The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-10-03
By Booth
Harrington


ways puts me in mind o. funerals" he
kept telling his niece. Fanny Minafer.
who was with him: and he seemed to
get great deal OF satisfaction out of
this reminder. His tremulous yet stri-
dent voice cut through the voluminous
sound that filed the room. and he was
heard everywhere.
Presently Georges modification was
Increased TO hear this Sawmill droning
harshly from the midst of the thick
ening crowd: "Ain't the dancin' broke
out yet, Fanny Hoopla! Les push
through and go see the young women
folks crack their heelsi Start the cir
Gus. Hoopsey-daisyI Miss Fanny
eran, was almost as distressed as her
nephew George. but she did her duty
and managed to get old John through
the press and out to the broad stair
way. which numbers of young people
were now ascending to the ballroom.
George began to recover from the deg
radiation into which this relic of early
settler days had dragged him. What
restored him completely was q dark
eyed little beauty Of nineteen, very
knowing in lustrous blue and jet; at
sight of this dashing advent in the line
of guests before him George was fully
an Anderson again.
Remember you very well indeed !"
he said. his graciousness more earnest
than any he had heretofore displayed.
Isabel heard him and laughed.
But you don't, George!" she said.
You don't remember her yet, though
of course you will Miss Morgan is
from out of town, and I'm afraid this
is the first time you've ever seen her.
You might take her up to the dancing !;
L think you've pretty well done your
duty here"
BE dlighted,' George responded
formally, and offered his arm, not
with a flourish, certainly. but with an
impressiveness inspired partly by the
appearance of the person to whom he
offered it, partly by his being the hero
of this fete, and partly by his youth
fulness-for when manners are new
they are apt to be elaborate. The
little beauty intrusted her gloved fin
gers to his coatsleeve. and they moved
away together.
AS he conducted Miss Morgan
through the hall toward the stairway
they passed the open double doors of
a cardroom, where some squadrons of
older people were preparing for ac-
ton, and, leaning gracefully upon the
mantelpiece of this room, tall man,
handsome, high-mannered and spar
klingly point-device, held laughing
converse with that queer-looking duck,
the Sharon girls uncle. The tall gen
tleman waved a gracious salutation to
George, and Miss Morgan's curiosity
was stirred. "Who Is that?"
al didn't catch his name when my
mother presented him to me-" said
George "You mean the queer looking
duck"
~ mean the aristocratic duck"
THAT'S my Uncle George. Honor
able George Anderson. 1 thought ev-
erybody knew him."
"He looks as though everybody
ought to know him." she said. ut
seems to run in your family"
If she had any sly intention 1t
skipped over George harmlessly.
erybody does" he admitted-"out In
this part of the country especially.
Besides Uncle George is in congress I:
the family like to have someone
there"
"WhyT
swell, It's sort Of a good thing In
one way. For instance. Uncle Sydney
Anderson and his wife. Aunt Amelia,
they haven't much Of anything to do
with themselves-get bored to death
around here, OF course. Well, prob
ably Uncle George'l have Uncle Sgd
ney appointed minister or ambassador
or something like that, to Russia or
Italy or somewhere. and that'H make
1t pleasant when any of the rest Of
the family go travelling. or things like
that. 1 expect to do a good deal of
travelling myself when get out of col
lege"
Sydney was an ANDERSON exag-
garated-more pompous than gracious !;
too portly, flushed, starched to shine,
lis stately jowl furnished with an Ed
ward the Seventh beard. Amelia. like
wise full-bodied, showed glittering
blond hair exuberantly dressed; a
pink, fat face cold under a white-hot
tiara; a solid. cold bosom under a
white-hot necklace; great, cold. gloved
arms, and the rest of her beautifully
upholstered. AS George assembled the
broad stairway they were precisely
the aunt and uncle he was most
pleased to point out to a girl from out
of town, as his appurtenances in the
way Of relatives. At sight of them
the grandeur of the Anderson family
was instantly conspicuous as a perma-
nent thing: 1t was impossible to doubt
that the Ambersons were intrenched.
In their nobility and riches, behind
polished and glittering barriers which
were as solid as they were brilliant.
and would last.