The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1916-02-03
CHAPTER II-continued.

ment. Just a job as assistant to Wal
ton. the engineer the contractors are
sending out We're going to put up
u bridge somewhere In Africa"
That's it knew it." said the cap
tain. Going away. Want any money"
The question came like solid shot
out of a four-pounder. Alan started,
cOlored and smiled, all at the same
time.
mo, thanks. sir" he replied, 1--WE
got all need"
The captain hitched his chair for
ward, placed his hands on his knees,
leaned forward and glared out on the
avenue. THE Lansings," he began,
like a boy reciting piece, "are devils
for drink, the Waynes for women.
Don't you ever let 'em worry you
about drink. Nowadays the doctors
call us nonalcoholic. In my time it
was just plain strong heads for wine.
l say, don't worry about drink. There's
a safety valve in every Wayne's gul-
let.
But women, Alanw The captain
sIued around his bulging eyes. You
look out for them. AS your great
grandfather used to say, To women,
only perlshable goods-sweets, flowers
and kisses And you take it from me,
kisses aren't always the cheapest.
They say God made everything-down
to little apples and Jersey lightning.
But when he made women the devil
helped" The captains nervousness
dropped from his as he deliberately
drew out his watch and fob. Good
thing he did, too" he added, as a
pleasing afterthought. He leaned back
in his chair. A complacent look came
over his face.
Alan got up to say good-by. The
captain arose, too, and clasped the hand
Alan held out. zone more thing" he
said. Don't forget there's always a
Wayne to back Wayne for good or
bad" There was a suspicion of mois-
ture in his eye as he hurried his guest
off.
Back in his room Alan found letters
awaiting him. He read them and tore
them up-all but one. 1t was from
Clem. She wrote:
Dear Alan: Nance says you are going
very far away. 1 am sorry. 1t has been
much In the hnllOWe
all the bridges are under water. have
invented a new game. 1t Is called steam
boat" | play 1t on old Dubbs. We &c
down into the valley and I make him &C
through the water around the bridges
He puffs Just like steamboat and wher
he gets out he smokes all over. He Is
too fat. hope you will come back very
soon. GLEN.
That evening Glen was thrown into
a transport by receiving her first tele
gram. It read, you must not play
steamboat again, it is dangerous
Alan" She tucked it in her bosom
and rushed over to the Firs to show 1
to Gerry.
Gerry and AliX were spending th'
summer at the Firs, where Mrs. Ian
sing, Gerry's widowed mother, wal
still nominally the hostess. They hat
been married two years, but peopl
still spoke of Alix as Gerry's bride
and in so doing stamped her with he
own seal. To strangers they carriet
the air of a couple about to be mar
rfed at the rational close of long en-
gagement. No children or thought O
children had come to turn the channe
of life for Alix. On Gerry marriag
sat as an added habit. 1t was begir
ming to look as though he and Ali
drifted together not because they wer
carried by the same currents but b'
cause they were tied.
Where duller minds would hav
dubbed Gerry the Ok, Alan had name
him the Rock, and Alan. was rjSh
Gerry had a dignity beyond mere bull
He had all the powers of resistanc
none of articulation. Where a piI
prick would start an OK it took an VI
heaval to move Gerry. An upheavi
was on the way, but Gerry did nj
know it. 1t was yet afar off.
To the Lansings marriage had a
ways been one of the regular fun
tions of a regulated life-part of tt
general scheme of things. Gerry wi
slowly realizing that his marriage wit
Alix was far from a mere function, ha
little to do with regular life and wt
foreign to what he had always consir
cred the general scheme of thing
AIiX had developed, quite naturall
into social butterfly. Gerry did n,
picture her as chain lightning playir
on q rock, as Alan would have don
but he did, in vague way, feel th'
bits of his impassive self were beir
Clipped away.
Red Hill bored Alix and she shove
it. The first summer after the ma
riage they had spent abroad. No
Alix' thoughts and talk turned co
Stantly toward Europe. She even su
gested a flying trip for the fall, b
Gerry refused to be dragged so E
from golf and his club. He stuck do
gedly to Red Hill till the leaves begs
to turn, and then consented to mo-
back to town.
On their last night at the Ftrs MI
Lansing. who was complacently An
Jane to Waynes and EItons, ente
tanned Red Hill as whole to Dime
With the arrival Of dessert, to Ali
surprise, Nance said. Port all aroun
please, Aunt Jane"
Lanslngs. Waynes and Eltons we
heavy drinkers In town. but 1t was
tradition, as Alix knew, that on r,
IIill they dropped tall but the o
captain. It was as though, amid D