Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-09-19

hotel where they stayed, and 1t was
meat and drink to her when she saw
how people stared at him In the lobby
and on the big erandas-indeed, her
vanity in him was so dominant that
she was unaware Of their staring at
her with more interest and an adj
miratlon friendlier than George
evoked.
/ Both Of them felt constantly the diff
ference between this Christmas time
and other Christmas times of theirs
in all, it was a sorrowful holiday. But
when Isabel came East for Georges
commencement in June, she brought
Lucy with her-and things began to
seem different, especially when George
Anderson arrived with Lucy's father
on class day. Eugene had been in New
York, on business; Anderson easily
persuaded him to this outing; and they
made a cheerful party Of 1t, with the
new graduate Of course the hero and
center of it all.
His uncle was a fellow alumnus.
"Yonder was where l rOOmed when l
was here" he said, pointing out one OF
the university buildings to Eugene. 81
don't know whether George would let
my admirers place a tablet to mark
the spot, or not. He owns all these
buildings now you know"
I Didn't you, when you were here2
Like uncle, like nephew"
"Im sure 1 didn't have it so badly
at his age" ANDERSON said rehectively,
as they strolled on through the COM
mencement crowd.
Eugene laughed. "You need only
three things to explain all that's good
and bad about George"
"Three?"
"He's Isabels only child. He's an
ANDERSON. He's a boy"
"Well, Mister Bones, Of these three
things which are the good ones and
which are the bad Ones?"
GAIL of them" said Eugene.
George took no conspicuous part in
either the academic or the social cele-
bratiOns of his class; he seemed to re-
gard both sets of exercises with toll
Grant amusement, his own "crOwd"
mot going in much for either of those
sorts of things as he explained to
Lucy. What his crowd had gone in for
remained ambiguous; some negligent
testimony indicating that, except for
an astonishing reliability which they
all seemed to have attained in matters
relating to musical comedy, they had
not gone in for anything. Certainly
the question one of them put to Lucy,
in response to investigations of hers,
seemed to point that way; Don't you
think" he said, "really, don't you
think that being things is rather better
than doing things?"
He said "rahthuh bettuh" fer "rather
better" and seemed to do it deliberate
ly, with perfect knowledge of what he
was doing Later, Lucy Knocked him
to George, and George refused to
smile: he somewhat inclined to such
pronunciations, himself. This inclina-
ton was one of the things that he had
acquired in the four years.
What else he had acquired, it might
have puzzled him to state, had any
body asked him and required a direct
rop1v y-ithin a roocOuohIo epoco of
time He had learned how to pass ex-
aminationS by "cramming;" that is in
three or four days and nights he could
get into his head enough of a selected.
fragment of some scientific of philO-
sOphical or literary or linguistic sub
ject to reply pausibly to six questions
out of ten. He could retain the infor-
nation necessary for such a feat just
long enough to give a successful per-
Torrance; then it would evaporate ut
tery from his brain, and leave him I'M
disturbed. George, like his "crowd,"
not only preferred "being things" to
doing things" but had cOntented him
self with four years of "being things"
as preparation for going on being
things" And when Lucy rather shyly
pressed him for his friends probable
definition of the things" it seemed so
superior and beautiful to be, George
raised his eyebrows slightly, meaning
that she should have understood with
out explanation; but he did explain:
ooh, family and all that-being a gen.
tleman, l suppose"
Lucy gave the horizon long look,
but offered no comment.
"Aunt Fanny doesn't look much bet
ter" George said to his mother, a few
minutes after their arrival, on the
night they got home. Doesn't she get
over it at all? l thought she'd feel
better when we turned over the insur-
ance to her-gave it to her absolutely,
without any strings to 1t. She looks
about a thousand years Oldw
"She looks quite girish, sometimes,
though" his mother said.
HAS she looked that way much
since father"
"NOt so much" Isabel said thought
fully. "But she will, as time goes on"
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