The Irish standard., 1916-02-12

pIeep. 1mmeuldCely b sense OF weight
assailed her. She rang and learned
that Gerry had not yet come home.
Then his words Of yesterday suddenly
came to her. IF dropped out Of the
world today" Alix stared wide
eyed at the ceiling. Why had she re-
membered those words? She lay for
long time thinking. Her breakfast
was brought to her but she did not
touch 1t. 1t was almost noon in the
cloudy Sunday morning when she
reused herself from apathy. She
eprang from the bed. She summoned
Judge Healey with a note and Mrs.
Lansing with a telegram. The tele-
gram was carefully wofded, "Please
come and stay for while. Gerry is
away"
The Judge found Alix radiating the
freshness of a beautiful woman care
ful Of her person, but 1t was the fresh
ness Of pale flower. Alix was grave
and her graYty had a sweetness that
made the judges heart bound. He
felt an awakening in her that he had
long watched for. She told him all
the story Of the day before In a steady
monotone that omitted nothing and
gave the facts only their own weight.
+; When she finished the Judge patted
her hand. ''You would make splen-
did witness, my DEAR" he said. "Now,
what you want is for me to find Gerry
and bring him back, isn't it? Are you
sure Gerry knew nothing of your-er
excursion to the station?"
Alix shook her head. "From the
time he left my room and the house
he has not been back"
"Has he been to the club?"
Alix colored family. II see," said
the Judge quickly. "I'll ask there.
TIL 60 now" He went off and all
that day he sought in vain for trace
of Gerry. He went to all his haunts
in the city-he had telephoned to those
outside. At night he returned to Alix
but it was Mrs. Lansing that received
him in the library.
: The judge was tired and his buoy
,ancy had deserted him. He told her
of his failure. Mrs. Lansing was
thoughtful but not greatly troubled.
! "Gerry," she said, "has level head.
He can take care Of himself" She
went to tell Alix that there was no
news. When she came back the Judge
turned to her. "Well," he asked, what
did she say?'
Nothing, except that she wanted to
know If you had tried the bank"
The judge struck his fist into his
left hand. Never thought of it, he
said. ''That child has headw He
went to the telephone. From the presi-
dent of the bank he traced the man.
ager, from the manager, the cashier.
Yes, Gerry had been at the bank on
Saturday. The cashier remembered it
because Mr.. Lansing had drawn a GER
tain account in full. He would not
say how much.
"There," said the Judge with a sigh
of relief, that's something. 1t takes
a steady nerve to draw a bank ac-
count in full. You must take the news
upstairs. I'm off. I'll follow up the
clue tomorrow"
mingled with the worry in Mrs. Ian.
sings face that made the judge say as
he held out his hand in farewell
f'Things better?"
Mrs. Lansing understood him. "Yes,"
she answered, and added, 1--WE have
been crying together
! Mrs. Lansing and Alix had never
given themselves to each other. There
had been no warfare between them
but equally there had never been un-
derstanding. To Mrs. Lansing's in.
herent calm, Alix' scintillation had
been repellent and Alix before Gerry's
mother had felt much the same re-
straint as before Gerry's old butler.
There had been strength in Mrs.
Lansing's calm. She had been waiting
and now the waiting was over. Alix
had given herself fearful and almost
wordless into arms that were more
than ready and had then poured out
her heart in a broken tale that would
have ccnfounded any court of justice
but which between women was clearer
than logic.
At the end Mrs. Lansing said moth.
ing. Instead she petted Alix, carried
her off to bed and kept her there for
three days. In her waking hours Alix
added spasmodic bits to her confess
sion-sage reflections after the event,
dreamy 81 wonders that speculated
in the past and in the measure of her
emotions.
Mrs. Lansing sat and listened and
sewed. Her soft brown. hair just
touched with gray, her calm face with
its half-hidden strength, her steady
eyes. turned now on Alix, now on her
work, brought peace into the room and
held it there in spite of the disquieting
lack of news Of Gerry.
When she spoke at last it was to
say half-shyly, "You are stronger than
1 had thought. l believe every woman
at the actual moment of surrender
feels an impulse of shame and fear.
During that moment desire lets go
of her. It's the last chance that fate
holds out. The women who fail to
take the chance-it seems to me they
TAIL through weakness of spirit and
not of flesh.
"More women are ruined by circum.
stance than by desire. Women decide
to burn their bridges hebind them and
then they think they've burned them