Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1919-12-18

NOEIy dDOuI me- yOu DeLIeE 20 lie
down, or something; you look pretty
pale"
Isabel did look pretty pale, hut 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 haggard
face appalled, him.
The annoyance gave way before a
recollection Of the sweet mOurnfulness
of his mothers face, as she had said
gOod-by 10 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
heroism-she had shown, rather than
| said, how brave she thought him.
When he went back to college, what
came most wildly to Georges mind,
during retrospectiOns, was the despair
ing face of his Aunt Fanny. Again and
again he thought Of 1t; he could not
avoid its 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 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 leased 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 If 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 90 on just as 1t al
ways has. Tell haF to cheer up!"
Isabel did more for Fanny than tell
ing her to cheer up. Everything that
Fanny inherited from her father, old
Aleck Minafer, had been invested in
Wilbur's business; and Wilbur's bust
ness, after a period of illness CORE
spending in dates to the illness of VIII
burs 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
penny" he continued, explaining his
phrase. cts 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,
q legal survey of Wilburs 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, it would
yield something better than nine hum
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 heiress,
after all, in spite of rolling mills and
the devil"
The cOllegian 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 where they stayed, and it 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 |
she was unaware of their staring at |
her with more interest and an ad-
miration friendlier than George
evoked.
Both of them felt constantly the diff |
ference between this Christmas time
and other Christmas times of theirs
in all, 1t was a Sorrowful holiday. But |
when Isabel came East for Georges |
commencement, in June, she brought |
Lucy with her-and things began to |
seem different, especially when George |
Anderson arrived with Lucy's father
on class day. Eugene had been in New
York, on business; Anderson easily |
persuaded him to this outing; and they
made a cheerful party of it, with the
new graduate Of course the hero and |
center Of it all.
His uncle was fellow alumnus.
"YOnder was where 1 roomed when / |
was here" he said, pointing out one of |
the university buildings to Eugene. 81 |
don't know whether George would let |
my admirers place a tablet to mark
the spot or not. He owns all these |
buildings now, you know"
Didn't you, when you were here2 |
Like uncle, like nephew"
''Tm sure 1 didn't have It so badly |
at his age" Anderson said reHectively,
as they strolled on through the COM
mencement crowd.
Eugene laughed. "You need only |
three things to explain all that's good |