Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-14
HOM E
A Novel
George Agncw Chamberlain
Copyright by the Century Coz


and through his eyes she saw the blue
skies dotted with white, still clouds
and glimpsed the secret, high-walled
gardens with their fiaring 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 a river with endless, undlscov-
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 unvsrying
strings of fish. He fingered over those
days. Thus far he had brought Alix
with him. He felt it. Now he came to
the morning when he must leave her
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 that
she had come to the moment of revela-
ton. She breathed softly lest she
should lose a word for Gerry was
speaking very low. Then he showed
her Margarita, Margarita as he had
first seen her, kissing and kissed by
dawn.
A hard light came into AliX' eyes.
Gerry felt himself suddenly alone. He
went doggedly on. He told of the
chase and the capture, of how he and
the girl had seen the canoe drift out
into the clutch of the eddy and swirl
out into the river and away. He told
her of how they laughed and Alix
shrank. Gerry paused, his brow puck
cred. He wished he could tell in words
the battle of his spirit, the utter ruin
of his downfall. He could not and in
stead he sighed.
There was something in that sigh so
eloquent of defeated expression that it
succeeded where words might have
failed. 1t called to Alix with the
strong call of helpless things. 1t drew
back her mind to Gerry. With him
and the girl she threaded the path TO
Fazenda Flores. It's ruin sprang upon
her through his eyes. With him she
discovered the traces of an ancient
ditch. with him and the old darky she
dug along that line through long, hot
months. She grew to know Lieber as
the tale went on and finally to love
MIN because of all things Lieber
seemed to need love - somebody
eises love-most she amused herself
with Kemp and his drawl. She tried
to keep her thoughts away from Mar.
garita and at the coming of Marga-
r1ta's boy, she WINGED.
AS he finished telling Of the coming
Of the Man, Gerry stopped short The
thought came to him with tremendous
force that Alix too had gone through
that for him. The impulse to get up
and throw himself before her and on
his knees to thank her almost tore him
from his seat but he fought it down.
He hurried on with his story. He told
OF the coming of Alan and of the reve-
iauon he had brought And then in a
choked voice and only because he had
set himself to tell the whole truth he
pictured the food, the death of True
Blue, and the overwhelming by the
waters before his very eyes of Mar
garita and the Man. Then he arose
and with hands braced on the table
leaned towards Alix. ~ have told YOU
this so that perhaps you may under.
stand what l am going to tell you now.
II the flood had not come-if Margarita
and the Man had lived-I would not
have come back"
Alix sat very still and studied
Gerry's face. He had finished the task
he had set himself to do and he was
suddenly very tired. His eyes dropped |
as though from their own weight and
tnen ne raised them again to her in |
scrutable face.
"Well?" he asked after a long pause.
"Well" replied Alix.
Gerry's stalwart figure dropped. at
is quite just" he said, "after all that,
that you should not want me. have
spent the last weeks making myself |
ready for that. You waited for me;
L didn't wait for you. If you do not
wa. me, l will go away"
Alix rose slowly to her feet. She
looked very slim and tall in her cling
ing gown. To Gerry she looked very
cold. Before you co." she said,
there is just one thing. I wish you
would kiss me-once."
Gerry's body Strengthened and stiff
fened. He stared at her grave face /
with wondering eyes. Then he felt a
strange tingling ripple through his
blood and before he knew what he did |
ne had swept her from her feet, |
crushed her to him, brushed the crown |
OF hair back from her brow and kissed |
ner eyes. her mouth, her throat. He !
was rough with her. He was bruising