Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-12-19
CHAPTER xIx-contInued.

IL
A month after her death he walked
abruptly into Fanny's room, one night,
and found her at her desk, eagerly
adding columns Of figures with which
she had covered several sheets of pa
per.
George! You startled me-"
II beg your pardon for not knock
Ing" he said huskily. II didn't think. >
She TUNED In hAg chair and looked
at him so1icitouslT. "Sit down. George.
won't your
''NA 2 Just wanted"
n could hear you walking up and
Down In your ROOM" said Fanny. you
werc, doing 1t ever since dinner, and
1t seems to me you're at 1t almost
every evening. don't believe it's good
for you-and / know it would worry
your mother terribly If She" Fan
ny hesitated.
"See here" George said, breathing
fart, Il want to tell you once more that
what / did was right. How could !
have done anything else but what !
did do?"
"Oh, don't pretend to judge" Fam
ny said soothingly, for his voice and
gesture both partook of wildness. II
know you think you did. George"
"'Think / did!" he echoed violent
ly. my God in heaven!' And he
began to walk up and down the floor.
"What else was there to do? What
choice did / have? Was there any
other way Of stopping the talk9' He
stopped. close in front of her, gestic-
ulating. his voice harsh and loud /:
'Was there any other way on earth
of protecting her from the talk?"
Miss Fanny looked away. ut died
down before long, think" she said
uervously.
"That shows was right, doesn't it p
he cried. eff hadn't acted as / did,
that slanderous old Johnson woman
would have kept on with her ISLANDERS
shed still be-"
mo-" Fanny interrupted. "She's
dead. She dropped dead with apoplexy
one day about six weeks after you
left. I didn't mention it in my let
tiers because didn't want--I
thought"
''Well, the other people would have
kept on, then. They'd have"
II don't know" said Fanny, still
averting her troubled eyes. Things
are so changed here, George. The 9TH
-er people you speak of-one hardly
knows what's become of them. OF
course not a great many were doing
the talking, and they-well, some of
them are dead, and some might as
well be-you never see them any more
land the rest, whoever they were, are
l,robably so mixed in with the crowds
of new people that seem never even to
have heard of uSand I'm sure we
certainly never heard Of them-and
people seem to forget things so soon
they seem to forget anything. You
can't imagine how things have changed
here !"
George gulped painfully before he
could speak. "You-you mean to sit
there and tell me that if I'd just let
things go on Obi" He swung away,
walking the floor again. 81 tell you
4 did the only right thing You think
I was wrong"
'Tm not saying So" she said.
"You did at the timer he cried.
''You said enough then, I think. Well,
what have you to say now, If you're
so sure l was wrong?"
Nothing, George"
'It's only because you're afraid to r.
ne said, and he went on with sudden
bitter divination: You're reproach-
ing yourself with what you had to do
with all that; and you're trying to
make up for it by doing and saying
what you think mother would want
you to, and you think couldn't stand
1t if got to thinking I might have