Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-11-06


Fanny deceived him. In the i'm
possible event Of anything going
wrong she would have enough left
to Give on" she declared, and laughed
excitedly, for she was having the best
time that had come to her since VIII
bur's death. Like so many women for
whom money has always been pro-
vided without their understanding
how, she was prepared to be a thor
ough and irresponsible plunger.
Anderson, in his wearier way,
shared her excitement, and in the
winter, when the exploiting company
had been formed, and he brought
Fanny her Importantly engraved
shares of stock, he reverted to his pre-
diction Of possibilities, made when
they first spoke Of the new light.
"We seem to be partners, all right"
he laughed. "Now let's go ahead and
be millionaires before Isabel and young
George come home"
"When they come homel" she
echoed sorrowfully-and it was a
phrase which found ar evasive echo
in Isabels letters. In these letters
Isabel was always planning pleasant
things that she and Fanny and the
Major and George and brother
George" would do-when she and her
son came home. they'll find things
pretty changed. I'm afraid" Fanny
said. "If they eve do come home!"
= =
Anderson went over the next sum-
mer and Joined his sister and nephew
in Paris, where they were living. S"1sa-
bel does want to come home" he told
Fanny gravely on the day of his re-
turn in October. "She's wanted to for
a long while-and she ought to come
| while she can stand the journey"
And he amplified this statement, leav-
ing Fanny looking startled and solemn
when Lucy came by to drive him out
to dinner at the new house Eugene
had just completed.
He was loud in praise of the house
after Eugene arrived, and gave them
no account of his journey until they
had retired from the dinner table to
Eugene's library, a gray and shadowy
room, where their coffee was brought.
Then, equipped with a cigar, which
seemed to occupy his attention, Am
berson spoke in "a casual tone of his
sister and her son.
IT found Isabel as well as usual"
he said, "only I'm afraid 'as usual
isn't particularly well. Sydney and
Amelia had been up to Paris in the
spring, but she hadn't seer them.
| Somebody told her they were there,
it seems. They'd left Florence and
were living in Rome; Amelia's become
a Catholic and is said to give great
sums to charity and to go about with
the gentry in consequence, but Sgd
ney's ailing and lives in a wheel chair
most of the time. 1t struck me Isabel
ought to be doing the same thing"
He paused, bestowing minute care
upon the removal of the little band
from his cigar; and as he seemed to
have concluded his narrative Eugene
spoke out of the shadow beyond @
heavily shaded lamp: what do you
mean by that?" he asked quietly.
ooh, she's cheerful enough, saiG
Anderson, still not looking at either
his young hostess or her father. "At
least" he said, "she manages to seen
so. I'm afraid she hasn't been really
well for several years. Of course she
makes nothing of it, but it seemed
rather serious to me when / noticed
she had to stop and rest twice Il
get up one short flight Of stairs il
their two-floor apartment. I told hel
I thought she ought to make Georg'
let her come home"
"Let herT" Eugene repeated in
low voice. "Does she want TOT"
"She doesn't urge it. George seems
to like the life therein his grand
gloomy and peculiar way; and O
II NOulSC OAC IL hCNCl NlluA6C dbOuL w
ing proud of him and all that-he'i
quite a swell. But in spite Of anything
she said, rather than because, / know
she does indeed want to come. She't
like to be with father, Of course; ant
/ think she's-well, she intimated on
day that she feared 1t might even hap
: pen that she wouldn't get to see hin
again. AT the time I thought she re
ferred to his age and f%eebleness, blu
on the boat coming home / remem
: bered the little look Of usefulness
: yet of resignation, with which sh
; said it, and it struck me all at one
that I'd been mistaken: l saw she wa
, really thinking of her own state 0
7 health"
/; II see" Eugene said, his voice eve
e lower than it had been before. "An
you say he won't let her come home?
!. ANDERSON laughed, but still contir
: ued to be interested in his cigar. "Of
1 don't think he uses forcel He's yer
gentle with her. ] doubt If the sui
$ ject Is mentioned between them, an
: yet-and yet, knowing my interestin
q nephew as you do, wouldn't you thin
that was about the way to put itr
"Knowing him as / do-yes,' sal
b Eugene slowly. eyes, / should thin
that was about the way to put It,"
n A murmur out of the shadows b,