Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-01-02
CHAPTER XIII.

| proving that decent stuff had been hid
in him in fact, George who was do
ing rather a handsome thing in taking
a risky job for the sake of his aunt,
poor old silly Fanny Minaferi Eugene
didn't care what risks George took, or
how much decent stuff he had in him |;
nothing that George would ever do, In
/ this world or the next could change
Eugene Morgans feeling toward him.
If Eugene had wished, he could cas-
/ lily have taken George out of the nitro
glycerin branch of the chemical works.
| Always interested in apparent impos-
sibilities of invention, Eugene had en-
couraged many experiments In such
groupings as those for the discovery of
substitutes for gasoline and rubber;
and, though his mood had withheld the
information from Kinney, he had re-
Gently bought from the elder Akers n
substantial quantity of stock on the
condition that the chemical company
| should establish an experimental labO-
ratory. He intended to buy more !;
Akers was anxious to please him; AMI
a word from Eugene would have
placed George almost anywhere in the
chemical works. The possibility just
edged itself into Eugene's mind; that
is, he let it become part of his percep-
lions long enough for it to prove to
him that it was actually possibility.
Then he half started with disgust that
he should be even idly considering
such thing over his last cigar for the
night, in his library. mol" And he
threw the cigar into the empty fire.
place and went to bed.
His bitterness for himself might
have worn away, but never his bitter
ness for Isabel. He took that thought
to bed with him-and it was true that
nothing George could do would ever
change this bitterness Of Eugene. Only
Georges mother could have changed it.
And as Eugene fell asleep that
night, thinking thus bitterly of
George, George in the hospital was
thinking of Eugene. He thought Of Eu-
gene Morgan and of the Major; they
seemed to be the same person for
awhile, but he hanged to disentangle
them and even to understand why he
had confused them. Long ago his
grandfather had been the most strik-
ing figure of success in the town: "As
rich as Major Amberson!" they used to
say. Now it was Eugene. IF had
Eugene Morgan's money" he would
hear the workmen daydreaming at the
chemical works; or, IF Eugene Nor
gan had hold of this place you'd see
things hunt" And the boarders at the
] table d'hote spoke of "the Morgan
Place as an ighteenth-century
Frenchman spoke of Versailles. Like
his uncle, George had perceived that
the Morgan Place" was the new Am
] berson mansion. His reverie went back
/ to the palatial days of the mansion, in
his boyhood when he would gallop his
pony up the driveway and order the
darkey stablemen about, while they
whooped and obeyed, and his grandfa-
i Their, observing from q window, would
laugh and call out to him: That's
right. George. Make those lazy ras-
calls jump!" He remembered his gay
young uncles, and how the town was
eager concerning everything about
them, and about himself. What clean,
pretty town it had been! And in his
reverie he saw like pageant before
him the magnifcence of the Amber
sons-its passing, and the passing Of
the Ambersons themselves. They had
been slowly engulfed without knowing
how to prevent it, and almost without
knowing what was happening to them.
The family lot, in the shabby old quar-
ter, out at the cemetery, held most Of
them now; and the name was swept
altogether from the new city. The
Ambersons had passed, and the new
people would pass, and the new people
that came after them, and the next
new ones, and the next-and the
next
He had begun to murmur, and the
man on duty as night nurse for the
ward came and bent over him.
"Did you want something's"
There's nothing in this family busi-
ness" George told him confidentially.
"Even George Washington is only
something in book"
Eugene read report of the accident
in the next mornings paper. He was
on the train, having just left for New
| York, on business, and with less leis-
ure would probably have overlooked
the obscure item:
LEGS BROKEN.
G. A. Minafer, an employee of the Ak
ers Chemical company, was run down by
an automobile yesterday at the corner of
Tennessee and Main and had both legs
broken Minafer was to blame for the
accident, according to Patrolman F. A.
| Kax. who witnessed the affair. The auto
| mobile was a small one driven by Herbert
Cottleman Of 2173 Noble avenue, who stat
/ ed that he was making less than four
4 miles an hour. Minafer is said to belong
to a family formerly of considerable prom
| inence in the city. He was taken to the
| City hospital, where physicians stated
| later that he was suffering from internal
| injuries besides the fracture of his legs
but might recover.
Eugene read the item twice, then
tossed the paper upon the opposite seat
of his compartment, and sat looking
out of the window. His feeling toward
George was changed not jot by his
human pity for Georges human pain
/ and injury He thought of Georges
tall and graceful figure, and he shiv-
cred, but his bitterness was untouched
/ IL = r