The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-07-07

had done this thing to GerryT She felt
a pang, half envy, half remorse. II
she had been wise. less than that If
she had been merely sage, could she
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 he door, one
hand still holding the knob Why was
he waiting? Alix' raised hand went |
slowly out to him in welcome but he
did not move. She smiled a. him but |
his eyer remained steadfast and grave
A lump rose in AK throat and then. |
as pride came 20 her aid, fare Of
color showed In her cheeks. Her lips
opened. What could she say to hurt
him enough, to nay 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 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.
| 10. ,fv,H In, or
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 foreseen 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 1.-THE things have
| got to tell you." he said, begin with
| that day-our last day. went out
Y and walked for hours and realized that
| had been rough and unjust and to
| blame. l 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. recognized
A your trunk. l followed you to the sta,
ton. l saw Alan signal to you.
saw you get into the train"
I Gerry stopped His premise was
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
y icaI facts, let them troop up in th'
q order in which they had come upoI
% him and file naked before Alix. Sht
must dress them as she saw fit, as he
- sympathies and her justice directed
- He would give her but the ground
work, plain simple words such as b.
:, :. could command, telling the events tina
- had come upon him and how he hat
- met them.
:, OF the trip out he had nothing to sa.
- but Of Pernambuco he told her in de
= tail. Somehow it seemed the least b
= could do for the filthy and beautiful
- city that had given him an unques
= tioning asylum. He told her of tn
quay, the Lingueta, with it's line o
tall, stained houses, its vast plan
40 trees and it's cobbled esplanade, tn
stage where the city's life was in pei
10 petual review. His words came slow
y ~ but they left nothing out. Uncor
40 sciously he created an atmosphere.
ne light of interest burned in Alix' eye:
She saw the changing scene.
TX charmed her to restfulness as it ha
lie Gerry.
40 She smelt the stacks Of pineapple!
OF the heaped-up mangoes, the frying fisl
ne and through his eyes she saw the blu
lily skies dotted with white, still cloud
Or, and glimpsed the secret, high-walle
no gardens with their faring hibiscus
trailing fuchsias, fantastic garde
nd cockscombs and dark-domed mang
lie and jack trees. She sat with Gerr
I'd, and, later, on the long slim coastin
to craft she listened with him to the crea
ice of straining masts and stays and to tn
thy lap of hurrying waters She followe
ng him up the San Francisco, felt his in
ais patience with Penedo, took the lit
err stern-wheeler and learned the fasc.n;
Ter ton of a river with endless, undisco-
TT cred turns. They came to Piranha
to Here she felt herself on familis
ed ground. Letters from the consuls el
ng voy had made this place hers. Uncol
ey sciously she nodded as Gerry describe
'as the tiers of houses, the twisted, climl
to ing streets, the miserable little inn.
INT Gerry told of the happy days of POI
derous canoeing and of the unvaryin
Use strings of fish He fingered over thos