Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1916-04-15
CHAPTER X-Continued.

CHAPTER X-continued.
She pointed to the house and then to
herself and smiled He understood
the pantomime and nodded When
they reached the house a withered
and wrinkled little woman came out
to the arched veranda to meet them.
She looked Gerry over shrewdly and
then held out her hand. He shock
It NstleSsly. They walked through a
long dividing hall. On each side We're
large rooms, empty, save one where
a big bed, a wash-stand, and an old
bureau with widowed glass. We're
grouped like an oasis in a desert They
reached the kitchen. 1t was evidently
the living room of the house. A ham
mock cut off one corner Chairs were
drawn up to a rough, uncovered table
A stove was built into the masonry
and q cayernous oven gaped from the
massive wall.
At the stove was an old negress.
making coffee with shaky delibera ton
On the floor sat an old darby clad
only from his waist down in such trou-
sers as Gerry was wearing, except
that they were soied and tattered.
He looked up and fastened his eyes
on Gerry and then struggled to his
feet Dim recollections of some by
gone white master brought CLEAN
into his bleary eyes. He raised his
hand in the national gesture of child
TO parent, slave to master blessing,
master, blessing" Gerry had learned
the meaning of the quaint custom.
God bless thee" he answered in
badly jumbled Portuguese. The girl
and the wriukled woman looked at
him. surprised, and then smiled at
each other as women smile at the first
steps of a child.
They made him sit down at the
table and placed before him crisp
Tusks of manioc -four and steaming
coffee whose splendid aroma tri-
umphed over the sordidness of the
scene and through the nostrils reached
The palate with anticipatory touch.
1t was sweetened with dark. pungent
strip and was served black in capa-
cious bowl, as though one could not
drink too deeply of the elixir of life.
Gerry ate ravenously and slipped the
coffee, at first sparingly, then greedily.
The old negress huttered nervously
about the stove, nursing its inadequate
tire Of charcoal. Her eyes were big
with wonder at the capacity of the
white master. The old negro had sunk
hack m hic h.
white women stood and watched Ger
Ky The more he ate the more they
urged.
Gerry set down the empty bowl with
sigh. The rusks had been delicious.
Before the coffee the name of nectar
dwindled to impotency. It's elixir riot
ed in his veins. At the sigh the girl
mad deftly rolled a cigarette in bit
or corn husk, scraped thin as paper.
NOW she slipped it into his fingers.
Inc old negress picked up live coal
ana, passing it from shaky hand to
shaky hand, deposited 1t on his plate.
Gerry liz the cigarette. With the first
long contented Whit he smiled. The
smile brought singing recollection.
With frown he threw away the olga
feue and rose from the table. The
orute IS fed and laughs" he said aloud
and strobe from the room. The girl
aud the little wrinkled woman looked
al each other in dismay They seemed
To sense the uninteligibIe words The
oid darky crawled across the floor and
possessed himself of the cigarette.
Terry went to seat himself on the
steps of the veranda. Before him
stretched the fallow valley. beyond it
Sieamed the black line of the rushing
river To the right were the ruins of
sugar mill and stables. To the left
Tie debris that once had been slaves
quarters. The fields still bore the hum
aiocAs, in rough alignment. that told
lae story Of past years fruitful in
cane All was waste. all was ruin.
The girl slipped TO seat beside him
e1e rolled fresh cigarette and then
7"yIy laid a small brown hand on his
arm Gerry looked at her. Her big
Drown eyes We're sorrowful and plead
ING She held out the cigarette with a
"i'.e Shrug that deprecated the small
ness Of the Offering.
Terry felt twinge of rem0rse. He
Pa''ed the hand that lay on his arm.
sH'i-e1, and took the cigarette. The
s.ri face lit up. She called and again
'-e Hegress brought fire This time
GERRY smoked gravely The girl sat
'4 beside him. Her hand lay in mis- |
% hes sat until the sun passed the
Lea "a and, slipping over the caves,
'e" a1e Gls ca their bare feet Gerry