The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-11-20

appEoft Vi "Hal you Ec uotls
8 Certainly not, Since / haven't III,
E fainteSt idea what you think I'm do
. ing. naturally | don't care whether
,, you approve OF fl or not. All Td Ike
] II you please. IS 10 be alone. I'm no
giving q tea here. this afternoon. Il
. you'll permit me 10 mention it!'
Fanny's gaze wavered: she began
TO blink; then suddenly she sank into
chair and wept silently. but with q
terrible desoiation.
"Oh. for the Lords sake" be
moaned. "What In the world Is wrong
with you;
You're always picking on me-" she
quavered wretchedly, her voice indfs-
tinct with the wetness that bubbled In
10 IL from her tears. You do-you
always pick on me, You've always
done it-always-eyer since you were
little boy! Whenever anything goes
wrong with you. you take IL out on
met You do, You always"
George flung 10 heaven gesture OF
despair; IL seemed TO him the last
straw that Fanny should have chosen
this particular time To come and sob
In his room over his mistreatment of
her!
"Oh. my Lord :" he whispered then,
with great effort, addressed her in
Reasonable rome: Look here, Aunt
Fanny; don't see what you're making
all this fuss about. OF course ! know
I've teased you sometimes, but"
Teased' meT she walled.
Teased' me! Oh, II does seem too
hard sOmetimes-this mean old life Of
mine does seem too hard / don't
think can stand Ii Honestly, don't
think | can! / came In here just TO
show you | sympathlZed with you
just TO say something pleasant to you,
and you treat me as II were-oh, no,
you wouldn't treat servant the way
you treat me You wouldn't treat any,
body In the world like this except old
Fanny!"
"Oh. my Lord" George groaned
Fanny spread out her small, soaked
handkerchief, and shook It In the air
to dry 1t little. crying as damply and
as wretchedly during this operation as
5efOTe-a sight which gave George q
curious shock to add to his other agi-
tations, 1t seemed so strange.
You're so proud" she quavered,
"and so hard tell you didn't mean
TO speak Of Ii to you, and / never,
never in the world would have told
you about it, nor have made the Iaint-
est reference to 1t, If hadn't seen that
somebody else had told you, or you'd
found out for yourself some way.
+"
In despair Of her intelligence, and
In some doubt of his own, George
struck the palms Of his hands together.
Somebody else had told me what?
I'd found what out for myselfY'
"liow people are talking about your
mother"
Except for the incidental tearlness
OF her voice, her tone was casual, as
though she mentioned subject pre-
viously discussed and understood;
for Fanny had no doubt that George |
had only pretended to be mystified be-
cause, In his pride, he would not in /
words admit that he knew what he !,
knew.
what did you sayY he asked In
credulously.
"Of course / understood what you
were doing" Fanny went on, drying her
handkerchief again. 1T puzzled other
people when you began to be rude to |
Eugene. because they couldn't see how /
you could treat him as you did when
you were 50 interested In Lucy. But
remembered how you came to me,
that other time when there was so
much talk about Isabel; and I knew
you'd give Lucy up In minute, IL 1t
came to a question Of your mothers
reputation, because you said then
that
Look here George interrupted In
shaking voice. Look here. I'd
Ike He stopped, unable to go on,
his agitation was so great. His chest
heaved as from hard running, and his
complexion, paflid at first, had be-
come mottied; fiery splotches appear
Ing at his temples and cheeks. "What
90 you mean by telling me--telling me
theres talk about--abOut-" He
guiped, and began again: what do
you mean By using such words as
Tepufatlonr What do you mean.
speaking Of question of my-my
mothers reputationY
Fanny looked ap at him woefully
over the handkerchief which she now
applied to her reddened nose. God
knoWs l am sorry for you, George"
sne murrnured. II wanted to say 30.
out It's only old Fanny, so whatever
me says--cven when It's sympathy
PICK on her for Ter She sobbed "Tfs
only poor old lonely Fannyl''
Ton look herei" George said harsh
y When r spoke to my Uncle
oeosse after that rotten thing | heard
Aunt Amelia say about my mother. he
ss'd y there was any gossip II was
soeat yccI He said people might be
iassAing abouti the way way yona ypi,a raa after
AsFsAn, but that was aii,s
Fanny lifted' her hands ctanches,
snsm sad struck them aupbn % he,r knesss
80 sss 4 Ks .... aat.s s S1py |. shee dsobbed.