The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-11-20

do, and he said that he'd suggested II to
Eugene, and Eugene had agreed. They
thought"
"Yesw George said bitterly. T
should like to hear what they thought!"
''They thought 1t would be the most
straightforward thing"
George drew long breath. "well,
what do you think. motherT
81 thought 1t would be the simplest
and most straightforward thing; /
thought they were right"
"very we'll Wen agree It was SIM
pie and straightforward. Now, what
do you think Of that letter itself?"
She hesltated. looking away. "I-of
course l don't agree with him in the
way he speaks of you. dear-except
about the angell l don't agree with
some of the things he implies. You've
always been unselfsh-nobody knows
that better than your mother.
"And yet" George broke In, "you
see what he implies about me. Don't
you think, really, that this was pret-
ty insulting letter for that man to be
asking you to hand your sonT
"oh, nor she cried. "You see how
fair he means to be, and he didn't ask
for me to give II TO you. 1t was brother
George who"
"Never mind that, now! You say
he tries to be fair and yet do you sup
pose 1t ever occurs TO him that I'm
doing my simple duty? That I'm doing
what my father would do IL he were
alive? That I'm doing what my father
would ask me to do If he could speak
from his grave out yonder? Do you
suppose IL ever occurs To that man for
one minute that I'm protecting my
motherT George raised his voice ad-
vanclng upon the helpless lady fierce
ly; and she could only bend her head
before him. "lle talks about my WIN
how It must be beaten down; yes,
and he asks my mother to do that lit
tie thing to please himl What for?
Why does he want me beaten by my
mother? Because I'm trying to pro-
tect her namel He's got my mothers
name banded up and down the streets
of this town till can't step In those
streets without wondering what every
soul l meet is thinking of me and Of
my family, and now he wants you to
marry him so that every gossip In
town will say 'Therel what did | tell
YOU? | guess that proves It's true y
You can't get away from IL; that's ex-
uctly what they'd say, and this man
pretends he cares for you, and yet
asks you TO marry him and give them
I the right to say IL. lie says he and
YOU don't care what they say, but l
know betterl He may not care-prob-
ably he's that kind-but you do. There
never was an ANDERSON yet that would
let the ANDERSON name go trailing In
the dust like thatl It's she proudest
name in this town, and it's going TO
stay the proudest; and / tell You that's
the deepest thing In my nature-not
that I'd expect Eugene Morgan to un-
Gerstand-the very deepest thing In my
nature Is to protect that name and 20
! fight for II TO the last breath when
danger threatens II as II does now
through my motherw He turned from
her strlding up and down and tossing
his arms about In tumult of gesture.
IL can't believe II OF you that you'd
think of such sacrilegel That's
what 1t would be--sacrllegel When he
talks about your unselfishness toward
me he's right-you have been unselfish
and you have been a perfect mother.
But what about him? Is II unselfish
Of him to want you to throw away