Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1919-11-27

RaPHs .f
II do STILL" he said quietly.
Shes lovely-lovelyI Papa"
she paused, then continued-"I won
der sometimes"
"WhatT"
II wonder just how she happened
to marry Mr. Minafer."
"Oh, Minafer's all right" said Eu-
gene. "IIe's quiet sort Of man, but
he's good man and kind man. He
always was, and those things count"
II don't think l should have called
George bad tempered" Lucy said
thoughtfully. mo. l don't think he
is"
"Only when he's cross about some
thing?" Morgan suggested, with a
semblance Of sympathetic gravity.
"Yes," she said brightly, not per-
ceiving that his intention was humor-
GUS. "All the rest Of the time he's
really very amiable. OF course he's
much more a perfect child the whole
time than he realizes! He certainly
behaved awfully tonight" She
jumped up, her indignation returning.
''He did, indeed, and it won't do to en-
courage him in 1t. l think he'll find
me pretty cool-for week or so
Whereupon her father suffered a re-
newal of his attack of uproarious
laughter.
In the matter of GOODNESS George
met Lucy upon her own predeter-
mined ground; in fact, he was there
first, and at their next encounter
proved loftier and more formal than
she did. Their estrangement lasted
three weeks, and then disappeared
without any preliminary treaty: it
had worn itself out and they forgot it.
The Major had taken a great fancy
to her, insisting upon her. presence
and her fathers at the ANDERSON fam
lily dinner at the Mansion every Sum
day evening. She knew how to f1irt
with old people, he said, as she sat
next him at the table on one of these
Sunday occasions; and he had always
liked her father, even when Eugene
was a "terror" long ago. "Oh, yes,
he was! !" the Major laughed when she
demonstrated. "He came up here
with my son George and some others
for a serenade one night, and Eugene
stepped into a bass fiddle, and the
poor musicians just gave up That
serenade was just before Isabel was
married-and don't you fret, Miss
Lucy: your father remembers it well
enough" The old gentleman burst
into laughter, and shook his finger at
Eugene across the table. "The fact
is" the Major went on hilariously, IT
believe if Eugene hadn't broken that
bass fiddle and given himself away
Isabel would never have taken Will
bur! l shouldn't be surprised If that
was about all the reason that Wilbur
got her What do you think, Will
bur"
II shouldn't be surprised" said Will
bur placidy. IF your notion is right
I'm glad Gene broke the fiddle. He
was giving me hard nj"
The Major always drank three
glasses of champagne at his Sunday
dinner, and he was finishing the third.
"What do you say about 1t, Isabel?
By Jove" he cried, pounding the
table, she's blushIngV'
Eugene was as pink as Isabel, but
he laughed without any sign Of embar-
rassment other than his heightened
color. There's another important
thing-that is, for me-" he said. "It's
the only thing that makes me forgive
that bass viol for getting in my way"
'What is itT the Major asked.
"Lucy," said Morgan gently.
Isabel gave him a quick glance, all
warm approval and there was MUIR
muir of friendliness round the table.
Summer glided by evenly and quick
ly enough, for the most part, and at
the end seemed to fly. On the last
night before George went back to be
a junior his mother asked him conf
IDENTIFY if it had not been hacSy
summer.
He hadn't thought about it, he an
swered. "Oh, l suppose so. WhyT'
II just thought it would be nice to
hear you say So" she said, smiling.
tits seemed to me that it must have
been a happy summer for you-a real
summer of roses and wine'-without
the wine, perhaps. Gather We roses
while We mayor was it primrosesf
Time does really fly, or perhaps it's
like the Sky-and smoke"
George was puzzled. "It strikes me
you're getting mixed. 1 don't see
much resemblance between time and
the sky, or between things and smoke
wreaths; but 1 do see one reason you
ike Lucy Morgan so much. She
talks that same kind Of wistfuI,
noony way sOmetimes-I don't mean
to say l mind it in either of you, be-
cause l rather like to listen to II,
and you've got a very good voice,
mother. It's nice to listen to, no mat
er how much smoke aud sky, and
20 on, you talk. Sos Lucy's, for that
natter; and 1 see why yoa're con-
genial. She talks that way to her
'ather, too; and he's right there with
no caDao bind oR rr,,Aa Tu.lr