The Irish standard., 1916-04-22

uAtSl. WIN MN ana the old darby she
dug along that lire through long. hot
months. She grew to know Lieber as
the tale went on and finally to love
hlm because Of all things Lieber
seemed to need love somebody
else's love-most. She amused herself
with Kemp and his drawl. She tried
to keep her thoughts away from Mar
garita and Mt the coming of Marga-
rlta'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-
lation he had brought. And then in
choked voice and only because he had
set himself to tell the whole truth he
pictured the flood, 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. II have told you
this so that perhaps you may under
stand what l am going to tell you now.
If 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
then he raised them again to her in
scrutable face.
"Well?" he asked after long pause.
"Well?" replied Alix.
Gerry's stalwart figure dropped ut
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;
1 didn't wait for you. If you do not
want me, l will go away"
Alix rose slowly to her feet She
looked very slim and tall in her cling
ing gown. 10 Gerry she looked very
cold. Before you co." she said,
there is just one thing. wish you
would kiss me-once."
Gerry's body Strengthened and stiff
fencd. He stared ut her grave face
with wondering eyes. Then he felt
strange tingling ripple through his
blood and before he knew what he did
he had swept her from her feet,
crushed her to him. brushed the crown
of hair back from her brow and kissed
her eyes, her mouth, her throat. He
was rough with her. He was bruising
her body, her lips, but Alix chung to
him and laughed. Then suddenly all
her slim body relaxed and slipped
through his arms to little white heap
on the floor. She began to sob. Gerry
stopped down, picked her up tenderly
and laid her on the great lcathern
couch. He knelt beside her. On one
arm he pilowcd her head, with the
other hand he sought hers. "Please,
AliX.' lie begged, "please don't cry"
"Tm not crying" sobbed Alix, I'm
laughing"
Gerry smiled and waited. Soon Alix
became quiet. Her eyes closed She
J drew long, quiverng breath and
then she opened her eyes again and
! her lips broke into the old dear smile,
the smile Of an opening flower. ~ am
tircd-tircd,' she said, "but l believe
I'm almost hun%ricr than am tired"
I'm glad you said 1t first" replied
| Gerry, giving serious thought to the
| fact that he was faint with hunger
| himself Ever since some funny
Johnny wrote. Feed the brute we
men have been shy about cclloing our
stomachs. IT'S four O'clock. Hours
| after lunch time"
| "Rcally?' said Alix, ncstlng down
closer to his arm ana letting her smil-
| ing eyes wander over him. "IIOw well
| this suit fits you. There's something
| about it 1t isn't, is it?"
Gerry nodded. Same old suit. nv
| the way, when came in John said YOU
| told him to telephone to the club and
, say you wished to see me. What made
you think l would go to the club first 2"
Alix looked puzzled. 81 didn't
didn't tell John to telephone" She
paused, still pllZzIing, then her face
cleared. "Why-poor old Joln--he's
getting very old, YOU know, Gerry.
That was three years ago told him to
telcphonc-thc day you never came
back. 1t must have been the suit. He
saw you standing there in the same
suit and three years became as one
day to the old fellow"
Gerry sighed. "Alix. do you want
those three years to become as n day
| to us?'
Alix shook her head slowly from
side to side. "No, dear, / don't. They
have given me-given us both-far
more than they took away" She nut
her bare arms around his neck. drew
him down and kissed him. "You do
not know yet all that they have given
you. You think you have come back
and found me, a frittering butterfly in
n great empty house. But you've found
only my abandoned cocoon. I'm not
here Mt all. I've packed myself into
the dearest little bundle of pink fnt.
yellow curls and chubby legs, and left
the bundle on Red HILL"
Gerry nodded but he was grave and
silent. Not in a day nor n month could
no 01fOOnthor fOrOnf tho Mon