
around to make sure. / recognized
your trunk followed you to the sta
tion. saw Alan signal to you. Il
saw you get into the train"
Gerry stopped. His premise was
finished and he found that he had no
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 sa,
but of Pernambuco he told her in de-
TAIL Somehow it seemed the least he
could do for the filthy and beautiful
city that had given him an unques
t1oning 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 eity's life was in per
petual review His words came slow
ly but they left nothing out. Uncon-
sciously he created an atmosphere. A
light of interest burned in Alix' eyes
She saw the changing scene. IL
charmed her to restfulness as it had
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 clouds
and glimpsed the secret, high-walled
gardens with their daring hibiscus,
trailing fuchsias. fantastic garden
cockscombs and dark-domed mango
and jack trees. She sat with Gerry
and, later, on the long slim coasting
craft she listened with him to the creak
of straining masts and stays and to the
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 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
,7ora.1c aaYnoivor and IF tho