Show I 1 TT a 9 V 10 40 V 4 all aone ca SYNOPSIS 7 alan wayne is sent away from red 1111 H 11 11 s home by his uncle J Y as a moral fa lure clem runs after him in a t tangle angle of short skirts to bid him good by cap tain IN ayne tells alan of the ta fa ling ot of the 4 aynes clam drinks alan a 9 health on h s birthday judge healey defends alan in I 1 is bus ness with his employers alan and alix meet at sea homeward bound and start a fl on at home nance S ster ter I 1 1 ng as s alan to go away from allx alix allx alix is taken to task by gerry her husband gy for her conduct with alan and defies him yf gerry as he thinks sees AIN 11 and alan eloping drops evereth ng and goes to a j fernambuco pernambuco al x leaves alan on the train and goes home gerry leaves per zambuco and goes to P canhas on a caroe trip he meets a native girl the judge fa Is tt 0 trace gerry A baby Is born to allx alix the native girl takes gerry to her home and shows him the ruined plantation she is m stress of gerry mar r es her at maple house col tells how he met alan ten per cent wagne wai ne building a bridge in africa col I 1 meets allx alix and her baby and he g ves her encouragement about gerry 40 alan comes back to town but does not so go home he makes several calls in the city gerry begins to improve margar ita s plantation and builds an irrigate ng atch d suppose you asked a man for ajob a job you needed desperately to keep from starving suppose that man gave you a frightful beat ng out of pure cussedness and afterward gave you wor work k would you watch your chance to get even or would you save h a I 1 fe when opportune opp ty offered Z kh K h f CHAPTER XIV continued 11 gerry started opening the sluice t gates the lowest first the water gur sled gut into the main trench and from t there was d buted at first the thirsty so I 1 swallowed it greedily but ft gradually the rills stretched faither and farther down into the valley un der th tho blazing sun they looked like streams of molten s iver and gold margarita came running up to them from the house aeiry put his arm around her and made her face the val ley then he looked at the girl and smiled she smiled bick at him but trouble was still in her eyes gerry left her to start on the work 1 11 l of fitting the ponderous sluice gate of I 1 awn logs thit he had prepared for the mouth of the great ditch it was a triumph of ingenuity he ile nei er could a hive evolved it without the aid of a f giant ironwood worm screw taken from the wreck of a cotton press the screw was so heavy that he and S could hardly carry it at the end of three days the great gate was inas installed he and Bonifa bonifacio clo to led I 1 ke sailors at a capstan they idros e the heavy barr er down into the with a list last turn of the screw and y out the river margarita came and ad saw and was pleased 3 4 a ander upriver the broad bro id dome of a mango tree on the banks of an unnamed arl can river alan wayne had p ached his camp scamp the selwyn tent and the pro eject eject ng veranda fly faded and detained the mosquito cur f ta as Us were creamed with age and vh h ice tee two camp chairs and a colla collapse col pst p be ble table battered but strong were L placed before the tent over one of v the chans s hung a tone towel ea on the ground squatted a take down bath tub half filled with water in the deep shadow of the tree the pale green rot proof u advas of the tent the fly the chairs and nd bathtub gleamed almost white on the farther side of the great 1 trunk of the alee was the master s kitchen three stones and a hal hat circle jot f forked sti sticks ks driven into the i round i on the sticks k s hung a few pots and pans a saddle of buck bits of fat and af disreputable looking coffee bag be tween the stones was a bed of coals t before them crouched a red 1 zanzibar 11 broin under a second tree fifty yards away came the dull rhythmic pound ng of wooden pestles in wooden mortars the eye could just distin distill I 1 aguish the gl 1 I naked torsos of A three blocks in motion they were e ng ng a barbarous barb irous chantey kit 41 the kt t pauses their arma arms went up and the pestles came down to together ether with a othus the blacks were pounding the corn for the men s avei ing meal f down the river ind almost oat of eight right a black sp dery construction reached out over the water lans mans latest bridge men sv swarmed armed oil oa it six 0 clock and there came the trill cf of a whistle suddenly the bridge was heared A babble of noces arose there was a arieli ng of tw tv is i s a shuffling of feet here and there a high excited cry and then the men poured into camp A d n of talk bel held d in check for hours arose glisten ng black lod es danced to jerky fantastic steps songs ind impatient cries to thele 1 boks swelled the nelley jt df sound through the camp stole the I 1 acrid odor of toiling africa behind the men marched the fore man mcdougal behind him came alan at sight of him the zanzibar sprang into action he ile poured a tin of hot water into the bath tub and laid out an old flannel suit beside the suit he placed clean underwear fresh socks and on oil the ground a pair of sl apers alan stripped bathed and dressed the zanzibar handed him a cup of hot tea by the time the tea was drunk the table was freshly laid and alan sat down to a steaming bowl of broth and dinner after dinner mcdougal jo ned him for a smoke for a full half hour they sat wordless darkness fell and brought out the I 1 gats of the r fitfully glowing p pes from the men s camp C came me a subdued chatter the men were feeding As they finished they the lit fires a fire tor for every little group the smell of the wood fires triumphed over every other odor mcdougal al had met alan first in a bare room at an african seaport the room vi vias as furnished with a chair and a table at the table sat alan busy with final estimates and plans for sup pi pl es for his little army the Interi interview lew Ns as short mcdougal had asked for a job and alan had answered get out mcdougal Ic Dougal had repeated his request and the rest of the story he told the next mom morn ag ng before the res dent mag istrate in the chair and alan in the dock weel your honor it was this way I 1 N w ent into mr wayne s office and asked him for and he said mid get out I 1 asked him again and he sa d III give you two to get out one two and with that he cooms on to the table and flying through the air I 1 had joost cons dered that it was best I 1 should let him hit me first alace that I 1 might break breal him with justice when he struck me face with both fists and his bib knee in the pit of me mick and nd that s all your honor savin the I afar that I 1 woke up to find watering me and a rose bush by abbot I 1 suppose sad sa d the magistrate covering his twitching mouth with his hand that was the rifer I 1 signed a hospital pass for last n it may weel be replied mcdougal dreamily it may weel be well N ell mcdougal I 1 think this Is a matter that can be settled out of court mcdougal held up a vast hand in interrupt on begging your pardon your honor there 11 be nae settling of th s matter out of coort between mr nv V ayne and aluce is enough eustice and the prisoner in the dock surrendered to laughter mcdougal stood grave and unperturbed what nhat I 1 meant said the magis when he recovered is that mr wayne will nill probably give you a job and call it all square that s it said alan I 1 asked mr air ayne for and if it s he is giving me nae be denying it Is a fair answer replied mcdougal and forthwith became ten percent wayne s gang boss and under study in the art or of driving men with both fists and a knee McDoug il knocked out his third p pe the de 11 of a country is this he said in the seas of it a life preserver holds you up handy for sharks and in the rivers does swimming save your lifee nae it gives you a meal to the croes crocs they had lost a black that day he had sl aped from the bridge into the water he had started to swim to shore hore and then suddenly disappeared in a swirl conversationally mcdougal limited himself to a Ren sentence tence a diy daiy in win will h he summed up the one event that had struck him as worthy of not ce hav in ing delivered himself of his observe tion for the night he be lit h s pipe once more and relapsed into silence mcdougal s was a companionable sl si lence alan could feel him sitting there in the dark raw boned and dour but ready at the word of command it was after e when klan called for a I 1 lit and drew from a worn let ter cise the correspondence that a runner from the coast had brought in that day he glanced over official corn com mun cat cation lonz blue prints and business letters ind and stuffed them back into the leather case one fat letter note paper size remained mcdougal said alan hush bush up the camp tell teli em its it s nine clock mcdougal arose and picking up a big stick strode over towards the men the stick was so b g that he had never had bad to use it at the mere sight of it the men desisted from clamor dance and horse play alan drew the fat letter from its envelope and for the second time read dear alan As you see this Is from new york we came down yesterday all summer I 1 have been watch ng for my second self because I 1 in just about grown up now outs de amean I 1 mean inside is d efferent somehow and three days before we left I 1 really caught her looking at me while I 1 was sitting on the old stone bench down by the pond I 1 jumped up and ran after her all the way down long lane and up the low road to where the red cow broke her leg that t time and there I 1 lost her I 1 didn dian t find her again and had to come away without her hel and now I 1 feel so queer sort of halt half y just like you somehow I 1 can t blame her sl SI e d t want to leave the H 11 in the gorgeous month so she lust just stayed behind do you remember th s is the gorgeous month when leafy fires mount to the gods in myriad summer pyres t A few hours ago when I 1 was doing my mile on the avenue I 1 almost got run down and mam selle sells gave me an awful scolding tor for being so absent minded it was a true word I 1 was just that absent minded because my mind was off chasing that other half and then I 1 came back and there I 1 was on the avenue with people staring at me more than they ever have before I 1 suppose it was because I 1 was out of breath with chasing in my mind good by alan CLEM alan sat in the circle of light from the hanging lamp and stared into the darl ness from the river came the sound of sucking mud then a heavy tread A monster hippo blundered through the bushes in search of food on the other side of the tree trunk the inz anz barl was snoring the fires were burning out at the men s camp once more the odor of their bodies bull hung in the air alan arose and dragged his chair to the outer edge of the mango tree he sat down and with hands locked and elbows on knees gave himself up to memory he forgot the sounds and smells of africa the black green of overhang ng leaves the black shadows of the swirling river the black bronze of the men about him for an hour he tore himself away from the black world to wander over the beloved hills in new england where summer dies in a burst of light red hill crowned with mountain ash called to his spirit as a torch in the night to a lost wanderer the thir ty months that had passed since last he saw its budd ng promise were ca aaa acci gave himself up to memory swept away he imagined those very budding leaves at the end of their course the pale amber of the elms the deep note of the steadfast firs the flaunting fire of the brave maples maple house arose before him its lawn carpeted with dry leaves I 1 rom the leases floated an incense dusty pungent the cool shadows of the great rambling house beckoned to him here Is peace here Is rest they seemed to cry the memory of home gripped h in m held him and soothed him his head nodded and he slept only to awake with a start for he had dreamed that he had lost the way back forever V berry gerry turned to h s work of tilling the so I 1 he cut the best of the cane and bonifacio planted the jo ants it a slant with knowing hand he sorted the bolls of cotton the women stu died the fiber and when it was long silky and tough they p eked out the seeds with cite and hoarded them for their time was not yet one duty urged another the days passed rap idly one morning gerry looked up from his labor to find a mounted egure just behind him an elderly man of florid face sat i reathe e stall on of arab krab strain the strangers note was opu lence from h s panama hat thin an I 1 I 1 as paper to his silver spurs and the s lyer iver mounted harness of his horse wealth marked him he was dressed in white alte linen and his flar ng glossy riding boots of embroidered russian leather stood out from the wh te clothes and the whiter sheep s fleece that served as saddle cloth with nith telling effect in his hanas was a s iver mounted rawhide quirt ills face was grave his ills eyes blue and k 1 nd ly As gerry looked at h in he spoke I 1 in lieber from up the rii n er gerry started at the familiar eng lish and frowned at the flown the stranger s eyes shifted I 1 didn dian t come down here to bother you he be went on hastily one of my men told me about the green grass and I 1 could rit t keep away 1 ve got catle cat le and hores v f 31 up my way and they re dying starr start ing I 1 came down to make a deal I 1 ve picked out a hundred and twenty head with blood in em horses and cattle it if you 11 take em and feed em through to the rains I 1 II 11 give you ten out of the hundred some are too far gone to save I 1 in afraid gerry looked at his tiny ons which showed up meanly in the great expanse of waste pasture I 1 in sor ry he said but I 1 in afraid I 1 cant can t you see I 1 can t afford to fence lieber looked around and nodded no added that s all right he said ive I 1 ve got a lot of old wire that s no use to me and a lot of loafers to tear it down and put it up fence as much pasture as you say and throw in the fencing on the deal mighty fair said gerry I 1 II 11 take you he dropped his hoe V V on t you come down to the house and have a bite to eap he ile turned and lieber started to follow by the way said gerry over his der you re not a german are you youa lieber stopped his horse his eyes wavered no he said shortly I 1 in not I 1 in an american after all I 1 don it th I 1 ought to waste any time hours tell with starving stock III just get back in a hurry if you don it mud m nd my men and the wire will be here just that much sooner gerry frowned again but this time at himself he ile felt that be he had stepped on another man mans s corns while defending his own all right mr lieber h ho said the sooner the better do all I 1 can to help the next morning mornin the men came ac companied compan led by oxcarts loaded with fencing posts and all lieber was with them he sat his horse through the hot hour hours and drove u his men stead lly fly gerry threw himself into the work as foreman the fence grew with amazing rapidity from the bridge they carried it in a straight line past the house to the river it cut off a vast triangle whose two other sides were held by the d tell and the river by night the work was almost done gerry was tired and happy but he s ched how many weeks of toil toll would not he and bonifacio have had to put in to sh that fence lieber stayed the night with them and gerry studied and imitated the older man inan s impersonality lieber kept his eyes on his plate or in the vague distance while the women at tended them and as soon as the busl bust ness of eating was over he retired to the room that had been allotted to him he ile was up early in the morning and away to meet the coming herd first came the horses neigh ng and quick ening their weak trot at the kmell of grass far away and like a distorted echo sounded the lowing of the slower cattle the little |