Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1919-12-12
CHAPTER xv--continued.

~Pm not sure, George. When / was
your age l was like you in many ways,
especially in not being very cool
headed, SO can't say. Youth can't be
trusted for much, except asserting
itself and fighting and making love-"
.'Indeedr" George snorted. May !
ask what you think ought to have
done7"
Nothing"
.NothingYr George echoed, mock
ting bitterly. 81 suppose you think /
alean to let my mothers good name"
"Your mothers good namew Am
berson cut him off impatiently. mo
body has a good name in bad mouth.
Nobody has good name in silly
mouth, either. Well, your mothers
aame was in some silly mouths, and
all you've done was to go and have
a scene with the worst old woman Cos
sip in the town--a scene that's going
To make her into a partisan against
your mother, whereas she was a mere
pxattler before. Don't you suppose
she'll be all over town with this to-
morrow And she'll see to 1t that
everybody who's limited anything
about poor Isabel will know that
you're on the warpath; and that will
pnt them on the defensive and make
them vicious. The story will grow as
IL spreads and"
his right fist into his left palm. But
do -ou suppose I'm going to tolerate
such things?" he shouted. "What do
you suppose I'll be doingw
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
ching If I have to force my way into
every house on National avenue and
ANDERSON boulevard
His uncle laughed rather sourly but
made no other comment.
well. what do you propose to do?"
George demanded. ''Do you propose
90 sit there"
YES"
and let this riffraft handy my
sza0ther's good name back and forth
among them2 Is that what you pro-
pose to do"
IT'S all 1 can do" Anderson re-
turned Its 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 ad-
vaEced and stood close. before his
uncle didn't you understand me
when L told you that people are say
ing my mother means to marry this
nan7"
Yes, understood you"
-fou say that my going over there
has made matters worse" George went
On. How about 1t If such a--such an
sanspeakable marriage did take placel
DO you think that would make people
believe they'd been wrong in saying
you know what they say"
~No." said ANDERSON deliberately
~ don't believe it would. But 1t
wuuldn't hurt Isabel and Eugene, If
khey never heard of it; and If they did
mezr OF it, then they could take their
chsice between placating gossip or liv-
ting for their own happiness. If they
have decided to marry"
George almost staggered. Good
heavenr' he gasped. "You speak of 1t
calmIyI"
Anderson looked up at him inquir-
ingly- ~Why shouldn't they marry If
they want TOT" he asked. Its their
own affair. 1 don't see anything pre-
.fisely monstrous about two people get
fziIsz married when they're both free
: and ezse about each other. What's
1.-The matter with their marrying2"
ut wculd be monstrousw George
shouted -.Monstrous even If this hor-
Irible thing hadn't happened, but now
In 1.-THE face of this-oh. that you can
vah vhpre and even speak of it! Your
avn sisferl Oh" He became inco.
herent, swinging away from Anderson
ard making for the door, wildly GEES
curing
~Fne heavens sake don't be so the
arficaIr- said his uncle, and then, see
ing that George was leaving the room
Come back here. You mustn't speak
10 your mother of this! |"
ssDnn't tend to- George said indis
timely. and he plunged into the big
ksmIy Lit hall. He went home and go
a hat and overcoat without seem,
either his mother or Fanny. Then III
xeft word that he would be out fol
dinner and hurried away from thu
house
He walked the dark streets Of Am
bersOn addition for an hour. then wen
downtown and got coffee at a restau
rant After that he walked through
1he lighted parts of the town until tel
o'clock, when he turned north AM
~.- t.o ~ IN fha pl1r1iqus nf the Add