The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-09-04
CHAPTER II.

0'fN -fh
Another citizen said an eloquent
thing about Miss Isabel Amberson's
looks. This was Mrs. Henry Franklin
Foster, the foremost literary authority
and intellectual leader of the com
munity-foT both the daily newspa.
pers thus described Mrs. Foster when
she founded the Women's TennysoD
club; and her word upon art, letters
and the drama was accepted more az
law han as opinion. Naturally when
Hazel Kirke" finally reached town,
after Its long triumph in larger places
many people waited to hear what
Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster thought
OF II before they felt warranted In ex-
pressing any estimate Of the play. In
fact, some of them waited In the lobby
of the theater as they came out and
formed an inquiring group about her.
g" didn't see the play" she in
formed them.
"What! Why, we saw you, right In
the middle of the fourth row!"
Eyes" she said, smiling, "but / was
sitting just behind Isabel ANDERSON.
i couldn't look at anything except her
wavy brown hair and the wonderful
back OF her neck"
The ineligible young men OF the
town (they were all ineligible) were
unable to content themselves with the
view that had SC charmed Mrs. Henry
Franklin Foster; they spent their time
struggling to keep Miss Amberson's
face turned toward them. She turned
1t most often, observers said, toward
two: one excelling In the general
struggle by his sparkle, and the other
by that winning If not winsome old
trait, persistence. The sparkling gen.
tleman lied germans with her, and
sent sonnets to her with his bou-
quets-sonnets lacking neither music
nor wit. He was generous, poor, we'll
dressed, and his amazing persuasive
ness was one reason why he was al
ways In debt. No one doubted that
he would be able to persuade Isabel,
but he unfortunately Joined toe merry
a party n night, and during a moon
light serenade upon the lawn before
the Anderson mansion, was easily
identified from the windows as the
person who stepped through the bass
viol and had to be assisted to a wait
Ing carriage. One Of Miss Amberson's
brothers was among the serenaders,
and when the party had dispersed re-
NAMED propped against the front
door In a state of helpless %liveliness;
the Major going down in a dressing
gown and slippers to bring him In, and
scolding mildly. while imperfectly con-
cealing strong impulses to laughter.
Miss Anderson also laughed at this
brother the next day, but for the
sutton 1t was a different matter: she
refused to see him when he called to
apologize. "You seem to care q great
deal about bass viols I" he wrote her.
II promise never to break another"
She made ne response TO the note, un-
less 1t was an answer, two weeks
later, when her engagement was un.
nounced. She took the persistent one,
Wilbur Minafer, no breaker Of bass
viols or of hearts, no serenader at all.
A few people, who always foresaw
everything, claimed that they were not
surprised, because though Wilbur Min
afer might not be IN Apollo, as It
We're" he was "a steady young bust.
ness man and a good church goer,"
and Isabel Anderson a pretty SEN
sible-for such a snowy girl" But
the engagement astounded the young
people, and most of their fathers and
mothers too; and as a topic 1t sup
planted literature Mt the next meet
ing of the "Women's Tennyson club"
wilbur Minafer! !" a member crie,L
her infection seeming to imply that
Nlhur's crime was explained by his
m "Wllbur Minaferr It'e the
gMearest thing ! ever heard TIC think
of her taking Wilbur Minafer, Just
because a man any woman would like
a thousand times better was a little
wild one night at a serenadel"
mo, that wasn't her reason" said
wise Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster. "If
men only knew it-and It's a good
thing they don't-a woman doesn't
really care much about whether a
mans wild or not. II 1t doesn't affect
herself. and Isabel ANDERSON doesn't
care q thingw
sMrs. Fosterl"
mo, she doesn't. What she minds
IL his making q clown Of himself In
her front yardi 1t made her think ne
didn't care much about her. She's
probably mistaken, but that's what
she thinks. and it's too late for her
to think anything else now, because
she's going to be married right away
1.-THE Invitations viii be out next
week. nm be a biz Amberson-style
thing. raw oysters floating In scooped.
out blocks Of Ice and . band from out
d town-champagne, snowy presents;
colossal present from the Major.
Tkon Wilbur will take Isabel on the
c~arefulest little wedding trip he can