The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1919-11-22

do, and he said that he'd suggested 1t 10
Eugene. and Eugene had agreed. They
thought
,@Yess'' George said bitterly. 81
should like to hear what they thought u
They thought 1t would be the most
straightforward thing"
George drew a long breath. 'sWell.
what do you think, mother7''
81 thought it would be the simplest
and most straightforward thing; I
thought they were right
VERY well! Well agree It was sim.
pie and straightforward. Now. what
do you think of that letter itself?''
She hesitated, looking away. 'T-of
course don't agree with him in the
way he speaks of you. dear-except
about the angel! I don't agree with
some of the things he implies. You've
always been unsatisfactory knows
that better than your mother.
''And yet" George broke in, "yoE
see what he implies about me. Don't
you think. really, that this was a pref
ty insulting letter for that man to be
asking you to hand your son?"
~Oh, nor she cried. You see how
fair he means to be, and he didn't ask
for me to give 1t to you. It was brother
George who"
'eNever mind that, novvl You say
he tries to be fair and yet do you sup
pose it ever occurs to him that I'm
doing my simple duty2 That I'm doing
what my father would do If he were
alive? That I'm doing what my father
would ask me to do If he could speak
from his grave out yonder? Do you
suppose it ever occurs to that man for
one minute that I'm protecting my
mOther% George raised his voice ad.
vancing upon the helpless lady fierce
ly; and she could only bend her head
before him. ale talks about my win
how it must be beaten down: yes,
and he asks my mother to do that lit
tie thing to please him! What for?
Why does he want me beaten BY my
mother? Because I'm trying to pro-
tect her namei He's got my mothers
name banded up and down the streets
of this town till I can't step in those
streets without wondering what every
soul meet is thinking Of me and of
my family, and now he wants you to
marry him so that every gossip in
town will say There! What did Z tell
you? I guess that proves it's true +
You can't get away from it; that's ex-
actiy what they'd say, and this man
pretends he cares for you, and yet
asks you to marry him and give them
the right to say it. He says he and
you don't care what they say, but I
know better! He may not care-prob-
ably he's that kind-but you do. There
never was an ANDERSON yet that would
let the ANDERSON name go trailing in
the dust like that! It's the proudest
name in this town. and it's going to
stay the proudest; and tell you that's
the deepest thing In my nature-not
that I'd expect Eugene Morgan to I'M
derstand-the very deepest thing in my
nature is to protect that name and TO
fight for 1T to the last breath when
danger threatens 1t as 1t does now
through my motherw He turned from
her striding up and down and tossing
his arms about In a tumult OF gesture.
"I can't believe 1t Of you that you'd
think of such a sacri1ege! That's
what it would be-sacrilegeI When he
talks about your unsel6skness toward
me he's right-you have been unself1sh
and you have been a perfect mother.
But what about him? Is it unselfsh
OF him to want you to throw away
a fire. A piece of ice smooth and