Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-02-24
(copYREoHT BY ZE CEWJJRY ca

him, surprised, and then smiled at
each other as women smile at the first
steps of child.
They made him sit down at the
table and placed before him crisp
rusks of manioc -four and steaming
coffee whose splendid aroma tri-
umphed over the sogdidness of the
scene and through the nOstrils reached
the palate with anticipatory touch.
1t was Sweetened with dark. pungent
sirup and was served black in a capa-
clous 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 1uttered nervously
about the stove. nursing its inadequate
fire of charcoal. Her eyes were big
with wonder at the capacity of the
white master. The old negro had sunk
back to his seat on the floor. The two
white women stood and watched Ger
~. The more he ate the more they
urged.
Gerry set down the empty bowl with
a sigh. The rusks had been delicious.
Before the coffee the name of nectar
dwindled to lmpotency. It's elixir riot
ed in his veins. At the sigh the girl
had deftly rolled a cigarette in a bit
of corn huSk. sCraped thin as paper.
Now she slipped it into his fingers.
The old negress picked up a live coal
and, passing it from shaky hand to
shaky hand, deposited It on his plate.
Gerry lit the cigarette. With the first
long contented whiff he smiled. The
smile brought stinging recollection.
With frown he threw away the ciga-
rette and rose from the table. "The
brute is fed and laughs" he said aloud
and strode from the room. The girl
and the little wrinkled woman looked
at each other in dismay They seemed
to sense the unintclllgibe words. The
old darky crawled across the floor and
possessed himself OF the cigarette.
Gerry went to seat himself on the
steps Of the yeranda. Before him
stretched the fallow valley. beyond il
cleaned the black line OF the rushing
river. To the right were the ruins of
sugar mill and stables. To the left
the debris that once had been slaves
quarters. The fields still bore the hum
mocks, in rough alignment. that told
the story of past years fruitful in
cane. All was waste all was ruin.
The girl slipped to a seat beside him.
She rolled a fresh cigarette ard then
shyly laid a small brown hand on his |
arm. Gerry looked at her Her big |
brown eyes We're sorrowful and plead |
ing. She held out the cigarette with a
little shrug that deprecated the small /
ness of the offering.
Gerry felt a twinge Of remorse. lie /
patted the hand that lay on his arm.
smiled, and took the cigarette. The |
girls face lit up. She called and again |
the negress brought fire This time |
Gerry smoked gravoly. The girl sat |
on beside him. Her hand lay in his. /
So they sat until The sun passed the
zenith and, slipping over the caves.
fell like fire on their bare feet. Gerry |
stood up, pointed 10 himself and then |
down the river to the town. The girl |
shook her head. She made him under .
stand that he was cut off from the .
town by an impossible tributary to .
the great river-that he would have /
to make long detour inland. Then |
she swept her hand from the sun to .
the horizon to show him that the day .
was too far gone for the journey.
He was not much concerned. An
apathy seized him at the thought of .
going back. He felt as though shame .
mad left some visible scar on his coun-
tenance that men must see and read. |
AS he stood, thoughtful and detached,
the girl grasped his arm with both
her hands and drew his attention to
her. Then she gave one sweep of
her arm that embraced all the ruin
of house and mill and fields. She
pointed to herself He understood:
these things were hers. Then she fold
ed her hands and with gesture of
surrender laid them in his.
1t was eloquent There was no mis-
taking her meaning. Gerry was
touched. He held both her clasped
hands in one Of his and put his arm
around her shoulders She fixed her
eyes on his face for the answer. Once
more Gerry's eyes wandered over all
that ruin. After all, he thought. why
not? Why not bury his own ruin here
In company? But she read no decision
in his face though she watched it long.
What she saw was debate and for the
time it satisfied her.
Gerry all that afternoon was very
silent and houghtful-silent because
there was no one he could talk to.
thoughtful because the idea the girl
had put into his head was taking