Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1916-05-11


, comfortable chair, a companion to
Gerry's He fell into so deep a reverie
that Gerry thought he was asleep.
Gerry got up and walked around the
room. His eye fell on the table. He
saw what the Barbadian had written;
simply the date of the day. But above
the freshly written date showed an
other, filmed over with dust, and above
that another almost obliterated. Gerry
leaned over the table. He could see
that a long succession of dates had
been written into the thick-laid dust.
Beginning with the fresh numerals
staring up at him they reached back
and back through the years till they
faded away into dim past.
Gerry tiptoed out on to the veranda.
Before him was a ruined lawn; In its
center cracked, dry, marble fountain.
on to one side was a giant plane tree.
From one of it's limbs hung two frayed
ropes. Against its trunk leaned a
weather-beaten swing-board. Under
the ropes, a wisp of path still showed,
beaten hard in a bygone day by the
feet of children. Beyond the lawn
stretched wide hunfmocky cane fields.
They were abandoned save for little
patches Of cane here and there,
punched up against little hen-coop
houses.
"Got home, boy?"
Gerry turned and found the Barba-
dian standing beside him. "a homer
he answered, his thoughts flying to
Red Hill, 81 should think l have and
it's a Ii" Gerry caught himself but
not in time.
The Barbadian nodded slowly. 81
know" he said, you were going to say
it's live one. Well, as to that, don't
you make q mistake. This home is
alive too-just exactly as alive as ]
am, for I'm the last of the Barbados
AIalcolms.
Home" he went on, isn't alto
gether a matter of cash, comfort and
cool drinks. Sometimes it's Just 8
gathering place for memories.
"There was time when we whites
stood fifteen to one over the blacks on
this island. Now the tables are turned
A chap that only takes a drink every
time he sees white man would have
to go to mass meeting to get drunk.
Lately they've been sending out
scientific commissions from England
to sit like coroners on this mound in
the sea. They say they're going to
bring the corpse back to life. I've been
offered big price for this old place
but I'm not selling"
rather shabby clothes. "Why don't
you sell ii you don't want to work the
place? It's worth money. l know
enough to tell you that"
The Barbadian rested one hand higl
on the thick trunk of a wlstaria. a
mouth. Worth money!" he echoed
my boy, not every man kills the thing
that he loves best This is my home
You read those dates written in dus
and still you thought my home wa!
dead. But is isn't dead. l haven
killed the thing that love best. You
can get cash, comfort and cool drink
almost anywhere, but l have remem
bered that memories travel only beat
en- paths"
Even as Gerry picked his way bacl
J TO the waiting cab he felt Red Hill
reaching out for him, drawing him
And during the long, slow drive to tn
quay he learned that he had passed tn
| crossroads that had given so long
| pause to his troubled soul. The Bar
badian had opened his eyes. Doub
| left him. There was but one road-th
| road back-and it was open. He wrot
his cable to Alix with firm hand.
The freiGhter reached quarantin
after quiet voyage twelve hour
ahead of time and Just at sundowr
| a tug hurried down the bay to te
| them their berth was not ready. TIL
| freighter was forced to anchor at til
mouth of the narrows. Gerry watche
j the lights spring out from the shadow
shores. They beckoned him to familia
t scenes. Staten Island had been to hi
e ! boyhood an undiscovered land and tn
: scene of his first wanderlngs. Bay
Il shore he knew through constant pass
ing by. In the sky beyond 1t, hung til
n glow OF the summer city, here an
[ there pierced with the brighter dam
2 of some grotesQue monstrosity.
G Up the bay the dark waters forke
e into two bands that lost themselves
r sea and sky OF twinkllng lights. 3
It could just determine the sweeping arc
OF Brooklyn bridge and the presence I
c more than one new Tower Of Bah
F. that broke the ever-changlng skyllI
i of his native city and made him fe'
Il by that much. forgotten and an allie
e But from all the myriad lesser iigh
r his eyes turned gratefully to the hig
a held torch of Liberty Beneath 1t, q
Il familiar. tilted diadem. the shadow
II folds draping the outstanding pos
a the strength and steadfastness and t
titanic grandeur OF the statue. carri'
ID their message TO him as never betol