The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-12-05
CHAPTER xv-continued.

-
"-lda H.- George suorted. May ]
ask SHAT sou tA.uE I ought 10 have
CoueT
.NothinrE'" George echoed. mock
iug bitterly y suppose you thin5 /
mean t0 lel my motLer's good name"
your mothers good name >" AM
berSon cut him OF impatientiy. NO
luly hus good name ia bad mouth.
Nobody has a good name ia "A silly
mouth, either. Well. your mothers
mime was in some silly mouths, and
all you've done was TO 90 and have
a scene with the worst old woman Cos
sip I'm the tOwn--a scene that's going
10 make her into a partisan against
your mother. whereas she was mere
prattler before. Don't you suppose
she'll be all over town with this to-
morrow And she'll see TO il thar
everybody who's limited anything
about poor Isabel viii know that
you're on Che varpath; and that viii
put them on the defensive and make
them vicious The story will grow as
it spreads and"
George unfolded his arms to strike
his right fist into his left palm. "BUt
do YOU suppose I'm going to tolerate
such things?' he shouted. what do
you suppose I'll be doing?"
you can do absolutely nothing"
said ANDERSON. Nothing of any use
The more you do the more harm you'll
do"
: You'll see. I'm going TO stop this
thing If have to force my way into
every house on National avenue and
Anderson boulevard :"
His uncle laughed rather sourly hut
made no other comment
well. what do you propose to do?"
George demanded. do you propose
TO sit there"
"Yes."
and let this riffraff handy my
mothers good name back and forth
among them? Is that what you pro-
Jose TO dO?'
ITS all 1 can do" Anderson re-
turned. It's all any of us can do
now: just sit still and hope that the
thing may die down in time in spite
of your stirring up that awful old
woman"
George drew long breath, then adj
vanced and stood close before his
uncle. Didn't YOU understand me
when I told you that people are say
ing my mother means to marry this
man?"
Yes, I understood YOU
You say that my going over there
has made matters worse" George went
on. How about il if such a-such an
unspeakable marriage did take place?
Do you think shat would make people
believe they'd been wrong in saying
you know what they say"
NO" said ANDERSON deliberately;
81 don't believe. it would But It
wouldn't hurt Isabel and Eugene, If
they never heard of it; and if they did
hear Of it, then they could take their
choice between placating gossip or liv-
Ing for rheir own happiness. If they
have decided 20 marry"
George almost staggered. Good
heaven. :" he gasped. You speak of it
calmlyl"
ANDERSON looked up at him inquir-
Ingly. why shouldn't they marry if
they want tor he asked. It's their
own affair. don't see anything pre-
cisely monstrous about two people get
ting married when they're both free
and care about each other. What's
the matter with their marrying?"
1T would be monstrous ~ George
shouted. "MonStrous even if this hor-
rihle thing hadn't happened, but now
In the face of this-oh. that you can
sit there and even speak of it! Your
own sister, Oh" He became inco-
.,r-5t,
and making for the door, wildly GEES
turing.
"For heavens sake don't be so the
atricalI' - said his uncle, and then. see
Ing that George was leaving the room
"Come back here. You mustn't speak
To your mother OF this!''
Don't tend to-" George said indis-
tinctly, and he plunged into the big,
dimly lit hall. He went home and got
hat and overcoat without seeing
either his mother or Fanny Then he
left word that he would be out for
dinner and hurried away from the
house.
He walked the dark streets of Am
berson addition for an hour, then went
downtown ard got coffee at restau-
rant After that he walked through
the lighted parts of the town until ten
O'Clock. when he turned north and
came back 10 the purIieus of the Addi- |
tion- He walked fiercely, though his |
feet ached, but by and by he turned |
homeward, and. when he reached the |
Majors, went in and sat upon the |
steps of the huge stone veranda I'm |
front-an obscure figure in that lonely |
and repellent place. All lights were |
out at the Majors, and finally. after !
twelve. he saw his mothers window
darken at home.
He waited half an hour longer. then |
crossed the front yards Of the new !
houses and let himself noiselessly in
the front door. The light in the hall
had been left burning. and another in |
his own room. as he discovered when !
he got there. He locked the door |
quickly and without noise, but his fin /
gers we're still upon the key when
there was a quick football in the hall
outside
George, dear?"