The Ordway new era., 1919-11-07


father and his uncle made him feel
hypoerfticaI. He was not grief-strics-
en-; but he felt that he ought 10 be,
and, with secret shame. concealed
his caIIousness beneath an afrecfarion
Of solemnity-
But when he was taken Into the
room where lay what was Left OF VIII
bur 5inafer. 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 IIfe--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 duietness was what was most life
like; and suddenly IL struck George
hard And in that unexpected racking
grief Of his SON, Wilbur Minafer be-
came more wildly Georges father
than he had ever been in life.
When George left the room, his arm
was about his 0Iack-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
seIf-cpnscious enough 10 wonder If he
had not been making an unmanly dis
play of himself. I'm all right again,
mother" ne said awkwardly. Don't
worry about me; you'd better 90 lie
down, or something; you look pretty
pale"
IA VauIn hff
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. a few minutes be-
fore the funeral, when her haggurd
face appalled, him.
The annoyance gave way before
recollection OF the sweet mournfuiness
of HIS mothers face. as she had said
good-by to him at 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
herofsm-she had shown, rather than
said, how brave she thought him.
When he went back to college, what
came most vtvfd1y 10 Georges mind
during retrospectiOns. was the despair
ing face of his Aunt Fanny. Again and
again he thought Of 1t; he could not
avoid lts haunting. Her grief had been
so Silent. yet It had so amazed him
George felt more and more compass
sion for this ancient antagonist OF his,
and ne 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.
I 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 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 inst scared sick. You tell
her there Isn't any danger in the world
of my treating her Ike 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 Nfinafer, had been Invested in
Wilbur's business and Wilbur's bust
ness, after a period OF Illness corre-
spending in dates to the Illness Of VIII
bur's body, had died just before VIII
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
penny" he continued, explaining his
phrase Its like the moment just be-
fore drowning: you're not under water
and you're not out Of Il. All you know
ls that you're not dead yet
He spoke philosophicalIy. having his
aprospects' from his father to fall
back upon: but Fanny had neither
prospects" nor philosophy. However,
a legal survey OF wiIbur's estate re-
veaIed 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. it would
Yield something better than nine hun
dred dollars year, and thus she was
assured Of becoming neither pauper
nor dependent, but proved TO be, as
Anderson said, adding his efforts to
the cheering up OF Fanny. IAN hefress,
after all. 10 spite OF rolling mills and
the devil"
The coIIezisn did not return to his
home for the holidays. Instead Isa-
bel Joined him, and they went Soutk
for the two weeks. She was proud Of
her stalwsrt, good-Iooking son at the
hotel where 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