Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1919-10-09

makes his romance as young as he
con. Youth will indeed be served, and
Its profound instinct is to be not only
scornfully amused but vaguely an
gered by m~iddle-aged romance. So.
standing beside his mother, George
was disturbed by a sudden impression,
coming upon him out Of nowhere, so
far as he could detect, that her eyes
were brilliant, that she was graceful
and youthful-in a word that she was
Economically lovely.
He had n of those curious moments
that seem to have neither a cause nor
any connection with actual things.
There was nothing in either her looks
or her manner to explain Georges I'M
comfortable feeling; and yet it in
creased, becoming suddenly a vague
resentment, as If she had done some
thing unmotherly to him.
The fantastic moment passed: and
even while it lasted he was doing his
duty, greeting two pretty girls with
whom he had grown up, as people say,
and warmly assuring them that he re-
membered them very well-an assur-
ance which might have surprised them
"in anybody but George Minafer!"
1t seemed unnecessary, since he had
spent many hours with them no longer
than the preceding August. They had
with them their parents and an uncle
from out of town; and George negli-
gently gave the parents the same as
surance he had given the daughters,
but murmured another form of greet
ing to the out-of-town uncle, whom
he had never seen before. This per-
son George absently took note of as
a "'queer-looking duck" U%ndergradu-
ates had not yet adopted "bird." It
was a period previous to that in which
a sophomore would have thought OF
the Sharon girls uncle as a queer.
looking bird" or. perhaps, a funny
face bird" In Georges time every hui.
man male was to be defined at pleas
ure as a "duck;" but "duck' was moi
spoken with admiring affection, as il
Its former feminine use to signify .
"dear'-on the contrary, "duck" i'm
piled the speakers personal detach
ment and humorous superiority. Al
Indifferent amusement was wha
George felt when his mother, witt
a gentle emphasis, interrupted his in
terchange Of courtesies with tn
nieces to present him to the queer
looking duck, their uncle. This en-
phasis of IsabeIs. though slight, en-
abled George to perceive that she cor
! sidered the queer-looking duck a pei
, son of some Importance; but it wa
: far from enabling him to understan
I why. The duck parted his thick an
. longish black hair on the side; hi
l tie was a forgetful-looking thing, an
) his coat, though it fitted a goo6
{ enough middle-aged figure, no produt
of this year, or Of last year eithe
Observing only his questionable hal
! his DreOccupied tie and his old Goa
E the Olympic George set him down q
a queer-looking duck, and having thu
L completed his portrait took no intel
+ est in him.
The Sharon girls passed on, takin
the queer-looking duck with them, an
: George became pink with mortific.
ton as his mother called his attentio
to a white-bearded guest waiting
e shake his hand. This was George
great-uncle, old John Minafer: it WE
old Johns boast hat in spite of h
Q connection by marriage with the An
q be-sOns he lever mad worn and new
; would year a swaller-tail coat. Men
a bers of his family had exerted the
y influence uselessly - at eighty-ni1
Y conservative people seldom form ra,
9 ical new habits, and old John wore h
Sunday suit" of black broadcloth
the Anderson ball. The coat w,
j square, with skirts to the knees; O
John called it a prince Albert" ar
was well enough pleased with it, b,
his great-nephew considered it t.