The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-12-05
"All you needed7'
Eyes, mother"

one uuL SpCdh dkulA 4OA u esA&s~e
then, "Are you sure you didn't-didnt
catch cold-coming homer"
I'm all right, mother"
'That's good. It's sweet-its
sweet"
"What is, mother darling?"
"To feel-my hand on your cheek
II can feel it,
But this frightened him horribly
that she seemed so glad she could feel
1t. like a child proud Of some miraeu-
lous seeming thing accomplished. II
frightened him SO that he could oOe
speak, and he feared that she wouid
unaware, and again was silent. Final
ly she spoke again:
II wonder if-if Eugene and Lucy
know that we've come--bome."
"Tm sure they do"
HAS he-asked about meT
Eyes, he was here"
HAS he-goner
Eyes, mother"
She sighed family. "rd like
"What, mother7'
"Td like to have-seen him." It was
audible. this little regretful murmur.
Several minutes passed before there
was another. "Just-just once" she
whispered, and then was sttU.
She seemed to have fallen asleep
and George moved to go, but faint
pressure upon his fingers detained
him, and he remained, with her hand
still pressed against his cheek. After
a while he made sure she was asleep.
and moved again, to let the nurse
come in, and this time there was no
pressure of the fingers to keep h,ni
She was not asleep, but thinking that
If he went he might get some rest. and
be better prepared for what she knew
was coming, she commanded those
longing tin gers of hers-and let him
go.
He found the doctor standing with
the nurse in the hall; and, telling
them that his mother was browsing
now. George went back to his own
room, where he was startled to find
his grandfather lying on the bed, ana
his uncle leaning against the wall
They had gone home two hours before,
and he did not know they had return
ed.
1.-THE doctor thought we'd better
come over" Anderson said, then was
silent. and George, shaking violently.
sat down on the edge of the bed His
shaking continued, and from time TO
time he wiped heavy sweat from his
forehead.
The hours passed, and sometimes
the old man upon the bed would snOre
little stop suddenly. and move as II
to rise, but George ANDERSON would
set hand upon his shoulder, and
murmur a reassuring word or two,
Once George gasped defantly :
.That doctor in New York said she
| might get better! Don't you know he
did2 Don't you know he said she
might?"
Anderson made no answer.
Dawn had been murking through
the smoky windows, growing strong
er for half an hour, when both meD
started violently at sound in the
hall and the Major sat up on the bed
1t was the voice of the nurse speaking
| to Fanny Minafer. and the next mo
ment Fanny appeared in the doorway
making contorted efforts to speak.
ANDERSON said weakly: Does she
want us-to come in?"
| But Fanny found her voice, and ut
tered long, 1oud cry. She threw her
arms about George, and sobbed in an
agony of loss and compassion.
"She loved you" she walled. "She'
loved you'll She loved you'll oh. how
she did love your
Isabel had just left them.
Major Anderson remained dry-eyed
through the time that followed; he
knew that this separation from his
daughter would be short; that the
separation which had preceded 1t WIS
the long one. He worked at his
ledgers no more under his old gas
drop-ligbt, but would sit all evening
staring into the fire, in his bedroom.
and not speaking unless someone ask
ed him question. He seemed afmOsS
unaware of what went on around him.
and those who were with him thought
him dazed by Isabers death, guessing
that he was lost in "reminiscences and
vague dreams. "Probably his mind IT,
full of pictures of his youth, or the
Civil war, and the days when he and
mother were young married people
and all of us children were jolly little
things-and the city was small town
with one cobbled street and the others
just dirt roads with board sidewalks"
This was George Amberson's conjec-
ture, and the others agreed; but they
were mistaken. The Major was en-
gagged in the profoundest thinking OF
his life. No business plans which hsts
ever absorbed him could compare In
momentousness with the plans that
absorbed him now, for he had to plan
how to enter the unknown country
ruhara ho wos mot ouou Sr1ra Of hssfp<y