The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1919-10-25
CHAPTER XXI.
The White Night.

The white Night.
"TOrd, I'm tired" groaned Richard
stumbling into camp, wet to the skin
"Don't you say letters to me, Mac
Tn going to bed. Tell Ling ] don't
want any dinner. He'll want to fuss
up something. / don't want to see
food"
The day, confused and jumbled
burned across his eyeballs: turmoil
of hustle and hurry Of insurrection. lie
had mnde swift stand against that
He was to be minded to the last man
jack of them, or anyone would go. MS
threat including the engineers, Silent
Irish. Wooster. Hardin himself. This
was no time for factions, for leader
feeling.
In bed, the dry with Its irritations
fell away. He could see now the step
ahead that had been taken; the last
trestle was done: the rock-pouring
well on he called that going some
He felt pleasantly Innguid, but not yet
sleepy. His thought wandered over the
resting camp And then lines Hardin
came to him.
2 Not herself. but as soft niue
thought which came creeping around
the corner of his dreams. She had
been there, Of course. all day. tucked
AWAY In his mind. ms though In MS
home waiting for him to come back 10
her, weary from the pricks OF the day.
The way he would come home to her,
please God, some day. Not bearing
his burdens to her. he did not believe
In that. but asking her diversions. Con
tentment spread her soft wings over
him. He fell asleep.
Richard wakened ms to call. What
Ind startled him7 He listened, rnis-
Ing himself by his elbow. From dis
lance, a sweet high voice, unreal In Its
pitch and thrilling quality, came to
him. II was Godfrey, somewhere on
the levee, singing by the river. II
brought him again to Innes Hardin
He pulled aside his curtain which
hung over the screening of his tent
and looked out into a moon-tlooded
world. Richards eyes fell on little
tent over yonder, a white shrine
"White MS that fine sweet soul OF
hers II
Wandering into the night, Godfrey
passed down the river, singing. His
voice, the footllghts, the listening
great audiences were calling to him.
To him, the moon-nooded levee, the
gllstenlng water, made star-set
scene. He was treadlng the boards,
the rushing waters by the bank gave
the orchestration for his melody-"La
Donna Mobile" He began 1t to Gerty
Hardin; she would hear 1t In her tent !;
she would take It as the tender re-
proach he had leased her with that
afternoon In the ramada.
He gave for encore ballad long
forgotten; he had pulled II back from
the cobwebs Of two decades; he had
made II his own.
''But, my darling. you Will be.
Ever young and fair to me-"
II came, the soaring voice, to Tom
Hardin, outside Gerty's tent on his
lonely cot. He knew that song. Dis
dained by his wife. pretty figure n
man cuts II his wife can't stand
him. who cam He wasn't good enough
for her. He was rough. His life had
kept him from fitting himself to her
taste. She needed people who could
talk like Richard. sing like Godfrey.
People, other people, might miscon-
strue her preferences. He knew they
were not fiirtatlons; she needed her
kind She would always keep straight !;
she was straight MS whip. Life was
MS hard for her MS II was for him; he
could feel sorry for her; his pity was
divided between the two Of them. the
husband, the wife, both lonely In their
own way.
On the other side of the canvas
walls. Gerty Hardin lay listening to
the message meant for her. The tickle
sex. he had called hers; no constancy
IN woman, he had declared. fondlng
her hair. He had tried to coax her
into pledges, pledges which were also
disavowals to the man outside.
hHNtA NEt SfiuuutTtu III
her threshold. She hated that song.
Cruel. life had been TO her; none of it's
promises had been kept. To be happy,
why. that was humans birthright !;
grab II. that was her creed There
was chance yet; youth had not gone
He was singing II to her. her escape
Darling you will be-
Ever young and fair to me-"
Godfrey. singing to Gerty Hardin,
had awakened the camp. Innes In
her tent, too. was listening.
Darling. you will be.
Ever young and fair to mel"
So that is the miracle, that wild
rush Of certain feeling Yesterday,
doubling. tomorrow, more doubts--but
tonight. the song. the night isolated
them. herself and Richard. into a
world Of their own. Life with him on
any terms she wanted.
lgK NnAnrEo WYNN