The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-11-29


that il was getting TO be a mighty
nasty wet and windy day outside.
The elevator boy noticed nothing IN
usual about him and neither did Fanny.
when she came in from church with
her hat ruined. an hour later And yet
something had happened-a thing
which, years ago, had been the eager
est hope of many. many good citizens
of the town. They had thought Of it,
lOnged for il, hoping Gcutely that they
might live TO see the day when il would
come 10 pass. And now il had hap
pened at last: George Minufer had
got his cOme-upance.
lie had got it three tines filed and
running over. The city had rolled over
his heart, burying il under, as il rolled
over the Mai Or'S and buried il under.
Tie city had rolled over the Amber
sons and buried them under 10 the last
veStige; and il mattered little that
George guessed easily enough that
most Of the five hlund<d Most Promi-
nent had paid something substantial
etc."-the Five Hundred had heayed
the final shOvelful of SCOT upon that
heap of ObScurity wherein the Amber
sons were lost forever from sight and
history. Quicksilver in a nest of
cracks
George Minafer had got mis- come
upance, but the people who had 50
longed for II were not there TO see II.
and they never knew it. Those who
were still living had forgotten all
about it and all about him.
George had seen Eugene only once
since their calamitous encounter. They
had passed on opposite sides OF the
street, downtown each had been
aware that the other was aware of
him, and yet each kept his eyes
/ straight forward. and neither had
shown a perceptible alteration Of coun-
| tenance. 1t seemed TO George that he
| felt emanating from the Outwaruly i'm
perturbable person Of his mothers old
| friend a hate that was like hot wind.
At his mothers funeral and at the
| Majors he had been conscious that
| Eugene was there: though he had aft
| erward no recollection of seeing him.
| and, while certain of his presence, was
uncertain how he knew of ii. Fanny
| had not told him. for she Understood
| George well enough not 10 speak to
! him of Eugene or Lucy. Nowadays
| Fanny almost never saw either OF
them and seldom thought Of them-so
| sly is the way of time with life. She
was passing middle age, when old in
| tensities and longings grow thin and
| flatten out, as Fanny herself was thin
ming and flattening out; and she was
settling down cOntentedly TO her apart
ment-house intimacies.
/, The city was so big, now, that peo-
pie disappeared into il unnoticed, and
the disappearance Of Fanny and her
neShew was not exceptional. People
no longer knew their neighbors as a
matter of course; one lived for years
next door TO strangers-that sharpest
| of all the changes since the old days
and a friend would lose sight of a
friend for a year, and not know il.
One May day George thought he had
glimpse of Lucy. He was not GER
| tain, but he was sufficiently disturbed,
in spite of his uncertainty. A promo
ton in his work now frequently took
him out of town for a week, or longer,
and it was upon his return from one of
these absences that he had the strange
experience. He had walked home from
the station, and as he turned the cor
ner which brought him in sight of the
apartment house entrance, though two
blocks distant from ii, he saw a charm
ing little figure come out, get into a
shiny landaulet automobile, and drive
away. Even at that distance no one
could have any doubt that the little
figure was charming; and the height
the quickness and decision of notion
even the swift gesture of white glove
toward the chauffeur-all were char
acteristic of Lucy. George was instant
~ subjected to shock of indefinable
nature, yet definitely shock: he did
not know what he felt-but he knew
that he felt He went on slowly, his
knees shaky.
But he found Fanny not at home
she had been out all afternoon; and
there was no record of any caller
and he began TO wonder. then to doubt
if tho small lady he had seen in the
distance was Lucy. 1t might as wei
have been, he said to himself-sincC
anyone who looked like her could give
him "a jolt like THAR
Lucy had not left card. She neve.
left one when she called on Fanny
though she did not give her reasons 6
quite definite form in her own mind
, She came seldom; this was but the
third time that year. and, when she die
come, George was not mentioned
either by her hostess or by herself-ar
oddity cOntrived between the two
ladies without either of them realiZln.
how odd it was.
At other times Lucy's thoughts o
George were anything but continuous
and weeks went by when he was no
consciously in her mind at all. He
life was a busy one: she had the hi;
house 'tO keep up" she had a gardeI
to keep up, too, a large and beautiful
garden she represented her father a
e.. 4. 4