The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1919-12-12

and nearly all seemed harried by
something impending. though here anu
there woman with bundles would be
laughing to companion about some
adventure Of the department store. or
perhaps an escape from the charging
traffic of the streets--and not infre-
quently girl, or a free-and-easy
young matron, found time to throw an
encouraging look TO George.
He took no note Of these, and. leav-
ing the crowded sidewalks, turned
north into National avenue, and pres
emily reached the quieter but no less
begrimed region of smaller shops ana
old-fashioned houses. Those latter had
been the homes of his boyhood play
mates, old friends of his grandfather
had lived herein this alley ne had
fought with two boys at the same
time, and whipped them; in that front
yard he had been successfully teased
Ahto lhSdIlly Ny q S,>S
school class of pinky little girls. On
that sagging porch laughing woman
had fed him and other boys with
doughnuts and gingerbread; yonder he
saw the staggered relics Of the iron
picket fence he had made his white
pony jump, on dare and In the
shabby, stone-faced house behind the
fence he had gone to children's par
ties, and, when he was little older
he had danced there often, and fallen
in love with Mary Sharon, and kissed
her, apparently by force, under the
stairs in the hall. The double front
doors, of meaninglessly carved walnut,
once so glossily vanished, had been
painted smoke gray, but the smoke
CRIME showed repulsively, even on the
smoke gray; and over the doors
smoked sign proclaimed the place 10
be "Stag hotel"
This was the last "walk home" he
was ever to take by the route he was
now following: up National avenue to
Anderson addition and the two big
old houses at the foot Of Anderson
boulevard; for tonight would be the
last night that he and Fanny were to
spend in the house which the Major
had forgotten to deed to Isabel. To-
morrow they were to "move out" and
George was to begin his work in Bron-
sons office. He had not come to this
collapse without fierce struggle-but
the struggle was inward, and the roll
ing world was not agitated by 1t,
and rolled calmly on. For of all the
ideals of life" which the world, In its
rolling, inconsiderately f1attens out to
nothingness, the least likely to retain
profile is that ideal which depends
upon inheriting money. George Am
berson, in spite of his record of fail
ures in business, had spoken shrewdly
when he realized at last that money,
like life, was like quicksilver In
nest of cracks" And his nephew had
the awakening experience of seeing
the great Anderson estate vanishing
into such nest-in twinkling; 1t
seemed, now that it was indeed so ut
terly vanished.
On this last homeward walk of his,
when George reached the entrance to
Anderson addition-that is, when he
came to where the entrance had for
merly been-he gave a little start,
and halted for a moment to stare.
This was the first time he had no.
ticed that the stone pillars, marking
the entrance, had been removed. Then
he realized that for long time he had
been conscious of q queerness about
this corner without being aware of
what made the difference. National
avenue met Anderson boulevard here
a. an obtuse angle, and the removal Of
the pillars made the boulevard seem a
cross street of no overpowering i'm
portance-certainly it did not seem to
be q boulevard!
George walked by the Mansion hur-
riedly, and came home to his mothers
house for the last time.
Emptiness was there, too, and the
closing Of the door resounded through
bare rooms; for downstairs there was
no furniture in the house except q
kitchen table in the dining room, which
Fanny had kept "for dinner" she said,
though as she was to cook and serve
that meal herself George had his
doubts about her name for it. Upstairs,
she had retained her own furniture,
and George had been living in his
mothers room, having sent everything