Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-10-30

do, and he said that he'd suggested it to
Eugene, and Eugene had agreed. They
thought"
"Yes!" George said bitterly. 81
should like to hear what they thought"
"They thought it would be the most
straightforward thing"
George drew a long breath. swell,
what do you think, mother?
II thought it would be the simplest
and most straightforward thing; I
thought they were right"
"Very well! Well agree it was sim
pie and straightforward. Now, what
do you think Of that letter itself?"
She hesitated, looking away. "I-of
course / don't agree with him in the
way he speaks of you, dear-exeept
about the angel! / don't agree with
some of the things he implies. You've
always been unsatisfactory knows
that better than your mother.
"And yet" George broke in, "you
see what he implies about me. Don't
you think, really, that this was a pref
ty insulting letter for that man to be
asking you to hand your sonT
sob, mo-" she cried. "You see how
fair he means to be, and he didn't ask
for me to give it to you. 1t was brother
George who"
"Never mind that, now! You say
he tries to be fair and yet do you sup
pose it ever occurs to him that I'm
doing my simple duty? That I'm doing
what my father would do if he were
alive? That I'm doing what my father
would ask me to do If he could speak
from his grave out yonder? Do you
suppose it ever occurs to that man for
one minute that I'm protecting my
motherT George raised his voice ad'
yancing upon the helpless lady fierce
ly; and she could only bend her head
before him. HE talks about my VIII
how it must be beaten down; yes
and he asks my mother to do that lit
tie thing to please him! What for
Why does he want me beaten by my
mother? Because I'm trying to pro
tect her name! He's got my mothers
name banded up and down the street:
Of this town till / can't step in thos'
streets without wondering what ever,
soul l meet is thinking of me and o
my family, and now he wants you t,
[ marry him so that every gossip il
town will say There! What did I tel
you? / guess that proves it's true
; You can't get away from it; that's ex
actly what they'd say, and this ma
pretends he cares for you, and We
/ asks you to marry him and give ther
2 the right to say 1t, He says he an
you don't care what they say, but
know betterl He may not care-prot
: ably he's that kind-but you do. Their
I never was an Anderson yet that woul
. let the Anderson name go trailing /
e the dust like thatl It's the proudes
e name in this town. and it's going t
t stay the proudest; and l tell you that
e the deepest thing in my nature-nc
e that I'd expect Eugene Morgan to vi
derstand-the very deepest thing In m
| nature Is to protect that name and [
fight for it to the last breath whe
danger threatens 1t as 1t does now
n through my motherp He turned frol
a her strlding up and down and tossin
n his arms about in q tumult Of gestur
Il Il can't believe 1t of you that you
think of such a sacrilegel That
what 1t would be--sacrilege! When
t talks about your unselishness town.
t me he's right-you have been unselfl
4. and you have been a perfect mothe
But what about himf Is It unselh;
Of him to want you to throw aw'