The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-12-04

George tried as much as he could,
without hurting her, to wrench away
with such utter forgetfulness Of her
maiden dignity did she assault him,
that she forced him, stumbling up
ward. to the landing.
"Of all the ridiculous" he began
furiously; but she spared one hand
from it's grasp Of his sleeve and
clapped 1t over his mouth.
"Hush up" Never for an instant in
this grotesque struggle did Fanny
raise her voice above husky whisper.
"Hush up! It's indecent-like squab-
bling outside the door Of an operating
room ! Go on to the top OF the stairs
90 on!''
Ard when George had most unwill.
ingly obeyed, she planted herself in
his way, on the top step. There !"
she said. "The idea Of your going i'm
there now! / never heard of such q
thing" And with the sudden depart
ure of the nervous vigor she had
shown so amazingly, she began to cry
again. 81 was an awful fool. Do you
suppose l dreamed you'd go making
everything into such tragedy? Do
you?"
Il don't care what you dreamed"
! George muttered.
But Fanny went on, always taking
care to keep her voice from getting
! too loud, in spite Of her most SrievOuS
agitation. "Do you dream | thought
you'd go making such a fool of your
self at Mrs. Johnson's? Oh, ] saw her
this morning! She wouldn't talk TO
me, but / met George ANDERSON on my
way back, and he told me what you'd
done over there! And do you dream !
thought you'd do what you've done
! here this afternoon to Eugene? Oh,
! | knew that, too! OF course he went
| to George ANDERSON about it, and
| that's why George is here. He's got
| to tell Isabel the whole thing now.
and you wanted to go in there inter
fering-God knows what! You stay
here and let her brother tell her he's
got some consideration for her"
81 suppose you think / haven't!
| George said, and at that Fanny laugh
ed witheringly.
"YOu! Considerate of anybody"
"I'm considerate Of her good name!
he said hOtly. 1T seems to me that's
about the first thing to- be considerate
| OF, in being consiierate Of person
And look here; it strikes me you're
taking a pretty different tack from
what you did yesterday afternoon"
Fanny wrung her hands. 81 did Il
terrible thingw she lamented. Now
that It's done and too late, / know
| what 1t was! 1 didn't have sense
enough just to let things go on. /
didn't have any business to interfere,
and l didn't mean to interfere-I only
wanted to talk, and let out a little
/ did think you already knew every
thing told you. did And I'd rather
have cut off my hand than stir you
up to doing what you have done! l
was just suffering SO that wanted to
let out a little-I didn't mean any real
harm. But now l see what's happened
or, l was a fool haven't any busi-
ness interfering. Eugene never would
have looked at me, anyhow, and, oh,
why couldn't have seen that before !,
He never came here single time in
his life except on her account, never
and might have let them alone, be-
cause he wouldn't have looked at me
even if he'd never seen Isabel. And
they haven't done any harm; she made
Wilbur happy, and she was a true
wife to him as long as he lived. 1t
wasn't a crime for her to care for
Eugene all the time; she certainly
never told him she did-and she gave
me every chance in the world She
left us alone together every time she
could-even since Wilbur died-but
what was the use? And here go, not
doing myself a bit of good by it, and
just'-Fanny wrung her hands again
-"just running them"
81 suppose you mean I'm doing
that" Geosge said bitterly.
mo. She doesn't let anybody know,
but she goes to the doctor regularly"
"Women are always going to doc
tors regularly"
mo. He told her to-"
George was not impressed. IT'S
nothing at all; she spoke Of it to me
years ago-some kind of family fail
ing She said grandfather had it, too;
and look at him. Hasn't proved very
serious with him! You act as if I'd
done something wrong in sending that
man about his business, and as If
were going to persecute my mother,
instead of protecting her. BY Jove.
it's sickening! You told me how all
the riffraff in town were busy with
her name, and then the minute lift
my hand to protect her, you begin to
attack me and"
"Sh" Fanny checked him, laying