Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1919-10-23
well" said George. ''how old am

'Ten." mi
"well, look how he says I'm older
than boy eleven years old"
"That's true" said Isabel. "Ha
does. But isn't some Of it true
GeorgIeT'
George felt himself to be in a DIFF.
ficulty here, and he was silent.
George. did you say what he says
you didT
(Which oneT
'Did you tell him TOTO Did you
say, Go to h-T"
George looked worried for a mo-
ment longer; then he frightened. Lis
ten here, mamma grandpa wouldn't
wipe his shoe on that ole story teller,
would he2"
George, you mustn't" f47
II mean: none of the Ambersons
wouldn't have anything to do with
him, would they7 He doesn't even
know you, does he, mammaT Sci
''That hasn't anything to do with it,n
eyes. it has / mean: none Of the
Anderson family go to see him, and
they never have him come in their
house; they wouldn't ask him to, and
prob'ly wouldn't even let him."
"That isn't what we're talking
about" y
81 bet" said George emphaticalIy.
III bet If he wanted to see any Of 'ems
he'd hat to go around to the side
door orr : deor tnev-. 1
"Yes, they would. mamma! So what
does it matter If say somep'm' I'd
him he didn't like? That kind a
people, I don't see why you can't say
anything you want to to 'em!" "a
"No, George. And you haven't aN4
swered me whether you said that
dreadful thing he says you did" Id
well" said George. Anyway,
he said 'somep'm' to me that made me-
mad" And upon this point he offered
no further details; he would not ex-
plain to his mother that what had
made him "mad" was Mr.. Smiths
rhasty condemnation of herself: your
mother ought to be ashamed" and
"a woman that lets a bad boy Hka
you" George did not even COM
slider excusing himself by quoting
| these insolences.
Isabel stroked his head. "They
were terrible words for you to use,
dear. From his letter he doesn't seem
very tactful person, but" ID
'He's just riffraff, said George. y
''You mustn't say So" his mothee
gently agreed. "Where did you learL
those bad words he speaks Of? Where
did you hear anyone use them?" "A
"Well, I've heard 'em serrevaI
places. guess Uncle George AMBER
son was the first ever heard say 'enI
Uncle George Anderson said 'em IA
papa once. Papa didn't like it, but
Uncle George was just laughin' al
papa, an then he said 'em while he
was laughin.'" -
"That was wrong of him." she said,
but almost instinctively he detected
the lack of conviction in her tone. Il
was Isabel's great failing that what
ever an Anderson did seemed right I'd
] her, especially If the ANDERSON was
either her brother George or her SON
George. "You must promise me-" she
said feebly, "never to use those bad
words again." Il
II promise not to-" he said prompt
ly-and he whispered an Immediate
codicil under his breath "Unless get
mad at somebody" This satisfied 81
code according to which, in his own
sincere belief, he never told lies. Il
"That's a good boy" she said, and
he ran out to the yard his punishment
over.
AS an ANDERSON he was already q
public character, and the story of his
adventure in the Rev. Malloch Smiths
front yard became town topic. Many
people glanced at him with great dis
taste thereafter, when they CHANGED
to encounter him, which meant moth
ing to George, because he innocently
believed most grown people to be nee
essarily cross looking as a normal phe-
nomenon resulting from the adult
state; and he failed to comprehend
that the distasteful glances had any
personal bearing upon himself. If he
had perceived such bearing he would
have been affected only so far, prob
ably, as to mutter, "RiffraffI" Pos
sibly he would have shouted it; and
certainly most people believed a story
that went round the town just after
Mrs. Ambersoh's funeral, when Geor-
gle was eleven. George was reported
to have differed with the undertaken
about the seating of the family; his
indignant voice had become audible:
"Well, who is the most important per-
son at my own grandmothers fu-
nerOl?" And later he had projected
his head from the window Of the fore
most mourners' carriage, as the under
taker happened to pass.
"RIffraffp
There were people grown people
they were-whO expressed themselves
longingly: they did hope to live to see
/