The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1919-11-20

more Of the expenses than 1 would"
She stared at him with such a for
lorn Darkness as he had never seen.
I'D be paying" she said feebly. I'D
be paying"
Certainly you would. You'd be
using more of your money than a
my money" Fanny's chin dropped
upon her thin chest and she laughed
%miserably. "I've got t%wenty-eight dol
lars. That's ALL"
you mean until the interest is due
again?"
II mean that's ALL" Fanny said. II
mean that's all there is. There won't
be any more interest because there
isn't any principal"
why you told"
She shook her head. mo. I haven't
told you anything"
"Then it was Uncle George. He
told me you had enough to fall back
on. That's just what he said: to fall
back on He said you'd lost more
than you should in the headlight COM
pany, but he'd insisted that you should
hold out enough to live on, and you'd
very wisely followed his advice"
II know" she said weakly. II told
him so. He didn't know, or else he'd
forgotten how much Wilbur's insur-
ance amounted to, and I-oh, it seemed
such a sure way to make a real for
tune out of q little-and I thought I
could do something for you, George,
If you ever came to need it-and it all
looked so bright 1 just thought I'd put
it all in. I did-every cent except my
last interest payment-and it's gone"
"Good Lord!" George began to
pace up and down the worn planks of
the bare floor. "Why on earth did
you wait till now to tell such a thing
as this?"
II couldn't till I had to-" she said
piteously. 1t wouldn't do any good
not any good on EARTH" She got out
her lace handkerchief and began to
cry. Nothing does any good, 1 guess,
in this old world! Oh, how tired of
this old world I am! I didn't know
what to do. I just tried to go ahead
and be as practical as l could, and ar
range some way for us to live. Oh,
I knew you didn't want me, George!
I can see that much! You don't sup
pose I want to thrust myself on you,
do you?.- 1t isn't very pleasant to be
thrusting yourself on a person you
know doesn't want you-but 1 knew
you oughtn't to be left all alone in
the world; it isn't good. I knew your
mother'd want me to watch over you
and try to have something like a home
for you'll knew she'd want me to do
what 1 tried to dol" Fanny's tears
were bitter now, and her voice, hoarse
and wet, was tragically sincere. "Ohl
and now-you don't want-you want
you want to leave me in the lurch!
YOU"
"Oh, my Lord!" He went to her
AMI lifted her. "For Gods sake get
up! Come, let's take the coffee into
the other room and see what's to be
done.'
he got her to her feet; she leaned
upon him, already somewhat comfort
ed, and, with his arm about her, he
conducted her to the dining room and
seated her in one Of the two kitchen
chairs which had been placed at the
rough table. "There!" he said, "get
over It'll! Fanny's spirits revived ap-
probably: she looked up with a plain
tive eagerness. II had bought all my
fall clothes, George" she said; land I
paid every bill I owed. I don't owe a
cent for clothes, George"
"That's good" he said wanly, and no
had a moment Of physical dizziness
that decided him to sit down quickly.
For an instant it seemed to him that
he was not Fanny's nephew, but mar
ried to her. He passed his pale hand
v e his paler forehead. "yNell, let's
see where we stand" he said feebly.
Lets see if we can afford this place
you've selected"
Fanny continued to brighten. SIN
sure it's the most practical plan we
could possibly have worked out,
George-and it is a comfort to be
among nice people. I think Well both
enjoy it, because the truth is we've
been keeping too much to ourselves
for a long while. 1t isn't good for
people,"
II was thinking about the money,
Aunt Fanny. The rent is thirty-six
dollars a month; the dinner is twenty
two and a half for each Of us, and
we've got to have some provision for
other food. We won't need any
clothes for a year, perhaps"
ooh, longer!" she exclaimed. $50
you see"
II see that forty-fve and thirty-six
make eighty-one," he said. "At the
lowest, We need a hundred dollars q
month-and I'm going to make thirty
two"
4 thought of that, George" she said
confidently "and I'm sure it will be all
right. You'll be earning a great deal
more than that very soon."
II don't see any prospect of it-not
till I'm admitted to tho hor o,d +h,A