The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-09-19
CHAPTER VIII.

A few days after Georges return
to the university 1t became evident
that not quite everybody had gazed
with complete benevolence upon the
various young collegians at their
holiday sports. The Sunday edition
Of the principal morning paper even
expressed some bitterness under the
heading. "Gilded Youths Of the Fin
de-Siecle"-this was considered the
knowing phrase of the time, espe-
cielly for Sunday supplements-and
there is no doubt that from certain
references in this bit Of writing some
people drew the conclusion that Mr..
George Anderson Minafer had not
yet got his come-upance, a postpone
ment still Irritating. Undeniably
Fanny Minafer was one of the people
who drew this conclusion, for she cut
the article out and inclosed 1t in a
letter to her nephew, having written
on the border of the clipping, II won
der whom 1t can meanW
George read part of it:
We debate sometimes what is to be the
future of this nation when we think that
| in = few years public affairs may be in
the hands Of the fin-de-siecle gilded
youths we see about US during the Christ
| mas holidays. Such foppery, such luxury.
| such insolence was surely never prac-
/ ticed by the scented. overbearing patri'
clans of the Palatine. even in Rome't
most decadent epoch With his airs OF
young MILFORD, his fast horses. his gold
and silver cigarette cases, his clothes
| from a New York tailor, his recklessness
of money showered upon him by indulgent
mothers or doting grandfathers. he re-
spects nothing and nobody. He Is blase,
II you please. Watch him at a social
function. how condescendingly he deigns
| or two-step; how carelessly he shoulders
| older people out of his way, with what a
blank stare he returns the salutations OF
some old acquaintance whom he may
choose in his royal whim to forget!
One wonders what has come over the
| new generation. OF such as these the re-
public was not made. When we compare
| the young manhood of Abraham Lincoln
with the specimens we are now producing
we see too well that it bodies Ill for the
| twentieth century
George yawned and tossed the clip
ping into his waste basket wondering
why bis aunt thought such dull non
sense worth the sending. AS for her
| insinuation, penciled upon the border,
he supposed she meant to joke-a sup.
position which neither surprised him
nor altered his lifelong opinion of
| her wit.
He read her letter with more in
| terest:
The dinner your mother gave for
| the Morgans was lovely affair. 1t was
| last Monday evening, Just ten days after
you left. 1t was appropriate that your
mother, herself an old friend, should as
semble representative selection of Mr..
| Morgan's old friends around him at such
| a time. He was in great spirits and most
entertaining.
He will soen begin to build his factory
| here for the manufacture of automobiles,
which he says is term he prefers to
"horseless carriages" Your Uncle George
| told me he would like to invest in this
factory, as George thinks there is a fu-
ture for automobiles; perhaps not for gen.
eral use, but as an interesting novelty,
which people with sufficient means would
like to own for their amusement and the
sake of variety. However. he said Mr..
Morgan laughingly declined his offer, as
Mr. M was fully able to finance this ven
ture, though not starting N a very large
way. Your uncle said other people are
manufacturing automobiles In dfnerent
parts of the country with success. Your
father is not very we'll. though he is not
actually Ill, and the doctor tells him he
ought not to be so much at his Office, as
the long years of application indoors with
no exercise are beginning to affect him
unfavorably but I believe your father
would die If he had to give up his work,
which is all that has ever Interested him
outside of his family. / never could un-
derstand it. Mr. Morgan took your
mother and me with Lucy to see Mod
jeska in Twelfth Night" yesterday eve
ming, and Lucy said she thought the duke
looked rather like you, only much more
democratic in his manner. Hoping that
you are finding college still as attractive
as ever,
Affectionately.
AUNT FANNY.
George read one sentence IN TINS
letter several times. Then he dropped
the missive in his waste basket to
join the clipping, and strolled down
the corridor of his dormitory to bor-
row copy of Twelfth Night" HaY-
ing secured one he returned to MS
study and refreshed his memory OF
the play-but received no enlignten-
ment that enabled him to comprehend
7 ,,arysw afran1a rounorx However. ne