The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1919-08-09

= woman Uut wholly mother. The
woman. Isabel. was q stranger to hep
son; as completely a stranger as II
he had never In his life seen her or
| heard her voice. And II was tonight,
while he stood with her. receiving"
that he caught disQuieting glimpse
OF this stranger whom he thus fleet
ingly encountered for the first time.
Youth cannot imagine romance
apart from youth. That is why the
roles OF the heroes and heroines OF
plays are given by the managers to
the most youthful actors they can find
among the competent. Both middle
aged people and young people enjoy
play about young lovers but only
middle-aged people will tolerate a play
about middle-aged lovers: young
people win not come 10 see such
play. because for them middle-aged
lovers are joke--not very funny
one. Therefore. 20 bring both the
middle-aged people and the young
people into his house the manager
makes his romance as young as he
con. Youth win indeed be served. aud
its profound instinct Is TO be not only
scornfully amused but vaguely an
gered by middle-aged romance. So.
standing beside his mother, George
was disturbed by sudden impression.
coming upon him out of nowhere. so
far as he could detect, that her eyes
were brilliant. that she was graceful
and youthful-in word that she was
Economically lovely.
He had one of those curious moments
that seem TO have neither cause nor
any connection with actual things.
There was nothing In either her looks
or her manner TO explain Georges I'M
comfortable feeling; and yet II In
creased. becoming suddenly vague
resentment, as II she had done some
thing unmotherly to him.
The fantastic moment passed; and
even while IL lasted he was doing his
duty, greeting two pretty girls with
whom he had grown up. as people say,
and warmly assuring them that he re-
membered them very well---an assur-
''in anybody but George Minaferl"
1t seemed unnecessary. since he had
spent many hours with them no longer
than the preceding August. They had
with them their parents and an uncle
from ont OF town; and George negli-
gently gave the parents the same as
surance he had given the daughters,
but murnured another form OF greet
ing to the out-of-town uncle. whom
he had never seen before. This per-
son George absently took note OF as
n "queer-looking duck" Undergradu-
ates had not yet adopted bird" 1t
was period previous 10 that in which
n sophomore would have thought OF
the Sharon girls uncle as queer
looking bird" or. perhaps, a funny
face bird" In Georges time every hui
man male was to be defined at pleas
IRE as duck !" but "duck" was not
spoken with admiriug affection, as In
its former feminine use to signify n
"dear"-on the contrary, duck" i'm
piled the speakers personal detach-
ment and humorous superiority. An
Indifferent amusement was what
George felt when his mother, with
gentle emphasis, interrupted his In
terchange OF courtesles with the
nieces TO present him to the queer
looking duck. their uncle. This en-
phasis OF Isabel's. though slight. en-
abled George TO perceive that she con-
sldered the queer-looking duck n per-
son OF some Importance but II was
far from enabling him to understand
why. The duck parted his thick and
l0ngish black hair on the side; his
tie was a forgetful-looklng thing and
his coat, though IL fitted a good
enough middle-aged figure, no product
OF this year. OF OF last year either.
Observing only his questionable hair.
his preoccupied tie and his old coat.
the Olympic George set him down as
a queer-looking duck. and having thus
completed his portrait took no inter-
est In him.
The Sharon girls passed on, taking
the queer-looking duck with them, and
George became pink with mortifca-
Aioh dN hiN iuOtlitT tdittu MS utltnIlOn
TO white-bearded guest waiting to
shake his hand This was Georges
great-uncle, old John Minafer: IL was
old Johns boast that In spite OF his
connection by marriage with the Am
persons he never had worn and never
would wear swaller-tail coat. Mem
bers OF his family had exerted their
influence uselessly - at eighty-nine
conservative people seldom form rad
zeal new habits. and old John wore his
SUNDAY suit OF black broadcloth TO
the Anderson ball. The coat was
square, with skirts TO the knees; old
John called II prince Albert" and
was well enough pleased with II, but
his great-nephew considered II the
next thing 70 an insult.
The large room had filled, and so
had the broad hall and the rooms on
the other side OF the hall. where there
were tables for whist. The imported