The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-04-01
W CHAMBERLAIN


tongue stuck out begin for one drop
of water, only Lieber hain't got his
tongue stuck out-he's bitin' it."
Kemp paused and Alan nodded.
II was thinkin'," Kemp continued,
"thet perhaps you'n Mr.. Lansing. with
yo' folks he'pin', mought chuck him
that drop O. water when you got back
to heaven, meanin' Moo Yawk." Kemp
brought his eyes slowly around and
rested them on Alan.
"Kemp," said Alan, don't you wor.
~. If ]. Y. Wayne & Co. haven't gone
to smash or the world otherwise come
to an end, you can be sure Lieber will
get his water in full bucket"
Kemp nodded and with "S'lonR
and good luck" disappeared down the
gangway.
At Pernambuco Alan found an &C.
emulation Of mail awaiting him and
liner bound for home. The liner was
too big to get into the little harbor be.
hind the reef. She rode the swell a
mile out from shore.
Alan lost no time in making his
transfer. From the tender he wac
winched up to the deck in a passenger
basket. As he left the wicker coon
he smiled at himself in disgust. Ten
Percent Wayne had often jumped for
gangway from the top of flying
sea; never before had he gone on board
as cargo. But the smile suddenly left
his face. He reeled and put out one
hand toward rail. Somebody caught
his arm and led him to a long chair.
He sank into it and shivered.
It was girl that had helped him.
AS soon as she saw he was not going
to faint she left him, to come back
presently with the doctor and a room
steward. They took charge of him.
Day after day Alan lay in his cabin,
listless, before he thought of his batch
Of letters. They were still in the
pocket of his coat. He asked the stew
ard to hand them to him, looked
through them, picked out one and laid
the qest aside. The one he picked out
was C!em's.
With her own peculiar wisdom Glen
had written not about him or herself.
but about Red Hill. Alan read and
then dropped the letter to his lap. His
hands fell clenched at his sides. His
eyes, grown large, stared out down the
long vista Of the mind. Walls faded
away and the sounds of great ship
at sea were suddenly dumb. TO his
ears came instead the caroling of birds
in evening song after rain, to his eyes
vision of Red Hill dripping light
from its myriad leaves and to his
heart the protecting, brooding shelter
Of Maple House-of home.
1t cleanses a mans soul to have been
at deaths door. Sickness, more than
love, leads man up. Alan was feel
ing cleansed-like little child-so it
seemed quite natural thing that the
girl who had taken charge of him on
his arrival on board should knock at
his door and then walk in. She drew
out camp-stool and sat down beside
him.
She was very small and very young,
not in years but with what Alan
termed to himself acquired youth. Her
nearsighted eyes peered out through
big glasses. They seemed to see only
when they made special effort, and
yet they seemed to give out light.
you are better?" she asked, and
smiled.
Alan caught his breath at that smile.
EYES," he said, II am much better to-
day. have had letter from home"
"You must get up now and come
up on deck" said the girl. "I'll wait
for you outside" Her voice had a Pc
culiar meditation. It attracted and
soothed the ear.
Alan frowned and then smiled. GAIL
right" he said, "wait for me-" He
dressed laboriously. His hands seemed
weighted.
On deck she had his chair ready for
him beside her own. She tucked his
rug about him and then sat down.
"Don't talk ever, unless you want to-"
she said. "Silent people are best"
"Why?" asked Alan.
"They are springs. Their souls
bubble"
"And the people that chatter?" asked
Alan.
"They are geysers." said the girl,
and smiled.
Alan was entertained - almost
amused. "What do you do when a
Eeyser spouts?" he asked.
"What do you do?" replied the girl
Il rum"
"1'm afraid 1 haven't run-always,"
said Alan. II generally try to clap
dn hat on them"
"You must be strong to do that. I'm
not very strong"
Alan glanced over her frail body.
sWhat are your he asked.
"I'm missionary. At least. was
missionary. I've had to give it up
One needs so much to be q mission
lry."
Il never thought Of 1t that way"
said Alan. II always thought that it
was the people that were unfit for al
most anything else that turned to mis-
sionafying as last resort"
"Oh, no" said the girl, sitting up
very straight in her chair and fixing
her eyes on his face. How wrong
you are! Missionarying. as you call it,
b just another name for giving. and
how can one give great deal unless
ho In r~k1