Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1919-11-21

and you treat me as if I were-oh, no,
you wouldn't treat a servant the way
you treat me! You wouldn't treat any
body in the world like this except old
Fanny!"
"Oh, my Lord!' George groaned.
Fanny spread out her small, soaked
handkerchief, and shook it in the air
to dry it little, crying as damply and
as wretchedly during this operation as
befWe-a sight which gave George a
curious shock to add to his other agi-
tations, it seemed so strange.
You're so proud" she quavered,
"and so hard tell you I didn't mean
to speak Of it to you, and I never,
never in the world would have told
you about it, nor have made the faint
est reference to it, if / hadn't seen that
somebody else had told you, or you'd
found out for yourself some way.
i II
In despair Of her intelligence, and
in some doubt of his own, George
struck the palms of his hands together.
Somebody else had told me what?
I'd found what out for myself?"
"How people are talking about your
mother"
Except for the incidental teariness
of her voice, her tone was casual, as
though she mentioned a subject pre-
viously discussed and understood;
for Fanny had no doubt that George
had only pretended to be mystified be-
cause, in his pride, he would not in
words admit that he knew what he
knew
"What did you say?" he asked In
credulously.
"Of course / understood what you
were doing" Fanny went on, drying her
handkerchief again. "It puzzled other
people when you began to be rude to
Eugene, because they couldn't see how
you could treat him as you did when
you were so interested in Lucy. But
l remembered how you came to me,
that other time when there was so
much talk about Isabel; and I knew
you'd give Lucy up in a minute, if it
came to question of your mothers
reputation, because you said then
| that"
'Look here" George interrupted in
shaking voice. look here, I'd
like" He stopped, unable to go on,
his agitation was so great. His chest
heaved as from hard running, and his
complexion, pallid at first, had be-
come notified; fiery splotches appear
ing at his temples anu cheeks. "What
do you mean by telling me-telling me
there's talk about-about-" He
gulped, and began again: "What do
you mean by using such words as
reputation What do you mean,
speaking Of a question of my-my
mothers reputation
Fanny looked up at him woefuIly
over the handkerchief which she now
! applied to her redeemed nose. "God
knows I am sorry for you, George +"
she murmured. 81 wanted to say so,
but it's only old Fanny, so whatever
she says-even when it's sympathy
pick on her for it % She sobbed. "It's
only poor old lonely Fanny"
"You look here !" George said harsh
ly. "When I spoke to my Uncle
George after that rotten thing / heard
Aunt Amelia say about my mother, he
said if there was any gossip it was
about you! He said people might be
laughing about the way you ran after
Morgan, but that was all"
i Fanny lifted her hands, clenched
them and struck them upon her knees
eyes; it's always Fanny!" she sobbed
Ridiculous old Fanny-always, al
ways!"
"You listen!" George said. after
I'd talked to Uncle George saw you !;
and you said had mean little mind
for thinking there might be truth in
what Aunt Amelia said about people
talking. You denied it. And that
wasn't the only time; you'd attacked
me before then, because l intimated
that Morgan might be coming here too
often. You made me believe that
mother let him come entirely on your
account, and now you say"
81 think he did," Fanny interrupted
desolately. II think he did come as
much to see me as anything-for a
while it looked like it. He did act a
good deal that way-and If Wilbur
hadn't died"
"You told me there wasn't any
talk"
81 didn't think there was much
then" Fanny protested. II didn't
know how much there was"
"What!"
people don't come and tell such
things to a persons family, you know
You don't suppose anybody was going
to say to George Anderson that his
sister was getting herself talked about,
do you? Or that they were going to
say much to me?"
"You told me-" said George, fiercely
"that mother never saw him except
when she was chaperoning you"
''They weren't much alone together
then," Fanny returned. Hardly ever,