Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-04-13
AGNEW CHAMBERLAIN
fcorXRIaHT ~ TIE cE1ESY cQJ

had turned into a bitter pain. They
had not known on tho hill how she was
suffering. Only Kemp had seemed to
understand a little and had brought
his drop. of comfort to her.
AS her eyes searched Gerry the sense
OF impending calamity left her. He
was well, we'll as she had never seen
him before. Except for that he seemed
almost weirdly familiar, as though
only good nights sleep lay between
him and the morning Of three years
ago when he had bullied her until she
had fought back and overwhelmed
him.
A hundred little differences went to
make UP this solitary change. The flush
of too many drinks had given way to q
deep healthy glow, the eyes were deep
and grave instead OF deep and vacant,
the broad shoulders that had taken to
hanging were braced in unconscious
strength. Every line In the body that
she had seen start on the road to gross
ness had been fined down. The body
was no longer mere abode for a lin
gering spirit. 1t had become a mecha-
nism, tuned to expression in action. 1t
was not the body of a time-server.
lAlan's sole word of comfort came back
to her. 81 never thought the old Rock
would ever loom so big" What force
had done this thing to Gerry? She felt
a pang, half envy, half remorse. IL
she had been wise, less than that, II
q
not have saved Gerry to himself and
spared her faith the test of the three
long years lost out of their youth?
Gerry stood erect by the door, one
hand still holding the knob. Why was
he waiting? Alix'S raised hand went
slowly out to him in welcome but he
did not move. She smiled at him but
his eyes remained steadfast and grave
A lump rose In Alix' throat and then.
as pride came to her aid, a 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 rebuff? 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 l must tell
you"
Gerry had blundered on magic
words. There is no moment so emo
tonally 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 chair beside
the duly shining mahogany table and
with 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.
Gerrys mind was in sore conflict. but
a body In perfect health has a 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 foreseer 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. "The things l have
got to tell YOU" he said. "begin with
that day-our last day. 1 went out
and walked for hours and realized that
l had been rough and unjust and to
blame. I came over to the avenue and
was standing looking at some flowers
when you passed. l saw you in the
plate-glass of the window. / turned
around to make sure. l recognized
your trunk. l followed you to the sta
tion. saw Alan signal to you. 1
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, lot 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 At, 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 lie 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-
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