Show 4 s HOME A alory of today roday and of all day by GEORGE AGNEW chamberlain copyright by the century company 4 6 0 0 0 0 SYNOPSIS 12 alan vi aa ayne ne is sent away from bed hill A als jils home by his uncle J Y R as s a moral a failure clem drinks alan s he health al th on bis his birthday Cirth birthday day judge healy defends alan in his business with his employers alan and allx alix gerry a wife meet at sea homeward 7 bound and start a fl it at home gerry as he thinks sees al x and alan ala n t i elop lop ng drops everything and goes to pernambuco fernambuco A al x leaves alan on the 0 train and goes home gerry leaves per zambuco and goes to piranhas on a canoe trip h meets a native girl the judge falls fails to trace gerry A baby Is born to allx alix the native girl takes gerry to the ruined plantation she Is mistress of gerry marries her at maple house co col lin geford tells how he met alan ten per cent wayne building a bridge in africa CollIn geford meets al x and her baby and ches gh es I 1 er encouragement about gerry alan comes back to town but does not go home gerry begins to improve margarita margaritas s plantation and builds an ir ri gating ditel in africa alan reads clems iem s letters and arid dreams of home ger ry pastures liebers s cattle during the drought A baby comes to margar ta Collin geford meets allx alix in the city and finds her changed alan meets allx alix J Y and clem grow gron n to beautiful womanhood in the cita cit and realizes that he has sold his b arthr for a mess megs of pottage bemp and gerry become friends they visit li libber liber ber and the three exiles are drawn dran together by a common tie lieber tells I 1 i story in south america alan gets the feer fener and his foreman sends h in to lieber s consider the mental agony of an intelligent man when he comes to realize that he has committed a great wrong an ir L 1 reparable wrong against his wife and against himself rev elation and a sort of terror come to gerry V CHAPTER continued IOU w ve been up all night said ger rv go and I 1 e down for a while I 1 II 11 call vou ton if anything happens lippens j lieber roe reluctantly don t fail to call n e he said III leave my door open cerry erry rit it down in a cha r beside the settle he lie had not known how tired he wis was himsl f soon oon he drowsed his head fell for forward Nard on his chest sleep line to I 1 11 im and then a great trouble cime to his MR sleep he roused himself from a nightmare and suddenly wide awake found alan s eyes fixed on his face you murmured alan gerry did not answer his face became a mash it seemed to him that i only man s eyes were alive and to aban that gerry hid projected h s spirit to his bis bedside to watch him d e alan tried to smile in defiance can t you speak he whispered hoarsely hoir sely 4 gerry leaned wined forward the question he be had bad to ask was stronger than he it forced its way through h s lips uan klan what did you do with her tell me that and go aim absy cy A troubled look came into alan 9 thin face he fl owned do with her do with whom alan said raid gerry hia his suppressed voice trembling I 1 lou on know N alth ith allx alix oh ob said aim alin still struggling on the verge of consciousness I 1 kemem her I 1 did nothing with her she w a t go with me man lan groaned gerry I 1 saw you I 1 saw you and alls allx on the train t the frown was gone from lm a 1 forehead he felt sleep coming back to h m and he was glad yes he ahe wis is on the train with me I 1 remember er she jumped off A bag ga gernan c inight her he dropped 9 P off to sleep again lieber stepped catlike across the floor he caught gerry by one ear ind with the other hand over his mouth led him out of the room gerry 4 vent a ent tamely nhen hen they were on the lerinda ler inda lieber looked at him so 1 he be said his blue eyes blazing you only want to kill him 0 no o said gerry dazed not now air lansing said lieber you get out of here we 11 settle this busl bust ness mess some rome other time bledl C erry s lip trem trembled 1 you re right I 1 leber he said you re right only N ou don t know it all that chap in there we w mere ere boys together he ran away with my wife that s why gerry suddenly stopped alix had not run tun away she had jumped off the train where was she then N hat bat had she done through the years he be had been away why had she jumped off the train he ile struck his hind hand to his head and stumbled off the veranda f lieber s anger died in him but he turned and went back to A ian 0 two hours later he came out again to and find gerry crouched on the veranda the pint had bad gone out of him but tie he turned on lieber with a tt mitlon in h s tired eyes you told me to get gt out and I 1 haven t there are things I 1 ve got to know wait I 1 spoke in haste mr air lansing said paid t lieber I 1 want you should forgive aie ine you are all in too come with me ne he led him into his own room made biro him it 11 dovi down n and closed the shutters bern tu ew himself across the bed arms outstretched face down I 1 leber slipped out and noiselessly shut the door gerry lay exhausted he ile could not think any more A great weight lay on his brain the ten minutes doze in the chair at alan s bedside had bad not been rest but a nightmare pres antly he fell into sleep a deep sleep that was all unconsciousness it was almost night when he awoke and with the awakening the eight settled back on his brain only now he be had the strength to think in spite of it he ile got up and went out in search of lieber lieber heard him and came out into the hall gerry nodded towards alan s room it s all right mr lansing he ile must have a solid mind your talk excite bi him in d do t even disturb it s sleep he lie s on the road up weak a baby but lies he s started life again he s asked tor for you twice seems to have something he hes 9 got to get off his chest to you you d better go in gerry sat down once more beside man lan the questions he must ask crowded to his lips but he forced them back he ile tested his strength with rith res gluttons and held them it was bis his way of reassuring himself he want ed to feel his firmness rising in him to meet the struggle he be felt must come when alan spoke poke alan knew he was there he saw him through half closed eyes but more than that he be felt him his ills brows puckered in a frown it was still hard to use words gerry last night I 1 wanted to tell you more only I 1 coulden couldn t I 1 had bad to sleep alls alix didn dian t go with me she only came to the train N ahen hen I 1 kissed her she woke up and found she wasn gasn t carnal after all she went back home you didn dian t turn up you never turned up they traced you to a river an empty ca noe pyjamas pajamas you know he ile stopped and sighed as though his task were over the velna veins on gerry s forehead stood out in knots his chin rested on his clenched hands his elbows on his knees alan be he said where is alls alix now NN hat has she done alan opened his eyes and looked at him she Is waiting she has always waited for you to come back she would not believe you were dead be cause of the boy the boy groaned gerry nabat boy yours said klan lan he ile Is a great boy there is a new alis aliv since he came she Is as far from me and what she was as the stars she Is a steady star but it s all right now I 1 iou ou 11 II go back to her I 1 can t whispered gerry hoarsely more to himself than to alan I 1 ye ve got a mite ife here I 1 ve got a child here to me he is my first born alan s eyes opened this time in won der 4 twisted smile came to his lips iou he be said you and then the smile changed to a faint disgust he ile turned his head on the pillow away aiom gerry and slept the next morning found gerry still at lieber s outside the heavenly bowl of blue was virgin of clouds it stretched and domed in a spheres eter efty of emptiness through its de pressing void the sun swam slowly pitilessly as though it were loath to mark the passing minutes the whole earth baked strong trees wilted and turned up the wrong sides of their leaves on the sea of heat beat like dying fish turning up their white bellies at the last gasp not a breath of air stirred heat rose from the ground in an unbroken visible wave my god said alan gazing with wistful tar far seeing eyes beyond the familiar repel lent scene a homeward fever parches up my tongue there was such an agony of longing in the words that gerry was frightened he looked questioningly at lieber iso no said lieber he hes a not dying he was dying but be hes s changed his mind he lie s going to go home instead I 1 believe he hes s right gerry said alan with a faint smile but I 1 dlan didn t change my mind he ile did it for me lies iles in line for a life sav san ing medal lieber s all right he stopped tired out lieber began to talk to gerry how s the water water in the ditch mr lansing 9 mighty low said gerry he spoke almost absent mindedly for the first time in months the ditch was far from his thoughts its hard hardluck aluck said lieber the river aver s never been so low before not in the memory of man we do not hear the falls any more the river Is asleep do vou want me to send my men down again its it s no use said gerry I 1 don t dare deepen the ditch any more its way below the normal level now alan stirred that about a ditch in unhurt ed phrases and a low voice r bieler lieler let er told him the bi history story of fazenda flores since gerry s advent and of the great part the ditch had played in bringing resurrection to the abandoned plantation and life to the neighboring stock alan cast a curious glance lance at gerry dangerous bu business Iness he said fool ing with the normal level la in flood country I 1 lieber nodded and went on he old Ms his tale well he had seen more thin gerry could have put into words gerry listened for a while but be he soon weaned hat had all chatto thatto that to do with him now 9 he ile wandered off and start ed to saddle true blue he must get away from alan klan was drawing him but he was bound in chains he must remember that then too what alan had said about fool ng u with the normal level worried him he must go back and station a guard at the great sluice gate A sudden puff of air then a breeze then a gale swept down on lieber s from the southwest the wind was hot a furnace blast from the torrid wilderness it carried with it wh ris of dust light dry sticks and finally small pebbles that hurtled along the ground gerry and his horse sought shelter by the house herders came running out from their quarters and gathered in front of the veranda the wind suddenly turn turned ed cold dropped and ceased the dust settled the sun blazed as before there was not a cloud in the sky sly the herders all looked at lieber they did not talk they were waiting lieber shrug gel I 1 his shoulders deri somewhere he said with a wave of his hand to the southwest there has been rain and hail and that sort of th ng temperature fell and drove the hot air off the desert he ile told the men but they did not go away they stood around their eyes sweep ing the horizon to the southwest at last fist one of them grunted his eyes were fixed on a distant pillar of dust durt it came towards them lieber used his field glasses without taking them from his eyes he spoke it s a man riding looks like he s riding for life something I is up he s riding to kill his horse As the man approached a dull rum bling filled the ears cars of the watchers so gradual was its crescendo that they did not notice it the rider spurred and beat his horse to a final effort they could see he be was shouting he ile drew nearer and they heard him flood flood then they noticed the rumbling it became a roar far alan what did you do with her away on the horizon ro rose roe e a white ad avancing mist the rider off his staggering horse the flood he gasped never ever before has there been such a flood before the words were out of his mouth there was a frenzied rattle of hoofs and gerry 0 on true blue tore off at a it mad gallop down the trail towards fazenda flores almost at his heels followed the first mounted of the herders riding all they knew to cut across to piranhas ahead of the wall of water lieber s eyes followed gerry s flight then he turned them on alan that hollow down there he said will be turned into a rushing river in halt half an hour perhaps less were just safe here and that s all tou you see mr lan sin sing he 8 the spot farthest down the trail I 1 in thinking well we 11 never see him again A faint flush came into alan 8 cheeks it was a flush of pride pride in gerry gerry had not hesitated he had not ridden off like a laggard even now they could see that he be was riding for life riding with all his might for the lives that shackled him gerry had never ridden a horse to death before when true blue first staggered he put spurs to him and laid on his right and left the roar of the river was sq IOU loud d that he could not tell it if he had really beaten the flood or not though he could see just before him the long snaky ridge of the main ditch banks he must get on but true blue only came to a stag goring stop under the quirt N ith hia his forefeet he still marked time is though with them he would drig hia his heavy body and master one step neat er home from his loins back he was paralyzed with a last desperate effort he straddled his forelegs but be he could not brace himself a against ga dinst the backward sag of dead weight gerry felt him sinking beneath him and suddenly found h myself standing over his pros horse of true blue his forefeet outstretched his held and bre breast breist still held high there was left only a great spirit chained to a fallen and dying body k cry escaped gerry s lips a cry ot of horror at what he had done then he remembered nay by he had done it and ran not for the ilu riu ce gate but for the bridge As he be rear reached bed it the roar I 1 became deafening there was a aplin bering crackling sound that meas ared by the great commotion seen e 1 like the tinkle of a tiny bell but there was something in the sound that called to his brain lie cast a glance over his shoulder the monster beams of bis his sluice gate hurled splintered into the air were still hanging banging against the blue sky under them surged an angry white wall of racing water even ar he started to run down the long slope to the house gerry thought with a great relief that it if the gate had been closed it would have gone even so like matchwood below him fazenda flores lay peace ful still under the blazing sun the cohnn was a little wilted but high and strong the cane stunted but alive only in the pasture bottoms the stock had gathered in frightened clumps their instinct had bad told them that dan ger hovered near suddenly from the quiet house birba b imbt Var margarita garita carrying her son on one arm she had seen gerry from a window hile the oth ers watched the rising and now this terrifying torrent bursting down upon them from above she had slipped out to run to him the house at fazenda flores stood on a domed mound behind the mound was a slight hollow before the steady rise to the bridge began gerry caught sight of margarita as she ran vin down towards this hollow terrified he cast cart a glance at the descending flood and his eye measured its pace against hers go back he shouted with all the strength of his lungs and waved his arms it was as though he had not spoken through the d n and roar of the flood the sound of the words scarce ly reached his own ears at the very bottom of the hollow I 1 margarita Margarlt a felt that she was stepping tore off in a mad gallop in water she took her ey eyes es fro from in gerry who she thought was beckoning to her and looked down I 1 hurrying rivulet whose swift flow carried it be fore the churning crest of the flood tugged at her ankles she looked up toward the thundering wall of doncom in ang water and knew that she was |