The Ordway new era., 1919-12-26

avenue met Anderson boulevard here
a. an obtuse angle, and the removal of
the pillars made the boulevard seem
cross street of no Overpowering i'm
portance-certainly 1t did not seem to
be boulevardl
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 resonnded through
bare rooms; for downstairs there was
no furniture in the house except a
kitchen table In the dining room. which
Fanny had kept 'for d.nner." 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
from his own to the auction. Isabels
room was still us it had been. but the
furniture would be moved with
Fanny's to new quarters in the morn
ing. Fanny had made plans for her
nephew as well as herself; she had
found n "three-room kitchenette apart
ment" in an apartment house where
several old friends of hers had estab-
lished themselves-elderly widows of
citizens once ''promlnent" and other
retired gentry. People used their own
"kitchenettes" for breakfast and lunch,
but there was a table-d'hote arrange
ment for dinner on the ground floor;
of hriH
all evening, an attraction powerful
with Fanny. She had made all the
arrangements" she reported, and ner-
vously appealed for approval, asking If
she hadn't shown herself pretty prac-
tical" in such matters. George acqui-
esced absent-mindedly. not thinking of
what she said and not realizing to
what 1t committed him.
He began to realize 1t now, as he
wondered about the dlsmantled house;
he was far from sure that he was
willing to live in "three-room apart
ment" with Fanny and eat breakfast
and lunch with her (prepared by her
self in the "kitchenette') and dinner
at the table dhote N "such a pretty
Colonial dining room" ESQ Fanny de-
IL
would have all to themselves in the
midst of a dozen little round tables
which other relics of disrupted fam
ilies would have all TO themselves. For
the first time, now that the change
was imminent, George began to devel-
op before his minds eye pictures of
v lat he was in for; and they appalled,
him. He decided that such a life
vcrged upon the sheerly unbearable,
and that after all there were some
things left that he just couldn't stand.
So he made up his mind TO speak to
his aunt about 1t at dinner" and tell
her that he preferred TO ask Bronson
10 let him put sofa-bed. n trunk and
folding rubber bathtub behind n
screen in the dark rear room of the Of
fee.
But at dinner" Fanny was nerv-
Gus. and so distressed about the fail
ure of her efforts with sweetbreads
and macaroni: and she was so eager
In her talk of how comfortable they
would be "by this time tomorrow
night
After dinner" he went upstairs,
moving his hand slowly along the
smooth walnut railing of the balus-
trade. Half way to the landing he
stopped, turned, and stood looking
down at the heavy doors masking the
black emptiness that had been the
library. Here he had stood on what
he now knew was the worst day of his
life; here he had stood when his moth
er passed through that doorway. hand
I irr-h nd ypfs haY f0 xxh n
her son had done.
He went on more heavily. more slow
ly; and. more heavily and slowly still.
entered Isabels room and shut the
door. He did not come forth again,
aud bade Fanny goodnight through
the closed door when she stopped out
side it later.
I've put all the lights out, George"
she said "Everything's all right"
Very WELL" he called. Good night.
Aunt Fanny"
His voice had strangled sound In
spite Of him: but she seemed not to
notice II. and he heard her go to her
own room and lock herself in with
bolt and key against burglars. She
had said the one thing she should not
have said just then: I'm sure your
mothers watching over you, George"
She had meant 10 be kind. but 1t de-
stroyed his last chance for sleep that
night He would have slept little IL
she had not said 1t. but since she had
said It he did not sleep at all. For he
knew that it was true-if 1t could be
truethat his mother. II she still lived
IN spirit, would be weeping on the
other side of the wall OF silence, weep
ing and seeking for some gate to let