The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-04-07

| llau COtIe-a resolve To WIN Ai3nS
! battle for him whatever the odds.
Gerry did not sleep that night. He
| lay on the little extra bed he had made
upon his sons arrival and, propping
| himself on his elbow, gaZed around
| him. The moon shone through great
cracks In the warped shutters and
! filed the room with Il glow that, as bis
! eyes dilated, became revealing light.
! In one corner was an iron wash-stand
with its vessels Of coarse enameled
metal, recent purchase. In another
corner stood a grotesque clothes-rack.
1t looked like young pine with irreg
ular branches and top Topped off. On
the stubs Or pegs hung his clothes and
| Margarita's and, Oh the lowest peg of
! all. the Lilliputian garments of the
| Man. The floor was bare and rolling.
; for the boards. roughhewn from hard
wood giants of the forest, had warped
steadily through many years. In Its
center stood the great rustic bed that
| Gerry had made from the twisted
! limbs Of trees and Bonifacio had plait
| ed with thongs. By raising himself
| to the full length of his arm Gerry
could see Margarita lying uncovered
| on the coarse yeliowish homespun.
| On her bare brown arm lay the black
| head of her son.
! Gerry shuddered at the uearuess-
| the familiarity-of everything. The
seams of elementary life stood out bru
| tally. For the first time he saw them.
| From the touch of the coarse homespun
| that covered him. his mind went back
| to the feel Of Lieber's fine linen, and
from that it poised on Alan and then
| flew back to Alix--AliX, who. seen
| through the years, became doubly ethe-
| real and fowerlike. Where was AiiX?
| What had Alan done with her? He
must ask him. That at least, he must
| know. But before he could ask he
| must decide about Margarita and steel
| himself to his purpose. He thought of
the long. still days at Fazenda Flores
| before Alan had come to Lieber's-the
struggle and the reward that had been
| his-and the frmness in him, the
steadfastness that had led Alan to
name, him The Rock. rose up In de-
fense of Margarita and her son.
Gerry was up early. AS he was
saddling True Blue Margarita came on
to the veranda. Where art thou go,
! ing?' she asked.
Gerry looked up. He was
| little pale from the wakeful night
| and there were slight shadows under
his eyes. Il am going to Lieber's.
| There is a sick man there-he Is dying
and l must help. He is my fellow
countryman."
Margarita's eyes searched his face.
Her bosom rose and fell rapidly ''Do
not CO." she said. and Gerry started at
| the passion in her voice.
He looked at her and smiled. II
must see this man before he dies" he
said. half TO himself.
"Ah," said Margarita, beating with
| her little brown fist on the yeranda pill
| lar, 81 know. I know. 1t is not death
that calls thee. Why should one turn
| from things that live to fOndle death?
| 1t Is the stranger thou wouldst see"
Gerry dropped the reins OF his horse.
| ana, nurfvinS up the steps, look Mar-
garita in his arms.
And why not my beloved? 1t is
not woman 1 go to see, but n man.
Shall l not talk with a man that Is
ut deaths door?"
LET him but die" pleaded Marga-
rita: "Iet him but die and thou shalt
90 and bury him. See, the day Is
beautiful There is cloud. Perhaps
it will rain Come, my Geree, let us
90 down to the river and swim. We
will take the Man. He shall sit on the
| bank and the river will play with his
bare toes. He will laugh"
Gerry smiled but shook his head.
Tomorrow. my beloved, tomorrow we
shall play with the Man and the river"
Margarita's arms fell to her sides
in pathetic surrender. She watched
Gerry mount and ride slowly up the
slope to the bridge where Kemp await
ed him. Then she went back to the
veranda steps. sat down and wept
with her face hidden in her hand. She
did not know why she wept. but she
knew she wept for things that We're
| going TO he