Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-28
c1tApTER X1-tcnntlnnnd1

IL the JOY VI uippN ptDBlt uunDllN Dlnn
ming In month. say at the most tw,
months Gerry could be here. sprns
would have come. The Hill would b,
decked out in fun regalia of leaf and bios
SOM 1t would be in full commission tc
meet him. They looked at Alix and Aliy
seemed to look at herself. He would come
into his own as never before
The Judge undertook the cabling. He
cabled Gerry and the message was re-
ported undclivered Then he Cabled the
American Consul. There followed long
series of mcssages first quick and hone
full, then tagging but not doubtful then
q wearying silence Of weeks, ending with
the inevitable blow Gerry had been
traced to the San Francisco River. The
envoy sent on his track by the Judges 8
orders had rCa a"hed piranhas to find the
little town I'm apathctiC wonder over the
discovery of Gcrry'S canoe stranded three
miles down the river The paddle was
still in the canoe and a suit of paiamas
No further trace of Gerry had been
found. His body had not been recovered.
The people said it was not unusual He
had undoubtedly been attacked by tiger
Ash. In that case his bones would have
been stripped of flesh. 1t was impossible
to drag the great river
The Judge hid in his heart the harrow
ing details TO Mrs Lansing he told the
central fact. She was struck dumb with
grief and then she thought of AliX AL
most hastily they decided that it was not
time to tell AliX and during long
months they put her off with false news
of the search They carried IL further
and further into the wilds of the subcon-
tinent. The country was so vast, there
was no telling when the messenger would
finally cone umN tn Gerry.
AliX bore the strain with wonderful
patience. The truth was that her
thoughts We're not on Gerry. Something
greater than Gerry was claiming all her
faith-all her strength of body and soul
She did not talk. She was holding that
final communion with her innermost self
with which a woman dediCates her body
to pain and sacrifice. AliN was not afraid
In those days the spirit of the race
her race of pioneers-shone from her
steady eyes and even put courage in those
about her.
Only when the ordeal was over and an
heir to the house of Lansing had raised
his lusty voice in apparent rage at hav-
ing been born to so small a kingdom did
the fral AliX of other days come back. As
she lay, pale and thin, but with the glori-
Gus light of supreme achievement in her
eyes, Mrs Lansing went on her knees
beside the bed and sobbed "Oh, AliX, |
love you so, love you sou
Alix smiled, Slowly she reached one
hand over and placed it in Mrs. Lam
sings. you are crying because you are
granny now" she said, softly, play
fully.
Then came the day when Alix was
strong-strong enough. Mrs. Lansing |
told her in choked voice what they |
knew and what every one believed. She |
cried softly in AliX's arms
Poor mother!" said Alix her lips |
against the wet cheek How strong |
you've been! How you hid it from me,
What burden to carry in your heart
and smile. But listen, dear mummy You
are all wrong. Perhaps | would not have
4 Hhown 1t il you had told me-then-but
Know 1t now. Gerry Is not dead. There
IS no river than can drown Gerry"
MY dear" said Mrs Lansing, fright
shed' you must not think that. It's al
ways the best swimmers that risk the J
most"
1T isn't that he can SWIM" said Alix.
her eyes turned slowly till they rested
'n her son. Her bosom sweIled nj the
memory of the travail-the terrible ira
'al that she had borne, not for the child
nole' nor FOR Gerry alone, but for them
,olh. swimming has nothing to do with
!, somehow | know that Gerry is all
isn't somewhere on this little world
my dear" and here her voice faltered
'S'' Sllpll' WIN ttdlSt inns III |
10 world seems mighty big when hearts
re far apart"
Alix clung to her belief. So strong was
er talth that Mrs. Lansing became in
ected' but the Judge held out against
hem' MY heart is with YOU" he said,
Z the end of months, but my head
'oh turn. naked man even in South
,,IherIca would have caused remark.
ny shouldn't he have come back for
Is clothes, for his money? After all,
e wasn't a fugitive from Justice. lie
as man wandering over the earth in
olsuil or a mere Whim, and a whm
oesht last forever"
AK interrupted him, Judge, / have
ever been angry with you We all owe
~ 700 much. But If you ever say was
oout Gerry again" She stopped and
i her lip'' but her eyes spoke for her. \
MY dear GIRL" said the Judge, and
ily ms color showed that he was hurt,
ION De angry with me. II shall be as y
~ say I've only been trying to save N
~ from years of weary waiting. II
~ nave the courage to wait for sorrow, C
snail wait too" Q
Allx kissed him. There, ,"she said, "Im
IFy was rough"
you! rough!" laughed the Judge. Then
Jumped up. I'm forgetting my du- v
ss, have a guest of my very own
,er at Maple House and l must so to II
I,
few weeks before the Hon. Percy b
lhlhseford had looked up the Judge. 1t |
as as much a pleasure to the young Il
an as a duty he owed to his father, a
nose friend the Judge had been for
any years.
0olhnseford was no stranger to Amer %
= put he knew far more about dodg-
& arroyos in New Mexico on a COW n
ny than he did about lodging the open
inches and debris of Fifth avenue on e!
tran of a tea party, He was an te
lsllshman, younger son with enough /,
'hey to put him above the remittance p'
'ss, and he was possessed of far more XII
eiilsenee than ne had been born with. az
Z Irom his youth up, he had sought
experience in many places. He came sh
eh from the klOndike with more money
al he needed for his passage, but only
rev kindred spirits knew that he had y1
,de II hammering the piano in The til
llen star Of Hope. He had the Eng i.
2 gentleman's common creed: Ride pe
aight, shoot straight tub often and ha
the kipg's English, That creed full da
ed' nothing else seemed to worry him.
ie was dining with the Judge at the ha
% one night when the name of Wayne Sc
'lan Wayne-hOated over occasionally
~ = neighboring table. Later as they