Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-11-13

~ N~S /
n myself the last time I was there.
How fast do Mr.. Morgan's machines
go?"
"Much too fast! It's very exhila-
rating-but rather frightening; and
they do make a fearful uproar. He
says, though, he thinks he sees a way
to get around the noisiness in time"
Il don't mind the noise" said
George. "Give me a horse for mine,
though, any day. I must get up a ace
with n Of these things; Pendennisu
leave it n mile behind in a two-mile
run. How's grandfather?"
"He looks well, but he complains
sometimes of his heart"
George had taken off his coat. 81
don't like to hint to a lady," he said,
"but I do want to dress before din
ner."
"Don't be long; I've got to do a
lot of looking at you, dear!" She
kissed him and ran away, singing.
But his Aunt Fanny was not so
came a spark Of liveliness into her
eyes when George patronizingly asked
her what was the news in her own
particular line of sport"
swell, what's the gossip? You
usually hear pretty much everything
that goes on around the hooks and
crannies in this town, I hear. What's
the last from the gossips' corner,
auntie?"
Fanny dropped her eyes, but a
movement of her lower lip betokened
a tendency to laugh as she replied,
"There hasn't been much gossip lately
except the report that Lucy Morgan
and Fred Kinney are engaged-and
that's quite old by this time"
There was a clatter upon Georges
plate. "What-what do you think
you're talking about?' he gasped.
Miss Fanny looked up innocently.
"About the report Of Lucy Morgan's
engagement to Fred Kinney"
George turned dumbly to his mother
and Isabel shook her head reassur-
ingly. people are always starting
rumors," she said. II haven't paid
any attention to this one" ~
But you-you've heard it?" he
stammered.
"Oh, one hears all sorts of nonsense,
dear. 1 haven't the slightest idea
that it's true"
"Then you have heard it," Y
George turned pale.
Cat your dinner, George" his
aunt said sweetly. FOOD will do you
good. I didn't say I knew this rumor
was true. I only said I'd heard it."
Fanny, you're a hard-hearted crea-
ture," Isabel said gently. "You really
are Don't pay any attention to her,
George. Fred Kinney's only a clerk
in his uncle's hardware place: he
couldn't marry for ages-even if any
body would accept him."
George breathed unanimously. 81
don't care anything about ages!
What's that got to do with it," he
said, his thoughts appearing to be
somewhat disconnected. cages don't
mean anything! I only want to know
Il want to know I want" He
stopped.
"You must finish your dinner, DEAR"
his mother urged. Don't"
81 have finished. I've eaten all 1
want. 1 don't want any more than I
wanted. I don't want-I-" He rose,
still incoherent. II prefer want
please excuse mew
He left the room, and Il moment
later the screens outside the open
front door were heard to slam.
Fanny! You shouldn't"
Isabel, don't reproach me. He did
have plenty Of dinner, and l only told
the truth: everybody has been say
ing"
| "We don't actually know there
isn't" Miss Fanny insisted, giggling.
, "We've never asked Lucy"
Il wouldn't ask her anything so alb
surd!"
George would" Georges father re-
; marked. 'That's what he's gone to
l do" ~
Mr.. Minafer was not mistaken: that
was what his son had gone to do.
Lucy and her father were just rising
from their dinner table when the
SillSN Soulll d11lNSu uG lllc HUH
door Of the new house. 1t was Il cot
tage, however, rather thar a house ;
and Lucy had taken a free hand with
the architect, achieving results in
white and green outside and white
and blue inside to such effect of youth
and daintiness that her father com
planned of "too much springtime Z"
The whole place, including his own
bedroom, was a young damseTs bou-
DOR, he said, O that nowhere. could
) he smoke a cigar without feeling like
a rufian. However, he was smoking
when George arrived, and he encour-
aged George to join him in the pas
: time, but the caller, whose air was
: both tense and preoccupied, declined
with something like agitation.
! q" never smoke-that is. I'm sell
dom-I mean, no, thanks" lie said.
81 mean not at all. I'd rather not"
aren't you well, George?". Eugene