Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-11-18
CHAPTER XVI.

WHAT NNts
Breakfast was brought to him In his
room as usual; but he did not make
his normal healthy raid upon the
dainty tray: the food remained I'M
touched, and he sustained himself
left nothing of value inside the glis-
tening little percolator. During this
process he heard his mother being
summoned to the telephone in the hall,
not far from his door, and then her
voice responding: "Yes? Oh. it's you !
Indeed L should! OF
course Then I'll expect you
about three Yes
Goodby till then" A few minutes
later he heard her speaking to some
one beneath his window, and, looking
out, saw her directing the removal of
plants from small garden bed to
the Majors conservatory for the win
ter. She laughed gayly with the Ma
jOr's gardener over something he said,
and this uncOncerned cheerfulnesS of
her was terrible to her son.
He went to his desk, and, searching
the jumbled contents of a drawer,
brought forth large, unframed pho
tOgraph of his father, upon which he
gazed long and piteously, till at last
hot tears stood in his eyes. poor,
poor fatherl" the son whispered bro
kenlya Poor man, I'm glad you didn't
known
He wrapped the picture in sheet
of newspaper, put it under his arm,
and, leaving the house hurriedly and
steadily, went downtown to the shop
of silversmith, where he spent sixty
dollars on a reSplendently feStoOned
silver frame for the picture. Having
lunched upon more coffee, he returned
to the house at two o'clock, carrying
the framed photograph with him, and
placed it upon the center table in the
library, the room most used by Isabel
and Fanny and himself. Then he went
to front window of the long "recep-
ton room," and sat looking out
| through the lace curtains.
George looked often at his watch,
but his vigil did not last an hour. At
ten minutes of three, peering through
the curtain, he saw an automobile stop
in front of the house and Eugene Nor
gan jump lightly down from it. The
car was of new pattern, low and
long, with an ample seat in the ton
neau, facing forward; and prOfes-
sional driver sat ut the wheel. a
strange figure in leather goggled out
of all personality and seemingly part
of the mechanism.
Eugene himself, as he came I'D the
cement path to the house, was a fig
ure of the new era which was In time
| to be so disastrous to stiff hats and
skirted coats; and his appearance af-
| forded debonair contrast to that of
the queer-looking duck capering at the
Anderson ball ia an old dress coat.
and next day chugging up National
avenue through the snow in his night
mare of a sewing machine Eugene
this afternoon was richly clad in new
outdoor mode: his motoring coat was
soft gray fur; his cap and gloves were
of gray suede. and though Lucy's hand
may have shown itself in the selection
of these high garnitures. he wore them
easily. even with becoming hint of
jauntiness. Some change might be
seen in his face. too. for a successful
man Is seldom to be mistaken. espe-
cially If his temper be genial. Eugene
had begun to look Ike a millionaire.
But, above everything else, what was
most evident about him, as he came
up the path. was his confidence in the
happiness promised by his present
errand; the anticipation in his eyes
could have been read by a stranger.
His look at the door of Isabel's house
was the look of a man who is quite
certain that the next moment will re-
veal something ineffably charming. in
expressibly dear.
When the bell rang George
waited at the entrance of the "recep-
ton room" until a housemaid came
through the hall on her way to answer
the summons.
'You needn't mind, Mary" he told
Ter. 'Tll see who it is and what they
want. Probably it's only a peddler."
'Thank you, sir. Mister George"
said Mary. and returned to the rear of
the house
George went slowly TO the front door
and halted, regarding the misty siIhou-
cite of the caller upon the ornamental
frosted glass. After a minute of
waiting this silhouette changed outline
so that an arm could be distinguished
An arm outstretched toward the bell.
as If the gentleman outside doubted
whether or not II had sounded and
were minded to try again. But before
the gesture was completed George alb
ruptly threw open the door and
stepped squarely upon the middle of
| the threshold.
A slight change Swallowed the face
of Eugene; his look of happy anticipa-
ton gave why TO something formal
and polite, How do you do. Georgey'
| he said. Mrs. Minafe- expects TO go
x-sx<r- xx-fsL uso I holioxa-sT xo,,1l