Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1920-01-29

le lauSlleu. y leCS go ahead ana
be millionaires before Isabel and young
George come home"
"When they come home!" she
echoed sorrowfully-and it was a
phrase which found an evasive echo
in 1sabel's letters. In these letters
Isabel was always planning pleasant
things that she and Fanny and the
Major and George and brother
George" would do-when she and her
son came home. They'll find things
pretty changed, I'm afraid" Fanny
said. IF they ever do come home! !"
Anderson went over the next sum-
mer and Joined his sister and nephew
in Paris, where they were living. lisa
bel does want to come home," he told
Fanny gravely on the day of his re-
turn In October. "She's wanted to for
a long while-and she ought to come
while she can stand the Journey"
And he ampliied this statement, leav.
ing Fanny looking startled and solemn
when Lucy came by to drive him out
to dinner at the new house Eugene
had just completed.
He was loud In praise Of the house
after Eugene arrived, and gave them
no account of his journey until they
had retired from the dinner table to
Eugene's library, a gray and shadowy
room, where their coffee was brought.
Then, equipped with q cigar, which
seemed to occupy his attention, Am
berson spoke in a casual tone Of his
sister and her son.
Il found Isabel as we'll as usual"
he said, "only I'm afraid 'as usual
isn't particularly well. Sydney and
Amelia had been up to Paris in the
spring, but she hadn't seen them.
Somebody told her they were there,
1t seems. They'd left Florence and
were living in Rome; Amelia's become
a Catholic and is said to give great
sums to charity and to go about with
the gentry in consequence, but Sgd
ney's ailing and lives in q wheel chair
most Of the time. 1t struck me Isabel
ought to be doing the same thing"
He paused, bestowing minute care
upon the removal Of the little band
from his cigar; and as he seemed to
have concluded his narrative Eugene
spoke out Of the shadow beyond a
heavily shaded lamp: "What do you
mean by that?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, she's cheerful enough" said
Anderson, still not looking at either
his young hostess or her father. "At
least" he said, "she manages to seem
SO. I'm afraid she hasn't been really
we'll for several years. Of course she
makes nothing of it, but it seemed
rather serious to me when 1 noticed
she had to stop and rest twice to
get up n short flight Of stairs in
their two-foor apartment. I told her
| thought she ought to make George
let her ONE home"
"Let herr" Eugene repeated in a
low voice. "Does she want TOT"
"She doesn't urge it. George seems
to like the life therein his grand,
gloomy and peculiar way; and of
course she'll never change about be-
ing proud of him and all that-he's
quite a swell. But in spite of anything
she said, rather than because, l know
she does indeed want to come. She'd
like to be with father, Of course; and
| think She'S-Well, she minated one
day that she feared it might even hap
pen that she wouldn't get to see him
again. At the time l thought she re-
fcFred to his age and feebloness, but
on the boat coming home I remem-
hcred The little look of usefulness,
Yet of resignation, with Which she
snid il, and it struck me all at once
that I'd been mistaken: I saw she was
really thinking Of her own state of
health"
Il see" Eugene said, his voice ever
lower than ii had been before. ".And
you say he won't Get her come homc?'
Anderson laughed. but still contin-
uCd ia be interested in his cigar. ooh,
! don't think he uses force. He's very
gentle with her. ] doubt if the sub
.iect is mentioned between them, and
yct-and Yet, knowing my interesting
nephew rs YOU do, wouldn't YOU think
that was about the way to put it:'
knowing him as l do-yes," said
Eugene slowly. "Yes, l should think
thai was about the way to put it,"
A murmur out of the shadows be-
yond lima faint sound, musical and
feminine, yet expressive of a notable
intensity seemed to Indicate that
Lucy was Of the same opinion.
CHAPTER XIX.