Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-09-09
CHAPTER II.

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-for both the daily newspa-
pers thus described Mrs. Foster when
she founded the Women's Tennyson
club; and her word upon art, letters
and the drama was accepted more as
law than as opinion/ Naturally when
"HaZel Kirke" finally reached town,
after it's long triumph in larger places,
many people waited to hear what
Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster thought
Of 1t 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.
81 didn't see the play" she in
formed them.
"Wnat! Why, we saw you, right IN
the middle of the fourth row !"
eyes" she said smiling, "but l was
sitting just behind Isabel Anderson.
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 so 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 otner
by that winning if not winsome old
trait, persistence. The sparkling gen
tleman 'led germans" with her, and
sent sonnets to her with his bou-
auets-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 too merry
a party one night, and during 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 iveliness;
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 it was a different matter: she
refused to see him when he called to
apologize. "You seem to care a great
deal about bass ViolS !" he wrote her.
II promise never to break another"
She made no response to the note, I'M
less 1t was an answer, two weeks
later, when her engagement was an
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 an Apollo, as 1t
were" he was "a steady young bust
ness man and q good church goer,"
and Isabel Anderson was 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 at the next meet
ing Of the "Wcnen's Tennyson club"
"Wilbur Minafer"' member cried,
her infection seeming to imply that
Wlbur's crime was explained by his
surname. Wilbur Minafer! It's the
queerest thing l ever heardi To think
of her taking Wilbur Minafer, just
because a man any woman would like
1 a thousand times better was a little
wild one night at a sersnadem
"No, that wasn't her reason" said
wise Mrs. Henry Franklin Foster. IF
men only knew it-and it's a good
thing they dOnt-a woman doesn't
really care much about whether
mans wild or not, If 1t doesn't affect
! herself, and Isabel ANDERSON doesn't
care a thing!"
Mrs. Foster!'
mo, she doesn't. What she minds
is his making a clown of himself In
her front yard 1t made her think he
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
the invitations viii be out next
week. It'll be a big Amberson-style
thing, raw oysters floating in seooped-
out blocks OF ice and a band from out
of town-champagne snowy presents;
a colossal present from the Major.
Then Wilbur will take Isabel on the
carefulest little wedding trip he can
manage, and she'll be good wife to
| him. but they'll have the worst spoiled
lot Of children this town win ever
| see"
How on earth do you make that
I ont, Mrs. Foster?''
'She couldn't love Wilbur. could
sheF" Mrs. Foster demanded, with no
challengerS. 'fWeI. it win all 90 to
her children, and she'll ruin 'em !"
TIE prophecies proved to be mis-
/ taken in q single detail merely: except
/ Tor that her foresight was accurate.