Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-12-09

she said slowly. Nobody could have
stopped you. You were too strong,
and"
Sand what?" he demanded loudly.
"And she loved you-tOo WELL"
George stared at her hard. then his
lower lip began to move convulsively,
and he set his teeth upon it but could
not check its frantic twitching.
He ran out of the room.
She sat still, listening. He had
plunged into his mothers room, but no
sound came to Fanny's ears after the
sharp closing of the door; and pres
emily she rose and stepped out into
the hall-but could hear nothing.
What interview was sealed away from
human eye and ear within the lonely
darkness on the other side Of that
dOOr-in that darkness where Isabel's
own special chairs were, and her own
special books, and the two great wal
nut wardrobes filled with her dresses
and wraps? What tragic argument
might be there vainly striving to con-
flute the gentle dead? SIN Gods name,
what else could / have doneT For
his mothers immutable silence was
surely answering him as Isabel in life
would never have answered him, and
he was beginning to understand how
eloquent the dead can be. They cam
not stop their eloquence. no matter
how they have loved the living; they
cannot choose. And so, no matter in
what agony George should cry out.
What else could l have donep and
to the end of his life no matter how
often he made that wild appeal, Isabel
was doomed to answer him with the
wistful, faint murmur.
I'D like to have-seen him. Just
once"
A superstitious person
might have thought 1t unfortunate that
Fanny's partner in speculative indus
try as in Wilbur's disastrous rolling
mills, was that charming but too hap
hazardous man of the world, George
Anderson. He was one of those op-
timists who believe that if you put
money into q great many enterprises
one of them is sure to turn out a for
the lucky one, It is only necessary to
go into large enough number of them.
"You ought 10 have thought of my
record and stayed out" he told Fanny,
one day the next spring, when the af-
fairs of the headlight company had
kn0r1p to IonIy dicoo,1ra UinO TNhinOc
do look bleak, and Pm only glad you
didn't go into this COMPOUNDED thing
to the extent I did"
Miss Fanny grew pink. 'But it must
GO right" she protested. "We saw
with our own eyes how perfectly 1t
worked out in thu shop. 1t simply"
"Oh. you're right about that" Am
berson said. SIT certainly was a per-
feet thing-in the shop!"
"But think of that test on the road
when We"
"That test was lovely" he admitted.
"The inventor made us happy with his
oratory, and you and Frank Bronson
and went whirling through the night
at a speed that thrilled us. We must
never forget it-and we never shall.
II cost"
But something must be DONE"
"It must indeed My something
would seem to be leaving my watch at
my uncle's. Luckily, you"
The pink of Fanny's cheeks became
deeper. But isn't that man going to
do anything to remedy it? Can't he
try to"
"He can try" said Anderson. "He
is trying, in fact. I've sat in the shop
watching him try for several beautiful
afternoons"
"But you must make him keep on
trying"
"Oh. yes. I'll keep sittingw
However, in spite of the time he
spent sitting in the shop. worrying the
inventor of the fractions light, Amber
son found opportunity to worry him.
self about another matter of business.
This was the settlement of ISabel's
estate.
'Tt's curious about the deed to her
house." he said to his nephew. You're
absolutely sure 1t wasn't among her pa
pers?"
Mother didn't have any papers"
George told him. "None at all. All
she ever had to do with business was
to deposit the checks grandfather gave
her, and then write her own checks
against Them
THE deed to the house was never
recorded" Anderson said thoughtful
". ''I've been over to the courthouse
to see. / think II would be just as
we'll to get him to execute one now in
your favor. I'll speak to him about
it."
George sighed. 81 don't think I'd
bother him about 1t; the house is mine,
and you and l understand that it is.
That's enough for me. and there isn't
likely to be much trouble between you
and me when we come TO settling poor
grandfather's estate. I've just been
with him. and | think ii would only
confuse him for you to speak TO him
about II again. I notice he seems dis
tressed if anybody tries to get his at
tention-he's a long way off, some
where. and he likes to stay that way.
7 think-I think mother wouldn't want
US to bother him about It; I'm sure
she'd tell us TO let him alone. He
looks so white and queer"
Anderson shook his head. at won't
bother him any more than 1 can help
but I'll have the deed made out ready
for his signature"
81 wouldn'e bother him at all. /
don't see"
''Yop might see." said his uncle I'M
easily. "The estate Is just about as
involved and mixed up as an estate
can well get. to the best of my knowl-
edge. You ought TO have that deed"
mo. don't bother him."
an bother him as little as possible.
I'll wait till some day when he seems
TO brighten up little"
But Anderson waited too long. The
Major had already taken eleven months