The Elbert County tribune., 1919-10-24


father and his uncle made him feel
hypocritical. He was not grief-strick
en-: but he felt that he ought to be.
his callousness beneath an afrectation
of solempity.
But when he was taken into the
room where lay what was left of VIII
bur Minafer, George had no longer to
pretend; his grief was sufficient. 1t
needed only the sight Of that forever
inert semblance of the quiet man who
had been always so quiet part of his
sons life-so quiet a part that George
had seldom been consciously aware
that his father was indeed a part of
his life. AS the figure lay there. Its
very quietness was what was most life
like: and suddenly 1t struck George
hard. And In that unexpected. racking
grief Of his son, Wilbur Minafer be-
came more vividly Georges father
than he had ever been In life.
When George left the room, his arm
was about his black-robed mother. his
shoulders were still shaken with sobs.
He leaned upon his mother; she gently
comforted him; and presently he re-
covered his composure and became
self-conscious enough to wonder II he
had not been making an unmanly dis
play of himself. "I'm all right again.
mother" he said awkwardly. Don't
worry about me: you'd better go lie
down, CT something: you look pretty
pale"
Isabel did look pretty pale, but not
CHASTITY pale, as Fanny did. Fanny's
grief was overwhelming she stayed In
her room. and George did not see her
until the next day. few minutes be-
fore the funeral. when her haggnrd
face appalled, him.
The annoyance gave way before
recollection of the sweet mournfulness
of his mothers face, as she had said
good-by to him Mt the station, and of
how lovely she looked in her mourning.
He thought of Lucy, whom he had seen
only twice, and he could not help feel
ing that In these quiet interviews he
had appeared to her as tinged with
heroism-she had shown. rather than
said. how brave she thought him.
When he went back to college. what
came most vividly to Georges mind.
during retrospections, was the despair
ing face of his Aunt Fanny. Again md
again he thought of 1t; he could not
avoid Its haunting. Her grief had been
so silent, yet 1t had so amazed him.
George felt more and more compass
sion for this ancient antagonist of his,
and he wrote to his mother about her:
I'm afraid poor Aunt Fanny might
think now fathers gone we won't want
her to live with us any longer and be-
cause always teased her so much she
might think I'd be for turning her out.
don't know where on earth she'd go
or what she could live on II we did do
something like this, and of course we
| never would do such a thing. but I'm
pretty sure she had something of the
kind on her mind. She didn't say any
thing, but the way she looked Is what
makes me think so. Honestly, to me
she looked Just scared sick. You tell
her there isn't any danger In the world
| OF my treating her like that. Tell her
everything is to go on just as 1t al
ways has. Tell her to cheer upl"
Isabel did more for Fanny than tell
Ing her to cheer up. Everything that
Fanny inherited from her father. old
Aleck Mlnafer, had been invested In
Wilbur's business and Wilbur's busi-
ness. after a period Of illness corre-
| spending in dates to the illness of Will
bur's body, had died just before Will
bur did. George ANDERSON and Fanny
were both "wiped out to a miracle Of
precision" as ANDERSON said. They
"owned not a penny and owed not a
penny" he continued. explaining his
phrase. TITS like the moment Just be-
fore drowning: you're not under water
and you're not out of it. All you know
is that you're not dead yet"
He spoke philosophically. having his
prospects" from his father to fall
back upon; but Fanny had neither
prospects" nor philosophy. However.
legal survey of Wilbur's estate re-
vealed the fact that his life insurance
was left clear of the wreck; and Isa-
bel, with the cheerful consent of her
son. promptly turned this salvage over
to her sister-in-law. Invested, 1t would
yield something better than nine hun
dred dollars a year, and thus she was
assured of becoming neither a pauper
nor n dependent. but proved to be. as
ANDERSON said, adding his efforts to
the cheering up of Fanny, ian heiress,
after all. in spite Of rolling mills and
the devil"
The colleeian did not return to his
home for the holidays. Instead. Isa-
bel Joined him. and they went South
for the two weeks. She was proud of
her stalwart, good-looking son at the
hotel whore they stayed, and 1t was
meat and drink to her when she saw
how people stared at him In the lobby
and on the big verandas-indeed. her
vanity In him was so dominant that