Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-07-20
ried him TO the old inn, the miserable
little inn lie had left behind on that
glorious morning of so long ago.
Eh5APIED
XXF


old woman of the inn knew no medica-
ments, but she knew fever. Size piled
blankets on Gerry and let him sweat
it out On the third day nature, assist
ed by his magnificent physique, finally
routed the attack.
He called the old woman. He asked
her if she remembered him. She peered
at him. mo, MASTER she said. 81 do
not remember you. You are like the
foreigner who was drowned, but he
is dead"
Gerry shook his head. Not dead"
he said, ''only disappeared"
You are not he" said the old wom-
an. "He could not talk words that
one could understand"
Gerry nodded gravely. He felt as
though words could never make him
smile again. II have learned" he said.
"Now tell me what became of the
things l left here?" He went through
the list
The old woman checked off each
item and then shrugged her shoulders
She led him to a little dark room
whose only light came from the inter
stices of the tiled roof. AS his pupils
expanded he began to make out one
after another of the bags that had
made up his travelling kit
'There is a letter." she said, and
went off to fetch it. Gerry dragged
the bags out into the light Their locks
were all sealed with the seal of the
American consulate at Pernambuco.
He started knocking off the brittle
wax. The old woman came back with
the letter and handed it to him. He
tore 1t open. 1t was a note from the
consul saying that by order of Gerry's
wife his things had been sealed and
left at the inn, telling him where to
ind the keys. The room, he learned
from the old woman, had been paid
for regularly, at first by the month,
then by the year She felt 10 resent
ment at his return, only resignation.
You are the only guest I've had since
you went away" she said quantity and
with a sigh.
Fear nothing" said Gerry kindly.
"You have been faithful. You may
consider the room engaged by me for
the next ten years."
He carried his bags into the room
overlooking the river and then lay
down. He was too tired after the fe-
yer to open them. He knew that the
opening of those dust-covered bags
with their rusted metal fittings was
going to be another ordeal.
The next day Gerry sat before his
unpacked bags. He had turned out
all their contents. On the bed, the
floor, the table and the chairs was
piled such an array of linen ard shoes
and suits of various cut and weight as
he had once deemed the minimum with
which man could decently travel
Now they seemed to him wasteful ard
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
someone else-alI 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 ex-
pected to find in the bags and had
shrunk from.
TLen he remembered. This suit had
been made by his own tailor He had
worn it during a flying visit to Red
Hill. He had had it on the day he
left New York. He had worn it that
morning in AliX' room. Red Hill came
back to him, Alix stood before him.
Through the suit he saw her room, the
shimmering blue Of her dressing gown,
her crown of hair and her thin fingers
busy with it. He felt again the nip
of the dear air as 1t had streamed in
through the open window.
The worst of the flood was over.
Gerry engaged a search party. All day
long they sought for Margarita and her
child. Towards night they found them,
the little boy tight clasped in his
mothers arms. Gerry laid them ten
derly in the canoe and in silence the
party crawled back up the river to
Firanhas. No one looked curiously 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
sat for long time looking out on the
starry river. Then unconsciously he
picked up the old tweed suit and hung
it carefully on a chair. The rest Of
his scattered things ne swept uncere-
rlCniously upon the floor and threw
himself full length on the bed. He
was exhausted and slept.
He was up early the next morning.
He made the old woman bring water
and bathed in his room at is wise"
she said. tFor many days there will
be poison in the river" Gerry did not
answer. He closed the door and went
through his additions and toilet with
great care. His beard he had always
kept close clipped Now he shaved It
off. The tan of his face looked like a
mask above the fresh white of his
newly shaved jowls 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 waist
band Of the trousers. He drew the
back strap as close as it would go.