Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1920-01-08
CHAPTER XIV.

80 ~N'Ns
He went to his room, threw Off his
coat, waistcoat, collar and tie, letting
them lie where they CHANGED to fall,
and then, having violently envelOped
himself in q black velvet dressing
gown, continued this action by lying
down with a vehemence that brought
a wheeze Of protest from his bed. His
repose was only a mOmentary SEM
blance, however, for 1t lasted no long
er than the time it took him to groan
"Riffraff !" between his teeth. Then he
sat up, swung his feet to the floor, rose
and began to pace up and down the
large room.
He had just been consciously rude
to his mother for the first time in his
life; for, with all his riding down of
pOpulace and riffraff, he had never be-
fore been either deliberately or i'm
pulsively disregardful Of her. But
now he had done a rough thing to her !;
and he did not repent; the rather he
was the more irritated with her. And
when he heard her presently go by his
door with light step, singing cheer
fully to herself as she went to her
room, he perceived that she had mis-
taken his intention altogether, or, in
deed, had failed to perceive that he
had any intention at all
There came a delicate, eager tap
ping at his door, not done with a
knuckle but with the tip Of finger
nail, which was instantly clarified to
Georges minds eye as plainly as if he
saw it: the long and polished white
mooned pink shield on the end of his
Aunt Fanny's right forefnger. But
George was in no mood for human
communications, and even when things
went well he had little pleasure in
Fanny's society. Therefore 1t is not
surprising that at the sound Of her
tapping, instead of bidding her enter,
he Immediately crossed the room with
the intention Of locking the door to
keep her out.
Fanny was too eager and, opening
the door before he reached it, came
quickly in, and closed it behind her.
Her look was that of a person who
had just seen something extraordinary
or heard thrilling news.
"Now, what on earth do you want?"
her chilling nephew demanded.
George" she said hurriedly, II saw
what you did when you couldn't speak
to them. was sitting with Mrs. John
son at her front window, across the
street, and l saw 1t ALL"
swell, what Of it?"
"You did right" Fanny said with a
vehemence not the less spirited be-
cause she suppressed her voice almost
to a whisper. "You did exactly
right You're behaving splendidly
about the whole thing, and l want to
tell you / know your father would
thank you If he could see what you're
doing"
my Lord!" George broke out at her.
"You make me dizzy! For heavens
sake quit the mysterious detective
business-at least do quit 1t around
me! Go and try it on somebody else,
If you like; but l don't want to hear
itw
She began to tremble, regarding him
with a fixed gaze "You don't care to
hear. then" she said huskily, "that l
approve of what you're doing|
Certainly not Since l haven't the
faintest idea what you think I'm do
ing. naturally 1 don't care whether
you approve of 1t or not. All I'd like,
If you please, is to be alone. I'm not !
giving tea here, this afternoon, if
you'll permit me to mention it!
Fanny's gaze wavered; she began
to blink; then suddenly she sank into
chair and wept silently, but with a
terrible desolation.
ooh, for the Lords sake" he !
moaned. "What in the world is wrong |
with your"
you're always picking on me-" she
quavered wretchedly, her voice indis-
tinct with the wetness that dubbed in
to 1t from her tears. you do-you
always pick on mel You've always
done it-always-ever since you were !
a little boy! Whenever anything goes
wrong with you, you take it out on
mel You dol You always"
George flung to heaven a gesture Of
despair; it seemed to him the last
straw that Fanny should have chosen