The Irish standard., 1916-02-12

girls face lit up. Size called and again
the negress brought fire. This time
Gerry smoked gravcly. The girl sat
on beside him. Her hand lay in his.
So they sat until the sun passed the
zenith and, slipping over the caves,
fell like fire on their bare feet. Gerry
stood up. pointed to himself and then
down the river to the town. The girl
shook her head. She made him under
stand that he was cut off from the
town by an impossible tributary to
the great river-talat he would have
to make long detour inland. Then
she swept her hand from the sun to
the horizon to show him tAat the day
was too far gone for the journey.
He was not much concerned. An
apathy seized him ut the thought Of
going back. He felt rs though shame
had left some visible scar on his coun-
tenance that men must see and read.
AS he stood, thoughtful and detached,
the girl grasped his arm with both
her hands and drew his attention to
her. Then she gave one sweep Of
her arm that embraced all the ruin
Of house and mill and fields. She
pointed to herself. He understood: :
these things were hers. Then she fold
ed her hands and with gesture Of
surrender laid them in his.
1t was eloquent. There was no mis-
taking her meaning. Gerry was
touched. He held both her clasped
hands in one of his and put his arm
around her shoulders. She fixed her
eyes on his face for the answer. Once
more Gerry's eyes wandered over all
that ruin. After all. he thought. why
not? Why not bury his own ruin here
In company? But she read no decision
IN his face though she watched it long.
What she saw was debate and for the
time it satisfied her.
Gerry all that afternoon was very
silent and thoughtful-silent because
there was he one he could talk to,
shoughtful because the idea the girl
had put into his head was taking
shape. aided by long chain of cir
cumstunccs. He looked back over his
covered trail. If he had been some
sllrewd fugitive from justice he could
not have planned it better His sud
den flight without visiting his home.
his failure to buy n ticket. the subor-
nation of the purser with its assur.
ance Of silence as to his presence OF
destination, all that had been wiped
out by his cablegram to his mother
But then fate had stepped in again
and once more blotted out the trail
Some genius had heard his wish. The
old Gerry Lansing was dead. Even
from himself the old Gerry Lansing
had been torn away in Il chariot OF
fire.
In the cool Of the evening he looked
about him. The tiny world into which
he had fallen was penurious but self
contained. Such fabrics ns there were
were homcspun from the bolls of q
scraggy patch Of cotton bushes. A
little oil In clay dish with IL twisted
wick Of cotton giving forth more
smoke than light seemed to fix him
in his setting of prehistoric man. The
rice, gathered from an enduring bot
tom. formed with manioc, the back
bone of the households sustcnnnce
From the outcrops Of the abandoned
zane fields. with the assistance OF al
sntediluvian hnnd-mill and an equal
Iy antlquatcd iron pot, :rley made th'
black sirup that served for sugar Salt
slightly alkaline. was plentiful. A few
cows and their progeny lived in TIN
open and lived well, for. even untitled
the lands of the valley were rich. Al
occasional member of the herd was car
riel off to market by the old darky
The proceeds bought the very few con
tributions Of civilization necessary t,
the upkeep of the lcnten life.
Gerry decided. He looked Mt tn,
girl and she ran to him. He put hi
arms around her and gazcd with ,
sort of numbcd emotion into her grcn
dark eyes. Those eyes were wells o
simplicity. love, fidelity. but below al
that there were depths unmensurct
and unmcMsuring that gave all and de
mMnCed all.
In the mind Of the husband VIII,
believed himself deserted and betrayed
there no longer existed any barrier he
tween him and this woman who hnt
come so strangely into his life. Mar
riage with her was no wrong to Alix
The last scruples of civilization ant
of law fell from him like IL Carmen
thrown aside and he became the h,ls
bnnd Of the girl who had so innoccntly
wOOed him.