Middletown transcript., 1916-07-01

AGoryof
Today and
ofAQDays


AS he felt her frail body quiver1ng ID
his embrace, as he looked back and
measured the sacrifice by what the
awful night of the coming of the Man
had taught him, he was overwhelmed
by a new humility. He turned Al1xs
face up to his. His lips moved IN an
effort to thank her but words failed
him. Alix understood. She lifted her
arms around his neck and drew his
head down. He held her body very
close as he kissed her, softly, ador-
ingly. Alix hid her face against his
shoulder for a moment and then threw
back her head and shook the tears
from her eyelashes. She smiled through
wet eyes. 81 am afraid he's not quite
perfect-lnside. Such a temper, Gerry.
I'm afraid he'll grow up into a man
about town and awfully wild" She
turned grave eyes on Gerry, Jr., and
her brows puckered what do you
thinkT'
Gerry smiled. From the looks of
him l predict he gets his letter in
freshman year-center on the football
team"
"Yes, perhaps" said Allx thought
fully. Everybody calls him Fatty al
ready"
1t was from Alan that Gerry learned
that Kemp was still in town closing up
his connection with the orchid firm.
Gerry wired him. begging him to come
to The Firs for a few days before he
went West. Alix had told Of Kemp's
word of comfort.
After the first excitement Of getting
home was over Gerry found himself
restless with the same restlesSness that
had attacked him during the days at
Piranhas. He tried for solution in
! the same way. Day after day, long
I before the rest of the Hill was awake,
he was off for ten-mile walk.
At first it was with head dropped
and eyes on the ground that he plOwed
his way through a dew-soaked world.
but there came time when he walked
with head thrown back, full lungs and
level eyes.
Then Kemp arrived. Gerry tried to
get him to join him in his walks but
Kemp shook his head sadly.
EFF yo' can't let me have a boss, Mr..
lansing" he said, 'I'll ride the cow"
Gerry laughed. They saddled the
horses themselves and started out. On
the top Of old Bald Head Gerry dis
mounted and sat down on a rock
Kemp followed suit.
Kemp" said Gerry, 81 want to
thank you for the things you said to
my wife-Alix."
Kemp flushed and waved a deprecat
ing hand.
''You saw things straight" went on
Gerry, "and l want to thank you, too
for letting me hog-tie myself"
81 amt curious about that, Mr.. Ian
sing" said Kemp 80 much's about
what you're goin' to do when yo' unite
yo'seff."
WELL" said Gerry "I've though
that out too For a while it used t.
break my heart to think about Fa
zenda Flores but it came to me the
other day that what there is of me thai
amounts to anything is just Fazenda
Flores.
"When a man learns to eat worl
Just like he does food because he:
hungry for it, there's bound to be &
place for him anywhere. 1t has strucl
me there are a lot of fields arount
here, some of them mine, that arr
about ready for resurrection, and res
) direction is my job.
81 don't know exactly how I'm go
ing to start but it may be planting po
tatoes. You can begin a resurrection
with any one of a number Of simple
things 1t doesn't matter much whicl
| one you pick on as long as you star
right down at the bottom and spread
yourself in the subsoil of things
I