Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-12-16

was passing middle age, when old in
tensities and longings grow thin and
fiatten out, as Fanny herself was thin
ming and fattening out; and she was
settling down coRtentedly to her apart
meHlt-house intimacies.
The city was so big, now, that peo-
pie disappeared into 1T unnoticed, and
the disappearance OF, Fanny and her
nephew was not exceptional. People
no longer knew their neighbors as q
matter of course; one lived for years
next door to strangers-that sharpest
of all the changes since the old days
and a friend would lose sight of
friend for a year and not know it.
One May day George thought he had
glimpse Of Lucy. He was not GER
tain, but he was sufficiently disturbed,
in spite of his uncertainty. A promo
ton in his work now frequently took
him out of town for a week, or longer,
and it was upon his return from one of
these absences that he had the strange
experience. He had walked home from
the station, and as he turned the cor
ner which brought him in sight Of the
apartment house entrance, though two
blocks distant from 1t, he saw a charm
ing little figure come out, get into
shiny landaulet automobile, and drive
away. Even at that distance no one
could have any doubt that the little
figure was charming; and the height.
the quickness and decision of motion,
even the swift gesture of white glove
toward the chauffeur-all were char
acteristic of Lucy. George was instant
ly subjected to shock of indefinable
nature, yet definitely shock: he did
not know what he felt-but he knew
that he felt. He went on slowly, his
knees shaky.
But he found Fanny not at home;
she had been out all afternoon; and
there was no record of any caller
and he began to wonder, then to doubt
if the small lady he had seen in the
distance was Lucy. 1t might as wen
have been, he said to himself-since
anyone who looked like her could give
him "a jolt like that!"
AuCJ hd0 AOt lSlL u CdIus one never
left one when she called on Fanny;
though she did not give her reasons a
quite definite form In her own mind.
She came seldom; this was but the
third time that year, and, when she did
come, George was not mentioned,
either by her hostess or by herself-an
oddly contrived between the two
ladies without either of them realizing
how odd it was.
AT other times Lucy's thoughts of
George were anything but continuous,
and weeks went by when he was not
consciously in her mind at all. Her
life was a busy one: she had the big
house Ito keep up" she had garden
to keep up, too, large and beautiful
garden; she represented her father as
a director for half dozen public char
ity organizations, and did private
charity work of her own, being proxy
mother of several large families; and
she had danced down." as she said,
groups from eight or nine classes of
new graduates returned from the uni
versities, without marrying any of
them, but she still danced-and still
did not marry.
Her father, observing this circum-
stance happily, yet with. some hypo-
critical concern, spoke of it to her one
day as they stood in her garden. 81
suppose I'd want to shoot him." he
said, with attempted lightness. 'But
mustn't be an old pig. I'd build you a
beautiful house close by-just over
yonder."
mo, moi That would be like" she
began impulsiveiy; then checked her
self. George Amberson's comparison
of the Georgian house to the ANDERSON
mansion had come into her mind, and
she thought that another new house,
built close by for her, would be like
the house the Major built for Isabel.
"Like what?"
"Nothing." She looked serious, and
when he reverted to his idea of "some
day" grudgingly surrendering her up
to a sutton she invented legend.
did you ever hear the Indian name
for that little grove of beech trees on
the other side of the houseY she
| asked him.
"No-and you never did eitherl" he
laughed.
"Don't be so sure! l read great
deal more than l used o-getting
ready for my boOkish days when I'll
have to do something solid in the eve,
nings and won't be asked to dance any
more, even by the very youngest boys
who think it's sporting event to
dance with the oldest of the Older
girls The name of the grove was
Loma-Nashah' and it means They
Couldn't-Help-It.'