Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-11-19
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GEORGE ONLY
BY NELLIE r. BROWN.

| 90 1920, by Mcclure Newspaper syndicatc)
And when we came down Sprouts
hi.," went ON Muriel, who. perched ON
TIE table, was reciting their adven-
iugeS TO her Aunt Hester, I'VE met
George W. He's really quite pleas
ant auntie Why don't YOU like him?
You don't, | know" Gas her aunt shook
her head deprecaungly), but he
stopped and spoke, and SO | had TO in
troduce Will'-she looked with n blush
toward the curly-haired young man be-
side "and-and he wished us
great JOY and so forth very nicely
didn't he. VIM"
VIII nodded and opened his mouth
! to speak, but Muriel's was already
| open, and she hurried on. And then.
just little farther on, we met George
Only"
why George Only?" inquired WIN,
as Muriel stopped to take II cookie
from the pan Miss Hester held.
"Why-er-er everybody calls him
that" replied Muriel, Everybody but
Aunt Hester, that is-she doesn't like
| nicknames."
"Sairy Bennett told me that Aunt
Hester started IT," she said "She said
both of them used to be sweet on her,
but ! don't really believe that. AT
least, she doesn't like George W., and,
of course, she couldn't have liked
George Only"
'Why?" asked VIII again. He's not
so awfuly homely"
He's homely enough" retorted Mu-
riel decidedly. He's regular giraffe
and as graceful as scarecrow. I'm
Just marrying you for your good
looks" she added teaslngly.
Meanwhile Hester, gray-haired, an
gular and work-wOrn, but with some
thing still fine and strong in her face,
was methodically cutting round after
round of cookies, with unnecessarily
severe thumps of the cutter. 1t always
made her furious-only, of course, she
dared not show it--when anybody said
George Only" And her thoughts
went back, as always, to the first time
she had said 1t, years ago, when she
was young like Muriel.
George Bates, George w, as he was
called to distinguish him from his
cousin, had come to call upon her,
bringing some peaches. She did not
like this George very well, but she was
young, and the peaches were delicious
so the call was fairly enjoyable. Her
mother was an invalid, deaf and queru-
lous
who's heref she had called from
her bedroom
George Bates, mother" Hester had
shrieked; George W."
who's that goin' by" queried the
old lady from her window, later.
That's George--GeOrge Only" said
Hester, laughing and blushing a little.
What Hester did not know was that
George W. had repeated her phrase to
his cousin, reversing the wOrds-and
"Oniy George" had such sighting
sound-and-well, he'd no chance, any
way, against his sprucer and hand
somer cousin; so he had almost imme-
diately gone West before ever George
w. had had the grace to correct the
name; and when he returned and
heard George Only" on every tongue
ne never guessed it was the name
Hester had given him, but thought 1t
merely perversion of the original
slight.
And now he was alone in the world.
as Hester would be when Muriel was
married-Muriel, for whom Hester had
refused George w. and many others,
gossip said. George w. had consoled
himself with Julia Smith, but George
Only had never looked at another girl.
OF this George Only was thinking as
he came back over the road where he
mad met Muriel and VIII only short
time before. They were up on the hill
back of the house now. He could see
Muriefs blue gown. He looked a little
wistfully at the kitchen door. Alas
the hill was stony, and one needed TO
watch ones footing. He slipped on a
loose cObble and fell heavily, awkward
~, his long legs twisting grotesquely.
Men are not supple at fifty-five. though
they may be active and strong, ms
George Only was When he tried to
rise pain shot through his ankle, and
he felt sick and dizzy.
Hello the house," he called. Hell
TO- hello!"
"Who is it? Whit is it," cried Miss
Hester, rushing to the door.
"Its-it's only George " replied the
man, with a wry twist of his mouth
Miss Hester hurried down the walk.
Her cheeks were pink, and she patted
her hair furtIyely, in spite of her anxi-
ETY..
glass Of water a car to "the chill
dren" on the hill, half-dozen helping
hands into the house, little first
aid" win off for the doctor. Muriel
making a cup Of tea at her aunt's or
der, and Hester herself bending over
her unwilling guest. "Why did you say
only Georger" she asked abruptly.
"Why?" asked George Only in his