The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-11-21


some friend of mine has a relative
with ideals directly, the opposite of
mine, and my friend believes more in
the relatives ideals than in mine: Do
you think ought to give up my own
just to please a person who's taken up
ideals that really despise?"
"No, dear; of course people can't
give up their ideals; but l don't see
what this has to do with dear little
Lucy and"
II didn't say it had anything to do
with Them" he interrupted. II was
merely putting case to show how a
person would be justified in being a
friend of one member of family and
feeling anything but friendly toward
another. I don't say, though, that
feel unfriendly to Mr.. Morgan. don't
say that l feel friendly to him, and
don't say that feel unfriendly; but
if you really think that was rude to
him tonight"
"Just thoughtless, dear. You didn't
see that what you said tonight"
swell, I'll not say anything of that
sort again where he can hear it..
There, isn't that enough?"
'But, George" she said earnestly,
"you would like him, if you'd just let
yourself. You say you don't dislike
him. Why don't you like hin? can't
understand at all. What is it that you
DON'T"
"There, there!" he said. "It's all
right, and you toddle along"
'But, George"
snow, now! really do want to Get
into bed. Goodnight, old lady,"
"But, George, dear"
''I'm going to bed, old lady; so good
night"
Thus the interview closed perforce.
She kissed him again before going
slowly to her own room, her perplex-
ity evidently not dispersed; but the
subject was not renewed between
them the next day or subsequently.
Nor did Fanny make any allusion to the
cryptic appreciation she had bestowed
upon her nephew after the Majors
mot very successful little dinner"
though she annoyed George by looking
at him oftener and longer than he
cared to be looked at by an aunt.
He successfully avoided contact
with Lucy's father, though Eugene
came frequently to the house, and
spent several evenings with Isabel and
Fanny; and sometimes persuaded them
and the Major to go for an afternoons
motoring. He did not, however, come
again to the, Majors Sunday evening
dinner, even when George ANDERSON
returned. Sunday evening was. the
time, he explained, for going over the
weeks work with his factory man
ayers.
When Lucy came home the autumn
was far enough advanced to smell Of
burning leaves, and for the annual
editorials, in the papers, on the purple
haze, the golden branches, the rudy
fruit, and the pleasure of long tramps
in the brown forest. George had not
heard of her arrival, and he met her,
on the afternoon following that event,
at the Sharons', where he had gone in
the secret hope that he might hear
something about her. jamie Sharon
had just begun to tell him that she
heard Lucy was expected home soon,
after having "a perfectly gorgeous
time"-informatio which George re-
ceived with no responsive enthusiasm
when Lucy came demurely in,
proper little autumn figure in green
and brown.
Her cheeks were flushed and her
dark eyes were bright indeed; evil
dences, as George supposed, of the
excitement incidental to the perfectly
gorgeous time just concluded; though
jamie and Mary Sharon both thought
they were the effect Of Lucy's having
seen Georges runabout in front of the
house as she came in. George took on
color, himself, as he rose and nodded
indifferently; and 1.-THE hot suffusion to
which he became subject extended It's
Nothing could have made him much
more indignant than his consciousness
of these symptoms Of the Icy indiffer-
ence which it was his purpose not only
to show but to feel.
She kissed her cousins, gave George
her hand, said SLOW d'you do" and
took chair beside JAMIE with COM
posture which augmented Georges in
dignation.
How d'you do?" he said. II trust
that all trust-I do trust"
He stopped, for it seemed to him
that the word trust" sounded idlotic.
Then, to cover his awkwardness, he
coughed, and even to his own rosy
ears his cough was ostentatiously a
false one. Lucy sat silent and the
two Sharon girls leaned forward, star
ing at him with strained eyes, their
lips tightly compressed; and both were
but too easily diagnosed as subject to
an agitation which threatened their
self-control. He began again.
II tr-I hope you have had a--a
pleaSant time fri hone Won are