River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1919-11-27

prospects" from his father to fall
back upon; but Fanny had neither
prospects" nor philosophy. However,
a legal survey Of Wilbur's estate re-
vealed the fact that his life insurance
was left clear of the wreck; and Isa-
bel, with the cheerful consent of her
son, promptly turned this salvage over
to her sister-in-law. Invested, 1t would
yield something better than nine hum
dred dollars year, and thus she was
assured of becoming neither O pauper
nor dependent, but proved to be, as
Anderson said, adding his efforts to
the cheering up Of Fanny, IAN heiress,
after all, in spite Of rolling mills and
the devil"
The coliegian did not return to his
home for the holidays. Instead, Isa-
bel Joined him, and they went South
for the two weeks. She was proud of
her stalwart, good-looking son at the
hotel where they stayed, and 1t was
meat and drink to her when she saw
how people stared at him in the lobby
and on the big verandas-indeed, her
vanity in him was SO dominant that
she was unaware of their staring at
her with more interest and an adj
miration friendlier than George
evoked.
Both of them felt constantly the diff
ference between this Christmas time
and other Christmas times of theirs
in all, 1t was sorrowful holiday. But
when Isabel came East for Georges
commencement, in June, she brought
Lucy with her-and things began to
seem different, especially when George
Anderson arrived with Lucy's father
on class day. Eugene had been in New
York. on business; Anderson easily
persuaded him to this outing; and they
made a cheerful party Of it, with the
new graduate of course the hero and
center of it ALL
His uncle was q fellow alumnus.
''Yonder was where / roomed when
was here" he said, pointing out one of
the university buildings to Eugene. II
don't know whether George would let
my admirers place tablet to mark
the spot, or not. He owns all these
buildings now, you KNOW.
Didn't you, when you were here?
Like uncle, like nephew"
"I'm sure didn't have it so badly
at his age" Anderson said reflectively,
as they strolled on through the COM
mencement crowd.
Eugene laughed. "You need only
three things to explain all that's good
and bad about Georgia"
s'Three?"
"He's Isabel's only child. He's an
Anderson. He's d boy"
sWell, Mister Bones, Of these three
things which are the good ones and
which are the bad ones?"
GAIL of Them" said Eugene.
George took no conspicuous part in
either the academic or the social cele-
bratiOns of his class; he seemed to re-
gard both sets Of exercises with toll
mot going in much for either of those
sorts of things" as he explained to
Lucy. What his crowd had gone in for
remained ambiguous; some negligent
testimony indicating that, except for
an astonishing reliability which they
all seemed to have attained in matters
relating to musical comedy, they had
not gone in for anything. Certainly
the question one of them put to Lucy,
in response to Investigations of hers,
seemed to point that way: 'Don't you
think" he said, "really, don't you
think that being things is rather better
than doing things?"
He said ''rahthuh bettuh" for rather
better" and seemed to do it deliberate
ly, with perfect knowledge Of what he
was doing. Later, Lucy Knocked him
to George, and George refused to
smile: he somewhat inclined to such
recommendations, himself. This inclina-
ton was one of the things that he had
acquired in the four years.
What else he had acquired, it might
have puzzled him to state, had any
body asked him and required a direct
reply within reasonable space of
time. He had learned how to pass ex-
aminations by "cramming;" that is, in
three or four days and nights he could
get into his head enough of selected
fragment of some scientific of philo-
sophical Or literary or linguistic SUBJ
ject to reply plausibly to six questions
out of ten. He could retain the infor-
nation necessary for such feat just
long enough to give successful per-
Torrance; then it would evaporate ut
terly from his brain, and leave him I'M
disturbed. George. like his Crowd"
not only preferred "being things" to
doing things" but had contented him
self with four years of "being things"
as preparation for going on "being
things" And when Lucy rather shyly
pressed him for his friends probable
definition of the things it seemed Sc
superior and beautiful to be, George
raised his eyebrows slightly, meaning
that she should have understood with
out explanation; but he did explain:
"Oh, family and all that-be.ng a gen.
f1oYo0n cy1rnnco