Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1916-05-12
CHAPTER x-contInusd.

She pointed to the house and then to
herself and smiled. He understood
the pantomime and nodded. When
they reached the house a withered
and wrinkled little woman came out
TO the arched veranda to meet them.
She looked Gerry over shrewdly and
then held out her hand. He shook
it llstlessly. They walked through a
long dividing hall. On each side were
large rooms, empty, save one where
a big bed, wash-stand, and an old
bureau with widowed glass, were
grouped like an oasis In desert. They
reached the kitchen. It was evidently
the living room of the house. A ham,
mock cut of one corner. Chairs were
drawn up to a rough, uncovered table.
A stove was built into the masonry
and a cavernous oven gaped from the
massive wall.
At the stove was an old negress,
making coffee with shaky deliberation.
On the floor sat an old darby clad
only from his waist down in such trou-
sers as Gerry was wearing, except
that they were soiled and tattered.
he looked up and fastened his eyes
on Gerry and then struggled to his
feet. Dim recollections of some by.
gone white master brought a CLEAN
into his bleary eyes. He raised his
hand in the national gesture OF child
to parent, slave to master. blessing
master, blessing" Gerry had learned
the meaning OF the quaint custom
"God bless thee" he answered dn
badly jumbled Portuguese. The girl
and the wrinkled woman looked al
him, surprised, and then smiled al
each other as women smile at the first
steps of a child.
They made him sit down at the
table and placed before him crisp
rusks of manioc -four and steamina
coffee whose splendid aroma tri
umphed over the sordidness OF the
scene and through the nostriIs reached
the palate with anticipatory touch
1t was sweetened with dark, pungent
strip and was served black IN capa
cious bowl, as though one could moi
drink too deeply of the elixir Of life.
Gerry ate ravenously and slipped the
coffee, at first sparingly, then greedily
The old negress huttered nervously
about the stove, nursing its inadequate
fire of charcoal Her eyes were big
with wonder at the capacity of the
white master. The old negro had SUM
back to his seat on the floor. The two
white women stood and watched Ger
~. The more he ate the more they
urged
Gerry set down the empty bowl with
a sigh. The rusks had been delicious
Before the coffee the name OF nectar
dwindIed TO impotency. Its elixir riot
ed In his veins. At the sigh the CIR
had deity rolled a cigarette In a bii
OF corn husk, scraped thin as paper
Now she slipped 1t into his fingers
The old negress picked up a live Goa
and, passing 1t from shaky hand t.
shaky hand, deposited 1t on his plate
Gerry lit the cigarette. With the first
long contented Whit he smiled. The
smile brought singing recollection
With frown he threw away the olga
rette and rose from the table. "Tht
brute is fed and laughs" he said aloud
and strobe from the room. The CIR
and the little wrinkled woman looked
at each other In dismay. They seemed
to sense the uninteIligible words. The
old darky crawled across the floor and
possessed himself OF the cigarette.
Gerry went to seat himself on the
steps Of the veranda. Before him
stretched the fallow valley, beyond II
cleaned the black line of the rushing
river. To the right were the ruins of 8
sugar mill and stables. To the left
the debris that once had been slaves
quarters. The fields still bore the hum
mocks. In rough alignment. that told
the story of past years fruitful II
cane All was waste. all was ruin.
The girl slipped to a seat beside him
She rolled a fresh cigarette and theT
shyly laid a small brown hand on his
arm. Gerry looked at her. Her Bis
brown eyes were sorrowful and plead
Ing. She held ont the cigarette with q
little shrug that deprecated the small
ness Of the offering.
Gerry felt a twinge of remorse HG
patted the hand that lay on his arm
smiled. and took the cigarette. THE
girls face lit up. She called and again
the negress brought fire. This tins
Gerry smoked grayely. The girl sal
ON beside him. Her hand lay in his
So they sat until the sun passed th,
Ganith and. slipping over the caves
81 IKE nBs 81 thelr bare feet. Gerry