Show r CEORGE W tiff ca CHAPTER continued 17 in those days when once more ills thoughts demanded to be seen in their me relation lation to aali that steady voice within min him was his bis only comfort the flood at fazenda anores had swept away all that hla his hands had bad done but the things that fazenda flores had done for him could not be swept away beany by any material force they stood and feared nothing except aux alix wherever ids his mind turned it came back to allx aft and found in her an all impasse ol passe lasse allx alix assumed more and more the portentous attributes of one unattached ta ched sitting in judgment over his acts ills memory of her frailty of her fl ower ithe detachment from the bonem the skeleton of life her artificiality 1 ficia lity made tier her seem ludl ludi cro it incongruous in the role of judge ile he could not picture her much less lesa estimate the sentence she would pass 1119 thoughts led him dally daily up tip to that impasse and left him hilia then cattle came the doubt and the question wily why should about lie load lend himself bodily to the impasse at fill all ile he was still fighting this point when he reached barbados but there an dent befell which brought a now new light to his mind and then a ai new peace to his soul lie ile had bad gone ashore at bridgetown simply because his whole body per pcr factly attuned by three years of long hours of toll was crying out for more i exercise than the narrow decks of the freighter could afford when the little group of passengers reached shore with the exception of G jerry gerry and an old returning barbadian they all turned in III the same direction as it if by a common impulse the barbadian glanced tit at gerry and jerked his head at the disappearing group men of the world in the big sense he said what do you mean asked gerry son said the old barbadian who was waa very tanned and whose kindly K eyes blinked through thick glasses when a chap tells you lies hes a man H of the world you ask him if lie he ever w had a drink at the lee ice house you dont have to say lit in bridgetown n ever have a drink at the lee ico house just like aike that and it if he be says no you know he meant he was waa a town rounder when he be said he be wits was a man mail of the world gerry smiled and fell naturally lit in step with the barbadian as ho he moved slowly on yes said the old man its a sure q test the man that hant crooked hla his s elbow at the big round deal table lit in that old bid ramshackle drinkhouse drink house cant say hes really traveled long lost brothers and friends have root met there and when men that roam the alie high seas want news of some pal disappeared down the highway of tile the world they drop in at tile the old lee ice house bouse nud and ask what road he took its halfway r house to all the seven seas nave have you lost all anyone yonO asked 4 gerry no im not thirsty for a drink just now said the barbadian with it smile and you 1 I nor V I 1 said gerry laughing im out to stretch my legs you cant do that here replied the tha L old man you doot know our suu sun come with me inc ile he hailed balled a ramshackle vic victoria torla gerry hesitated you must have a home you want to go to and friends to see dont worry about me ill be careful about the sun boy said the barbadian ive ITC got a home and im going to see it but theres no reason why you como come along As for friends the ones I 1 left here wont get up to meet anyone till the last trump sounds come com e along you are the only company and im the only host boat lit in our party they climbed into the rickety cab and the barbadian gave directions to the driver the driver answered in the soft oft guttural gut of the west indian black slowly they crawled through the crooked streets of the town gerry leaned back and gazed at the freakish buildings they were till all of framework some swelled at the top and gerry wondered wonder eil why they lid did not topple over some swelled at the bottom and he wondered why wit Y these did not cave care in the Barb barbadian adlan watched his face funny town ch gerry nodded presently pres nily the found themselves on a country road it was so smooth that aba weighted carriage pushed bushed the old horses mona tit at an unwonted pace little houie hundreds hundred of them that looked like big hencoop hen coops i lined the road suddenly the carriage came to a halt one of 0 the little houses was trying to the road from around it t came screams se and cries now then yo gladys when ah say gay heft yo heft ltv byh driver poured out an angry tor rent of words that tried their best beat to be harsh and failed prom front around tilt the obstructing house lionso came an old darky when hla his eyes fell on the barbadian he rushed forward lor malcolm when did yo get back just now charles said th barbadian tile the matter here the darkas eyes rolled mattan lat tah jill steh malcolm why that olo cun net nel hes hea jev jes so nat cherly parsimonious that liu hu requires me to pay rent to fo bavin ma house on his lan ian so BO I 1 says bays to ole mammy well jea move this here residence on to a benle mans lan ian and malcoln melia men mammy in n the chile aro are jes jei a movin it on oil to yo old cane alel the barbadian laughed a little dryly and shrugged his shoulders the driver got down protesting and helped the family carry the house across the road then the cab went on and soon turnell up an avenue under a lory fiery canopy of acacia flamboyance flambo As they progressed thick twining growths spangled with brilliant blooms walled lu in the n venue the air grew cool hut but heavy with scents and the full flavored spice of a tropical garden under a blazing sun the air made lunde gerry dreamy uc ile woke altu a start when the barbadian said bald to the cabman this will do you drive in walt here tho the cab stopped just ahead was the ruin of a great gate the two pillars still stood but they were almost entirely hidden by vines to one of them clung tho the rusted vestige of a gate beyond the pillars thero there wits was a winding way once it had been a road continuation of the avenue now it was hut but a tunnel through the densely crowded foliage along the center of the tunnel was a narrow path even it was overgrown the barbadian led gerry down the path they came out under a grove of mighty trees whose dense shade had bad kept down the undergrowth and beyond the trees gerry saw a vast ir re agular mound of vines with which in mingled angled giant geraniums climbing fuchsias fuchsius fuch sias honeysuckle and rose they lie ho spied a brond broad light flight of marble steps at one end of them an old moss grown urn at the other oilier its fallen broken counterpart above the mound roae the of a house through tile vinos vines as the two drew nearer appeared shuttered windows and a door yelled veiled with creepers the Barb barbadian adlan went up tip the steps and tore the creepers away from the 0 have you lost anyone asked gerry door then he drew from his bis pocket nn all enormous key with a rasp tile tho lock turned and the door opened letting a bar of light into a wide cool hall ball gerry followed the barbadian through the hall ball to a broad veranda at the back of the house A large living room faced on to the veranda tho barbadian entered it opened tho the french door windows and dusting off two lounge chairs invited gerry to sit alt down gerry looked around curiously tho the living room was comfortably furnished there were one or two excellent rugs niga on the waxed floor a great couch set into a bow window lace curtains creamy with age a wonderfully carved escritoire in re rosewood gewood a al deboard round table and chairs of 0 mahogany that was almost as dull and black as ebony over all lay a coat of dust the barbadian Barbad laii walked to the round table and with his bla finger wrote in the dust then he sat down in a worn and I 1 comfortable chair a companion to Ger gedrys rys lie ile yell fell into so deep a reverie that gorry gerry ili thought ought tie lie was asleep gerry got up and walked around the room his eye fell on oil the table lie ile saw what the barbadian had bad written simply the iho date of the day hut above tile the freshly written late date showed an other filmed over ever with lust dust and above that another almost obliterated gerry leaned over the table ile he could see that a long ions succession of lot dates had been written into the thick laid dust beginning with the fresh numerals staring up at him film they reached back and back through the years ulf till they failed faded away into a dlin dim past gerry tiptoed out on to the veranda before him was a ruined lawn in its center a cracked crack eddry alry marble fountain off 00 to one side was a giant plane tree from one of its hung two frayed ropes kopea against its ita trunk leaned n weather beaten swing board under the a wisp of still showed beaten hard bard lu in it a bygone lay ilay by tile thu feet of children beyond the lawn stretched wide anno fields they were abandoned save for little patches of cane here and there bunched up against little lieu lien coop houses got a home boy gerry turned nud and found the barbadian it anding beside him A bomel lie be answered his bla thoughts flying to cited hill 1 I should think I 1 havo have and its a 11 11 gerry caught himself but not in time the barbadian nodded slowly 1 I know lie he sald said you were going to say its a live one well as totham to that dont you make a mistake ahls homo home is alive too just exactly as alle alive as I 1 am for im the last of the barbados malcolms home he be went on alto gether a matter of cash comfort and cool drinks sometimes lva ita just a gathering place for memories there was waa a time when we whites stood fifteen to lo one over the blacks on this island now the tables tire aro turned A chap that only takes a drink every time he be sees a white man mail would have to goto go to ad mass meeting to get drunk lately been sending out scientific commissions from england to sit like coroners coron cra on oil this mound lu in tho the sea eca they say going to bring the corpse back to life lc ive been offered a big price for this old place but im not selling gerry looked at the Barbad lans rather shabby clothes why dont you sell if you dont want to work the place its ita worth money I 1 know enough to toll tell you that the barbadian rested one hand buind high on the thick trunk of a wi wistaria starla A slow smile drew the cornecl of his mouth worth money lie he echoed my imy boy not every man mail kills tio tie thing that h t lie 0 loves best this Is rw ay lionie home zad Y you 0 u read those dates written in dust and still you thought my ahme was dead but la Is dead I 1 killed the thing that I 1 lovo love belt beit YOU yon can get cash comfort and cool almost anywhere hut but I 1 have bored that memories travel conj on beat on paths patha even na as gerry picked his alg az back to the galung cab ho be felt hill reaching out for him him film and Ana during the long slow drive to tho the quay ho he learned that he had pasion tho the crossroads that hail had given so BO bug a pause to his troubled soul tit alar badeau had opened his eyes doubt left him there was but one roal real tilt road back and it was open his cable to allx alix with a farm hind had the freighter reached after a quiet voyage twelve sours ahead ot of time and just juat at Bun iown A tug hurried down tho the bay etell them their berth was not ready the freighter wits was forced to anchor althe mouth of the narrows gerry wit declied clied tho the lights spring out from the shores they beckoned him to fail liar scenes island had been his boyhood nn an undiscovered land mi ad ahe scene of ids his first wanderings day bay shore lie he knew through constant casing by I 1 ill it the sky beyond it bull i 40 glow of tho the summer city here a P 1 I there pierced macreed with the brighter bale of some grotesque monstrosity t i I 1 up the bay the dark waters fot foiled I 1 into two hands bands that lost a sea eca find and sky of twinkling lights lie could just determine the sweeping trill of brooklyn bridge and the present or of more than one new tower of letl that broke the over changing aan of his native city and made him tt hj by that much forgotten and an 09 anut abut from all the myriad lesser ati his eyes turned gratefully to the W held torch of lA liberty berty beneath Ilene atu itak fa familiar millar tilted diadem the shadi tIT folds draping the upstanding up standing p the lie strength and steadfastness ano titanic grandeur of tile the statue carm caril their message to him an never bebee it became to him what its creator IR conceited an emblem aud and the mya little waves of tho the bay rushing to fling themselves at tile the feet of the goddess became a multitude eager for attainment ready for sacrifice it was tell en on a morning in early when gerry thi finally tilly got free of the lie freighter rind took the ferry for the other side of the river ile iio had left all his bis baggage to be delivered nt tin tile house later tho the morning was waft clear but sultry in the city the apathy of summer days hail bad settled bottled town down people glanced nt at gedrys heavy tweeds and antiquated hat but they did not smile for gerry himself was such a sight as aa makes men forget dollies clothes the tan of tits lita lean face tilt abe awing of his big unpadded shoulders ilia hla clear eyes carried the thoughts of passers by away from clothes and city things they seemed to catch a breath of spicy winds from the worn garments gar menta that clung to the strangers virile hotly body anil and in fit tits his eyes eyen they saw a mirage of faraway far away r places As gerry reached lipil ills own house he 10 was outwardly enfin cahn oven even dellb I 1 wily why was wan ho he waiting crate but inwardly lie was fighting down it turmoil of emotions what was lie he to find lit in allx alix had lie he anything to give in exchange had lio lie too much no ile climbed the ho steps slowly ilia 1111 hand trembled its as ho he reached out to raise the heavy bronze knocker lie he fore fora hla his fingers could seize it the door swung softly inward old joh john n I 1 bowed w C d before him film kor for a moment gerry stood dazed tho the naturalness of that open door of the ho old butler of the cool shadows lit in the old familiar ila hall struck straight nt at his heart with the shrewd poignancy of simple things old john raised a smiling face to greet him but down one wrinkled cheek crawled a surprised tear gerry held out his hand bow illow do you do john I 1 1 I am very well today sir air said jolin john mrs lorry gerry Is in fit the library she told mo me jo to telephone to the club anil and it if you were there hero to say may alio all 0 wished to see you G jerry gerry was puzzled why should adix tit think lie he would go BO to tho the cluba caul ho handed the butler lila his old hat bat n and n 1 I strode to the library door tho the door was closed somebody said como come in the words were so BO low ho he hardly heard them lie ile opened the door stopped stepped inside nud and closed it behind him allx dressed in a limy filmy blue nod and white house gown stood lit in tho the middle ot ol the room with etli one hand liand upraised the other outstretched sho alto seemed to be ba poised equally ready for advance or flight her eyes passed swiftly over gedrys face swept searching down to his feet and buck back again to its his face for weeks she had been wondering terrible things had come to her mind alan and gerry with his bis heartless note had bad conspired to mystify to terrify her all the joy she had looked forward to in gedrys home coming coining had turned into a bitter pain they had find not known on the hill how slit was wan suffering only kemp had seemed to understand a little and had brought his drop of |