Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-16

contents. On the bed, the floor, the table
| and the chairs was piled such an array
or linen and shoes and suits Of various
cut and weight as he had once deemed the
minimum with which man could de-
Gently travel Now they seemed to him
wasteful and futile. The clothes did not
carry his mind back as he had expected.
The starch in the linen had gone yellow.
He had always hated yellow collars. The
suits struck him as belonging to some one
else-all except one. one sturdy suit OF
tweed had a cut that was different from
the others. OF all the clothes It alone
| seemed to have a personal note-the note
he had expected to find in the bags and
| had shrunk from.
Then he remembered. This suit had
been made by his own tailor lie had
worn II during n flying visit to Red Hill.
| He had had It on the day he left New
York. He had worn II that morning in
Alix's room. Red Hill came back TO him,
| AK stood before him. Through the suit
| he saw her room, the shimmering blue Of
| her dressng.gown, her crown of hair and
| her thin fingers busy with it. He felt
| again the nip of the clear air as IL had
f, streamed In through the open window.
How calm Alix had been under his ar
raignment. How curious had been her
eyes as he raved at her. Would she have
been calm and curious like that II she
had really loved Alan? He remembered
the shameful things he had said before
he could lash her into an answering
temper. lie heard again the scratching of
n pen as he had heard It that morning
standing in the hall outside her door.
How blind he had been! She had been
writing to Alan-writing to him in the
white heat of anger. He had driven her
to II with his shameful words. He had
left her no other answer. And after ALL
she had waited. Gerry put his hands to
Nya tt.at taFffh rn1l gy2-nn
He got up and went out
The worst of the flood was over Gerry
engaged n search party. All day long
they sought for Margarita and her child.
Towards nieht they found them, the little
boy tight clasped in his mothers arms
Gerry laid them tenderly in the canoe and
in silence the party crawled back up the
river to Piranhas. No one looked curl
ously at the burden they carried up
through the main street. Eyes were tired
of the familiar sight. The hour of weep
ing, the allotted tears. were long since
spent. They buried them that night.
Gerry went back to his room. He could
not eat. He sat for long time looking
out on the starry river. Then uncon-
sciously he picked up the old tweed suit
and hung 1t carefully on a chair. The
rest of his scattered things he swept un-
tremendously upon the floor and threw
himself full length on the bed lie was
exhausted and slept.
He was up early the next morning. He
made the old woman bring water and
bathed in his room. 1T Is wise" she
said. For many days there will be poison
in the river" Gerry did not answer. He
closed the door and went through his
ablutions and toilet with great care. His
beard he had always kept close clipped.
Now he shaved II off. The tan of his
face looked like a mask above the fresh
white of his newly shaved jows and
chin. He picked out the best of his linen
and dressed. Lastly he put on the old
tweed suit. 1t fell naturally to the lines
of his body, all except the waistband of
the trousers. He drew the back strap
as close as it would go. Still the trousers
were n little loose at the waist. At first
he was puzzled. then he understood. He
looked at himself in the broken glass with
n gorgeous but sadly tarnished frame
that hung on the wall. His shoulders
seemed to carry the coat better than be-
fore. He could hear Jones & Jones say: