The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-11-21
cnAPrER xv-ee.unuJd.

Fl
I'm not sufe, Georgfe. When I WIS
yoar age I MAS Ike you In manyways,
especially I'm mot being. very, cool-
headed, 20 1 can't say. Youth can't be
trustsds tor ,much, except asserting
itself and nshting and making love-"
'Indeedi" George sn6rted. .+1day /
ask what you think / ought to, have
done1" - s~'.~-s-' :. Z,
'.Nothias.'' ~ -----.,.--
.'Nothingf" George echoed. mock
tng bitterly. II suppose you think I
mean to let my mothers good mamie"
"Your mothers good name r. Am
berson cut him OF impatiently. ''No-
body has good name In a bad mouth.
Nobody has a good name In a silly
mouth. either. Well. your mothers
name was in some silly mouths. and
all you've done was to 60 and have
scene with the worst old woman COS
dip In the town. scene that's going
to make her Into a partisan against
your mother. whereas she was . mere
prattler before. Don't you suppose
she'll be all over town with this to-
morrow7 And she'll see to It that
everybody who's limited anything
about poor Isabel will know that
you're ON the warpath and that will
put them on the defensive and make
them vicious. The story will grow as
It spreads and"
George unfolded his arms to strike
his right nst into his left PALM But
do you suppose I'm going to tolerate
such things?" he. shouted. "What do
you suppose I'll be doing7" ).
"You can do absolutely nothing"
said Anderson. "Nothing Of any use.
The more you do the more harm you'll
do"
'sYou1l seei I'm going to stop this
thing II I have to force my way into
every house on National avenue and
Anderson boulevard!" ------..-,
His uncle laughed rather sourly but
made no other comment.
''Well. what do you propose to do7"
George demanded. "Do you propose
to sit there"
~Yes."
"-and let this riffraff handy my
mothers good name back and forth
among them7 Il that what you pro-
pose to dor
.1t's all I can do" ANDERSON re-
turned. TITS all any Of ua can do
now: just sit still and hope that the
thing may die down in time in spite
OF your stirring up that awful old,
woman 80 ~ - I'm sss
George drew long breath. then adj
vanced and stood close before his
uncle. Didn't you understand me-
when told you that people are say
Ing my mother means to marry this
manr
Yes. understood you"
You say that my going over there.
has made matters worse" George went
on. "How about it If such a-such an
unspeakable marriage did take placer
Do you think that would make people
believe they'd been wrong In saying
you know what they say
mo-" said ANDERSON deliberately:
II don't believe 1t would. But It.
wouldn't hurt Isabel and Eugene, II
they never heard Of 1t; and II they did
hear Of 1t, then they could take their
choice between placating gossip or liv-
kA8 Iva A4ASAA VWA n0RRAACoS. - tASy
have decided to marry"
George almost staggered. Good
heaven !" he gasped. You speak Of 1t
calmly II
Anderson looked up at him inquir
ingly. "Why shouldn't they marry If
they want TOT" he asked. 'It's their
own affair. I don't see anything pre-
cisely monstrous about two people get
ting married when they're both free
and care about each other. What's
the matter with their marrying?"
"It would be monstrousw George
shouted. "Monstrous even If this hor
rible thing hadn't happened, but now
In the face of this-oh, that you can
sit there and even speak of It Your
own sister! Oh" He became inco-
herent. swinging away from ANDERSON
and making for the door, wildly ges-
turing.
For heavens sake don't be so the
atrical r. said his uncle, and then. see
Ing that George was leaving the room:
Come back here. You mustn't speak
to your mother Of thisl''
Don't tend to-" George said indis-
hnctiy, and he plunged into the Dig,
dimly Lit hall. He went home and got
hat and overcoat without seeing
hther his mother or Fanny. Then he
left word that he would be out for
ninner and hurried away from the
house.
He walked the dark streets of Am
berson addition for an hour. then went
downtown and got coffee at restau-
rant. After that he walked through
the lighted parts Of the town until ten
o'clock. when he turned north and
came back to the purlieus Of the Addi-
hon. He walked f1ercely, though his
feet ached, but by and by he turned
homeward, and, when he reached the
Majors, went In and sat upon the
steps Of the huge stone veranda In
eront-an obscure figure IN that lonely
~