News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1919-08-27

. 1850 NN'' Niiiih W HGI NuCll oliC go
how people stared at him in the lobb
Hnd on the big erandas-indeed, he
vanity in him was so dominant tina
FAe was unaware of their staring a
her with more interest and an ad
Mirat,on friendlier than Georg
evoked.
Go4h of them felt constantly the diff
ference between this Christmas tim,
ana other Christmas times of theirs
III all, 1t was sOrrowful holiday. Blu
when Isabel came East for George!
commencement, in June, she brough
Lucy with her-and things began t.
seem different, especially when George
Anderson arrived with Lucy's father
on class day. Eugene had been in New
York, on business; Anderson easily
persuaded him to this outing; and they
made a cheerful party of it, with the
new graduate of course the hero and
| center of it all.
His uncle was fellow alumnus.
"Yonder was where I roOmed when l
was here" he said, pointing out one of
the university buildings to Eugene Il
don't know whether George would let
my admirers place a tablet to mark
the spot, or not. He owns all these
buildings now, you know"
Didn't you, when you were here?
Like uncle, like nephew"
"Tm sure I didn't have it so badly
at his age" ANDERSON said refectively,
as they strolled on through the COM
mencement crowd.
Eugene laughed. you need onfy
three things to explain all that's good
and bad about George"
"Threc?"
Ties Isabel's only child. He's an
person. He's a boy"
Well Mister Bones, of these three
things which are the good ones and
which are the bad onesw
"All of them" said Eugene.
George took no conspicuous part in
either the academic or the social cele-
brations of his class; he seemed to re-
gard both sets of exercises with toll
Grant amusement, his own "crOwd"
mot going in much for either of those
sorts of things" as he explained to
Lucy. What his crowd had gone in for
remained ambiguous; some negligent
testimony indicating that, except for
an astonishing reliability which they
all seemed to have attained in matters
relating to musical comedy, they had
not gone in for anything. Certainly
the question one of them put to Lucy.
in response to Investigations of hers,
seemed to point that way: "Don't you
think" he said, REALLY, don't you
think that being things is rather better
than doing things|
He said "rahthuh bettuh" for "rather
better" and seemed to do il deliberate
w. with perfect knowledge of what he
was doing. Later, Lucy Knocked him
to George, and George refused to
Smlle:. he somewhat inclined to such
recommendations, himself. This inclna-
tlon was one of the things that he had
acquired in the four years.
what else he had acquired, it might
nave puzzled him to state, had any
Dody asked him and required a direct
reply within reasonable space of
ume. lie had learned how to pass ex-
amlnations by "cramming;" that is, in
tilfee or four days and nights he could
get INTO his head enough of a selected
fragment of some scientific of philo-
sophlcal Or literary or linguistic sub
Ject to reply plausibly to six questions
out OF ten. He could retain the infor-
nation necessary for such feat just |
long enough TO give a successful per-
Torrance; then it would evaporate ut |
terly from his brain. and leave him I'M |
disturbed. George, like his crowd"
not only preferred being things" to |
dolhg things" but had contented him. |
self with four years of "being things" |
as preparation for going on ''being |
things." And when Lucy rather shyly |
pressed him for his friends probable |
definition of the "things" it seemed so
superior and beautiful to be, George |
raised his eyebrows slightly, meaning |
that she should have understood with
out explanation; but he did explain:
"Oh, family and all that-being a gen.
tleman. suppose"
Lucy gave the horizon a long look,
but offered no comment.
Aunt Fanny doesn't look much bet
ter" George said to his mother, few
minutes after their arrival, on the
night they got home. Doesn't she get
over it at all? | thought she'd feel
better when we turned over the insur-
ance to her-gave it to her absolutely
without any strings to it. She looks
about a thousand years old"
''She looks quite girlish, sometimes,
though" his mother said.
HAS she looked that way much
since father"
mot so much" Isabel said thought
fully. but she will, as time goes on"
"Time'l have to hurry, then. it seems
TO me-" George observed, returning to
his own room.
When they went down to the dining
room, he pronounced acceptable the
salmon salad, cold beef, cheese and