The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-12-12

| OuL ilOt WAtA 6ACat
wen survive, Georgie-you will, es-
pecially. For my part I'm a little too
old and too accustomed to fall back
on somebody else for supplies to start
big fight with life; I'll be content
with just surviving, and can do 1t on
an eighteen-hundred-do con-
sulship. An ex-congressman can al
ways be pretty sure OF getting some
such job, and hear from Washing
ton the matters about settled. So
much for me! But you-of course
you've had poor training for making
your own way, but you're only boy
after all, and the stuff of the old stock
is in you. It'll come out and do some
thing. I'll never forgive myself about
that deed; it would have given you
something substantial to start with.
Still, you have a little tiny bit. and
you'll have a little tiny salary, too |;
and Of course your Aunt Fanny's here,
and she's got something you can fall
back on II you get too pinched, until I
can begin to send you a dribble now
and then"
Georges ''little tiny bit" was six
hundred dollars which had come to
him from the sale of his mothers fur
niture; and the "nttle tiny salary"
Frank Bronson was to pay him for
services as a clerk and student-at-
law. George had accepted haughtily.
and thereby removed a burden from
his uncle's mind.
ANDERSON himself. however, had not
even "tiny bit;" though he got his
consular appointment, and to take him
to his post he found 1t necessary to
borrow two hundred of his nephew's
six hundred dollars. 1T makes me
sick, George" he said. 'But I'd bet
ter get there and get that salary start
ed. OF course Eugene would do any
thing in the world, and the fact is he
wanted to. but felt that-ah-under
the Circumstances"
"Never !" George exclaimed, growing
red. II can't imagine one of the fam
ily-" He paused, not finding 1t
necessary to explain that "the FAM
lily" shouldn't turn a man from the
door and then accept favors from him.
II wish you'd take more"
Anderson declined. "One thing I'll
say for you, young George; you have
MT a stingy bone In your body. That's
the ANDERSON stock In yOu-and 1 like
til"
He added something to this praise
of his nephew on the day he left for
Washington. He was not to return,
but to set forth from the capital on
the long journey to his post. George
went with him to the station. and
their farewell was heightened by the
trains being several minutes late.
81 may not see you again. George" +"
ANDERSON said, and his voice was q
little husky as he set kind hand on
the young mans shoulder. Its quite
probable that from this time on we'll
only know each other by letter-until
you're notified as my next of kin that
there's an old valise to be forwarded
to you, and perhaps some dusty curios
from the consulate mantelpiece. Well.
it's an odd way for us to be saying
good bye; one wouldn't have thought
1t, even a few years ago, but here we
are. two gentlemen of elegant appear
ance In a state of bustitude. We can't
ever tell what will happen at all, can
we? Life and money both behave like
loose quicksilver in nest Of cracks.
And when they're gone we can't tell
WHEREOF what the devil we did with
'emi But believe I'll say now-while
there isn't much time left for either
of us to get embarrassed about it
believe I'll say that I've always been
fond of you We all spoiled you ter
ribly when you were a little boy aud
let you grow up en- prince-and
must say you took to it! But you've
received a pretty heavy jolt, and
had enough of your disposition, myself,
at your age, to understand little OF
what cocksure youth has to go through
inside when it finds that it can make
terrible mistakes. Well, with my train
coming into the shed, you'll forgive
me for saying that there have been
times when thought you ought to be
hanged-but I've always been fono
of YOU. and now l like you'll And just
for a last word; there may be some
felt about you like that-fond OF you
I mean, no matter how much it seem
ed you ought to be hanged You might
try Hello, must run. I'll send
back the money as fast as they pay
me-so, good bye and God bless you
/ Georgiew
He passed through the gates. waved
his hat cheerily from the other side
/ of the iron screen, and was lost IRON
sight in the hurrying crowd. And as
he disappeared, an unexpected poign
ant loneliness fell upon his nephew SC
heavily and SO suddenly that he had
no energy to recoil from the shock. Il
seemed to him that the last fragment
of his familiar world had disappeared
leaving him all alone forever.
He walked homeward slowly through
what appeared to be the strange
city, and, as a matter of fact, the city
1