The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-03-04

PrDu1inent Citizens snd Families Ia
the History of the City He had
{ giz1esd at 10 absentiy, merely noticing
the title and subtitle. and wandered
cut Of the room. thinking Of other
thfngz and feeling no curiosity about
ths book Bot be had thought Of IL
several times since with O faint, vague
uns2stness: and now when be entered
The LOBBY be walked directly into tEs
pertor where he lad seen the book.
The roou was empty. as IL always was
% Sunday mornings, and the fsmboy-
ant volume was stilI upon the table
svidentiy q fixture a. a sort Of local
A.rnsnach de Cofha. or Burke. for the
enlizhtsnment Of tenants and bosrders.
he turned to the index where the
names Of the Eve hundred Most PrornI-
neot Citizens and Families In the His
tory Of the City were arranged In al
phabetical order, and ran his finger
down the column Of As: Albeit, Abb
eott. Abrams, Adams, Adams, Adler,
Akers. AIbertsmeyer. Alexander, Alien.
Ambrose. Ar1buhI. Anderson, Andrews,
Appenbasch. Archer, Arzzmsn, Ash
craft Austin. Alvey.
Georges eyes remained for some
tine fxed on the thin space between
the names "Allen" and Ambrose"
Then be closed the book quietly, and
went up TO his own room, agreeing
with the elevator boy. on the way.
that II was getting 10 be q mighty
nasty wet and windy day outside.
The elevator boy noticed nothing IN
usual about him and neither did Fanny,
when she came In from church with
her hat ruined. an hour later. And yet
something had happened-a thing
which, years ago. had been the eager
est hope Of many. many good citizens
Of the town They had thought Of IL,
longed for It. hoping acutely that they
might live 10 see the day when IL would
come TO pass. And now II had hap
pened at last: George Minafer had
got his come-upance.
He had got II three times filed and
running over. The city had rolled over
his heart, burying II under. as II rolled
over the Majors and buried IT under.
The city had rolled over the Amber
sons and buried them under TO the last
yestige; and IL mattered little that
George guessed easily enough that
most Of the five hundred Most Proml-
nent had paid something substantial
ito defray the cost Of steel engraving,
etc."-the Five Hundred had heaved
the final shovelful Of SCOT upon that
heap Of obscurity wherein the Amber
sons were lost forever from sight and
history. Quicksilver In a nest of
cracks!"
George Minafer had got his come
upance. but the people who had so
longed for 1t were not there to see It,
and they never knew IT, Those who
were still living had forgotten all
about II and all about him
George had seen Eugene only once
since their calamitous encounter. They
had passed on opposite sides Of the
street, downtown; each had been
aware that the other was aware Of
him, and yet each Kept his eyes
straight forward. and neither had
shown a perceptible alteration Of coun-
tenance. 1t seemed TO George that he
felt emanating from the outwardly i'm
perturbable person Of his mothers old
friend hate that was like hot wind.
At his mothers funeral and at the
Majors he had been conscious that
Eugene was there: though he had aft
erward no recollection Of seeing him,
and. while certain Of his presence, was
uncertain how he knew Of II. Fanny
had not told him. for she understood
George well enough not to speak to
him Of Eugene or Lucy. Nowadays
Fanny almost never saw either Of
them and seldom thought Of them-so
sly is the way Of time with life. She
was passing middle age. when old in
tensities and longings grow thin and |
fatten out, as Fanny herself was thin |
ming and fiattening out; and she was |
settling down contentedly TO her apart |
ment-house intimacies.
The city was so big. now, that peo-
pie disappeared into It unnoticed. and |
the disappearance OF Fanny and her |
nephew was not exceptional. People |
no longer knew their neighbors as a |
matter Of course; one lived for years |
next door to strangers-that sharpest
Of all the changes since the old days
land a friend would lose sight of q
friend for a year. and not know It.
One May day George thought he had
q glimpse Of Lucy. He was not GER
tain. but he was sufficiently disturbed,
In spite Of his uncertainty. A promo
tion In his work now frequently took
him out Of town for a week, or longer,
and 1t was upon his return from one Of
these absences that he had the strange
experience. He had walked home from
the station. and as he turned the cor
ner which brought him in sight Of the
apartment house entrance, though two
blocks distant from II. he saw a charm
Ing little figure come out. get into a
shiny landaulet automobile, and drive
aWay Even at that distance M nna