The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-11-07

ready the D0af0lng mouse Is marching
up National avenue. My relatives. the
Sharons. have sold their house and are
building In the country-at least. they
call 1t the country It will be city
In two or three years"
Good gracious the Major ex-
claimed, affecting dismay. $50 your
little shops are going to ruin all your
old friends. Eugenew
"Unless my old friends take warn
ing in time, or abolish smoke and get
new kind Of city government"
"Well. we'll" the Major laughed.
you have enough faith in miracles.
Eugene-granting that trolleys and BIZ
cycles and automobiles are miracles.
So You think they're to change the
face Of the land. DO youf"
they're already doing It. Majer;
and It can't be stopped. Automo-
blles~
At this point he was interrupted.
George was the interrupter. He had
said nothing since entering the dining
room. but new hs spoke in lond and
psremptoEy voice. using the tone Of
one In authority who checks Idle pratt
de- and asttiss . matter forever.
"Automobile0 are q useless nuls-
ancs," he said.
There fsI Q memsnt's silence.
Isabsl gased incredulous1y at
0eorge, color aowly hsishtening upon
hsr chssks and temples, while Fanny
watched him with Z quick eagssness.
her syss alert anl bkisht. But Duesns
sesmsd merely Quixsical. asif not tak-
ing this brusQueris to himself. The
Major was sefiousiy DISTURBED.
"what did you ~. 0sorgsf' he
asksd. though Georgs had speksn but
too distinctly.
| r said an autemobilss weee .
aaiAnes." 0sorss answseed. repeating
nst only tho words but - toas In
whieA ~ had uttered than. And hs
addsdi 4.Thsyn never amount to any
thing bat . nuisaneA They had no
business - ~ iAvsateds
TAe Mater HEuwnea S01 csurso yea
forget that M. A0rEan makes thsn.
and also did his share h invsating
them. r. you wsesn't - thousAtlsss
he might think you rnthsr offensive"
'That would be too bad" said
George coolly. Il don't think I eeuld
survive It"
Again thefs wss . ellsnea, whils ~
Major stared at his grandson. aghaaG
But Eugene began to laugh cheerfully.
TIN mot sure he's wrong about au-
tomobiles," he said. with al their
speed forward they may be q step
backward in civilization-that - In
spiritual civilization. But automobiles
have come, and they bring q greater
change in our life than most Of M
suspect. They are going to alter war.
and they are going to alter peace. I
think mems minds are going to be
changed In subtle ways because Of au-
tomobiles; just how. though. could
hardly guess. Perhaps, ten or twenty
years from now, II we can see the In
ward change in men by that time. I
shouldn't be able to defend the gaso-
line engine. but would have to agree
with him that automobiles had no
business to be invented" He laughed
| good-naturedly and, looking at his
watch, apologized for having an en-
gagement which made his departure
necessary when he would much prefer
| to linger, and left them at the table.
Isabel turned wondering. hurt eyes
upon her son. George, dearW she
said. "What did you mean"
"Just what 1 said," he returned,
lighting one of the Majors cigars.
Isabel's hand, pale and slender, up
on the tablecloth, touched one Of the
fine silver candlesticks aimlessly; the
fingers were seen to tremble. "Oh, he
was hurt !" she murmured.
IT don't see why he should be-"
George said. II didn't say anything
about him. What made you think he
was hurt?"
II know him !" was all of her reply,
half-whispered.
| The Major stared hard at George
from under his white eyebrows "You
didn't mean him. you say, George? I
suppose If we had a clergyman as a
guest here you'd expect him not to be
offended, and to understand that your
remarks were neither personal nor un-
tactful If you said the church was a
nuisance and ought never to have been
invented. We seem to have a new
kind of young people these days. It's
new style Of courting pretty girl,
certainly, for young fellow to go de-
liberately out Of his way to try and
make an enemy of her father by at
tacking his business! By Jove That's
| a new way to win a womanw
George flushed angrily and seemed
about to offer retort, but held his
breath for a moment; and then held
his peace. 1t was Isabel who respond
ed to the Major. "Oh, mol" she said.
Eugene would never be anybody's
enemy-he couldn't l-and last of all
Georgie's. I'm afraid he was hurt, but
l don't fear his not having understood
that George spoke without thinking of
what he was saying-I mean, without
realizing its bearing on Eugene"
well. we'll" said his grandfather,