The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-12-05

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Fanny deceived him. In the i'm
possible event of anything going
wrong" she would have enough left
to "live on" she declared, and laughed
excitedly, for she was having the best
time that had come to her since Will
bur's death. Like SO many women for
whom money has always been pro-
vided without their understanding
how. she was prepared to be thor
ough and irresponsible plunger.
| Anderson, in his wearier way,
shared her excitement, and in the
winter. when the exploiting company
had been formed, and he brought
Fanny her Importantly engraved
shares of stock, he reverted to his pre-
diction of possibilities, made when
they first spoke of the new light.
1--WE seem to be partners, all right,
he laughed. Now let's go ahead and
be millionaires before Isabel and young
George come home"
"When they come homer she
echoed sorrowfully-and 1t was a
phrase which found an evasive echo
in Isabel's letters. In these letters
Isabel was always planning pleasant
things that she and Fanny and the
Major and George and brother
George" would do-when she and her
son came home. they'll find things
pretty changed. I'm afraid" Fanny
said. eff they ever do come home !"
Anderson went over the next sum-
mer and Joined his sister and nephew
in Paris. where they were living. lisa
bel does want to come home" he told
Fanny gravely on the day of his re-
turn In October. "She's wanted to for
a long while-and she ought to come
while she can stand the journey"
And he amplified this statement, leav-
ing Fanny looking startled and solemn
when Lucy came by to drive him out
| to dinner at the new house Eugene
had just completed.
He was loud in praise Of the house
| after Eugene arrived, and gave them
no account Of his journey until they
had retired from the dinner table to
Eugene's library, a gray and shadowy
room, where their coffee was brought
Then, equipped with cigar, which
seemed to occupy his attention, Am
berson spoke in casual tone of hi.
sister and her son.
IT found Isabel as well as usual.
he said, "only I'm afraid as usual
isn't particularly well. Sydney ant
Amelia had been up to Paris in thu
spring, but she hadn't seen them
Somebody told her they were there
1t seems. They'd left Florence ant
were living In Rome; Amelia's become
a Catholic and is said to give grea
sums to charity and to go about witt
the gentry In consequence, but Sgd
ney's ailing and lives in wheel chaii
most of the time. 1t struck me Isabe
ought to be doing the same thing"
He paused, bestowing minute carr
upon the removal of the little bant
from his cigar; and as he seemed tt
have concluded his narrative Eugen'
| spoke out of the shadow beyond {
heavily shaded lamp: "What do yol
mean by that?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, she's cheerful enough" sait
Anderson, still not looking at eithel
his young hostess or her father. "a
least" he said. ''she manages to seen
so. I'm afraid she hasn't been reall,
well for several years. Of course sh'
makes nothing of it, but 1t seemed
rather serious to me when I noticed
she had to stop and rest twice II
get up one short flight of stairs il
their two-floor apartment. 1 told hel
thought she ought to make Georg'
let her come home"
"rLet herT" Eugene repeated in {
low voice. Does she want TOT"
"She doesn't urge 1t. George seem.
to like the life therein his grand
gloomy and peculiar way; and Of
course she'll never change about be
ing proud of him and all that-he's
quite swell. But in spite Of anything
she said, rather than because, know
she does indeed want to come She't
like to be with father, of course; anG
think she's-well, she intimated one
day that she feared 1t might even hap
pen that she wouldn't get to see hin
again. At the time 1 thought she re
ferred to his age and feebleness, bu1
on the boat coming home l remem
bered the little look of wfstfulness
yet Of resignation, with which she
said ii, and it struck me all at once
that I'd been mistaken: saw she was
really thinking of her own state Of
health"
81 see," Eugene said, his voice ever
lower than 1t had been before. "And
you say he won't let her come homer
Anderson laughed, but still contin.
ued to be interested In his cigar. "Oh
don't think he uses forcel He's very
gentle with her. / doubt If the sub
ject is mentioned between them, and
yet-and yet, knowing my interesting
nephew as you do, wouldn't you think
that was about the way to put it2''
knowing him as l do-yes said
Eugene slowly. Eyes, l should think
that was about the way to put it."