The Glenwood post., 1920-02-21

it's almost killing her-what he said
to your father! She's always been
lofty enough. so to speak. and had the
greatest idea of the AmbersOns being
superior to the rest of the world, and
all that but rudcness, or Mything like
scene or any bad manners-they
always just made her sick But she
could never see what Georges man
ners were-oh, it's been terrible
adulatiOn :. It's going to be task
for me, living in that big house. all
alone; you must come and see me
1 mean after they've gone. of course.
I'll 20 crazy If l don't see something
of people. I'm sure you'll come as
often as you can. l know you too well
to think you'll be sensitive about COM
ing there, or being reminded of
George. Thank heaven you're too we'll
balanced" Miss Fanny concluded,
well-balanced to let anything affect
you deeply about that-that monkey"
The four photographs and the paint
ed Florentine box went to their crema-
ton within the same hour that Miss
Fanny spoke; and ii little later Lucy
called her father in, as he passed her
door, and pointed to the blackened area
on the underside of the mantelpiece
and to the burnt heap upon the coal,
where some metallic shapes still re-
tained outline. She flung her arms
about his neck in passionate SYM
pathy, telling him that she knew what
had happened to him; and presently
he began to comfort her and managed
an embarrassed laugh.
"Weli, we'll" he said. 81 was too
old for such fooishness to he getting
into my head, anyhow"
mo, mol" she sobbed. "And If you
knew how l despise myself for-for
ever having thought one instant about
oh. Miss Fanny called him the right
name: that monkey! He isl"
"There, think l agree with you"
Eugene said grimly, and in his eyes
there was steady light of anger that
was to last. yes l think l agree with
you about that"
There's only one thing to do with
| such a person." she said vehemently.
That's to put him out of our thoughts
| forever-forever!
And yet, the next day, at six o'clock,
which was the hour, Fanny had told
her. when George and his mother We're
to leave upon their long journey, Lucy
touched that scorched place on her
mantel with her hand just as the little
clock above 1t struck. Then. after this
odd, unconscious gesture, she Went TO
window and stood between the cur
tains, looking out into the cold No
vember dusk; and in spite of every
reasoning and reasonable power within
her. a pain of loneliness struck through
her heart. The dim street below her
window, the dark houses across the
way, the vague air itSelf-all looked
empty, and cold and (most of ally I'M
interesting. Something more sOmbre
| than November dusk took the color
| from them and gave them that air of
| desertiOn.
The light of her fire, Pickering up
behind her, showed suddenly flying
group of tiny spowflakes nearing the
| window-pane and for an instant she
felt the sensation of being dragged
through a snow-drift under a broken
cutter, with a boys arms about her
an arrogant handsome, too-conquering
boy, who nevertheless did his best to
get hurt himself, keeping her from any
possible harm.
She shook the picture out Of her
eyes Indignantly, then came and sat
before her fire, and looked long and
long at the blackened mantelpiece
She did not have the mantelpiece re-
painted-and, since she did not,
might as well have kept his photo
graphs. One forgets what made the
scar upon his hand but not what made
the scar upon his wall.
=. New faces appeared at the
dances Of the winter: new faces had
been appearing everywhere. for that
matter, and familiar ones were disap-
pearing, merged in the increasing
little and not long; for the town was
growing ana changing as II never hAd
grown and changed before.
| 1t was heaving up in the middle in
credibly; 1t was spreading incredibly /;
and as It heaved and spread, 1t be-
fouled itself and darkened its sky.
You drove between pleasant fields and
woodland groves one spring day; and
In the autumn. passing over the same
ground, you were warned off the tracks
by an interurban trolley-car's gong
ing. and beheld, beyond cement side
walks just dry, new house-Owners busy
moving in" Gasoline and electricity
were performing the miracles Eugene
had predicted.
But the great change was In the
citizenry itself. What was left Of the
patriotic old-stock generation that had
fought the Civil war, and subsequently
| cont roIIad poIitIca had hacoma vopor.