Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-11-24


his eyes remained steadfast and grave
A lump rose in Alix' throat and then
as pride came 70 her aid, fare oi
color showed in her cheeks. Her lips
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 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
tionally tense that true woman Will
not drop the immediate issue to sit
down and listen to the untold things
she has wanted to hear. Alix was
true woman. The flare died out of her
cheeks. She sank into a chair beside
the duly shining mahogany table and
with a nod of her golden head mo-
toned Gerry to a 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.
Ali1 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. 1 went out
and walked for hours and realized that |
I had been rough and unjust and te
blame. I came over to the avenue and
was standing looking at some flowers
when you passed. I saw you in the
plate-glass of the window. 1 turned
around to make sure. 1 recognized
your trunk. followed you to the sta
ton. 1 saw Alan signal to you.
saw you get into the train"
Gerry stopped. His premise wa,
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 ak. 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. A
light of interest burned in Alix' eyes |
She saw the changing scene. II
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 cloud |
and glimpsed the secret, high-wallet
gardens with their fiaring hibiscus
trailing fuchsias, fantastic garder
cockscombs and dark-domed mango
and jack trees. She sat with Gerry
and, later, on the long slim coastinf
craft she listened with him to the creal |
of straining masts and stays and to thu |
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 unvaryine |
strings of fish. He fingered over those
days. Thus far he had brought Alil
with him. He felt 1t. Now he came tc |
the morning when he must leave hei
behind. He told her of the glorious
break of that day, of the sun fighting |
through swirling mists. She saw him |
standing stripped on the sandspit. She
saw the canoe nosing heavily against
the shore and his pyjamas tossed care |
lessly across thwart. She knew tha,