Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-07-29

! Dirk, do you know what that wom-
an who writes the society news in the
Sunday Tribune called you today?"
No What? l never read it."
she said you were one Of the
jeunesse doree."
Dirk grinned. "Gosh! !"
Il rem ember enough of my French
at Miss listers school to know that
that means gilded youth"
Mel That's goodl I'm not even
spangled."
Dirk ~ her voice was low. vibrant
Dirk, I don't want you to be a gilded
youth. l don't care how thick the
gliding. Dirk, that isn't what worked
In the sun and cold for. I'm not re-
preaching you; didn't mind the work.
Forgive me for even mentioning II.
But, Dirk, / don't want my son to be
known as one of the jeunesse doree
No! Not my sonr'
"Now, listen, Mother. That's fool
ish. If you're going to talk like that.
Like mother In a melodrama whose
sons gone wrong. work like
a dog. You know that. You get the
wrong angle on things, stuck out here
on this little farm"
She sat up in bed, looking down at
the thin end of her braid as she twined
1t round and round her finger. Dirk,
DO you know sometimes 1 actually think
that If you stayed here on the farm"
Good Cd, Mother! What forT
"Oh, l don't know. Time to dream
Time to-no, suppose that isn't true
any more. / suppose the day is past
when the genius came from the farm
Machinery has cut into his dreams
Patent binders, plows, reapers-he's a
mechanic. He hasn't time to dream
| Well.
She lay back, looked up at him,
Dirk, why don't you marry"
"Why-there's TO one 1 want to mar
ry."
mo one who's free, you mean?"
He stood up 81 mean no one"
He stopped and bissed her lightly. Her
arms went round him close Her hand
with the thick gold wedding band on
it pressed his head to her hard $50
bigw He was a baby again.
you haven't called me that In
years" He was laughing.
She reverted 10 the old game they
had played when he was a child. How
big Is my son How big?" She was
smiling, but her eyes were somber.
$50 big!" ansv cred Dirk, and meas
ured very tiny space between thumb
and forefnger. "So big"
She faced him, sitting up very
straight in bed, the little wool shawl
hunched about Ser shoulders. Dirk,
are you ever going back to architec-
ture? The war Is history. It's now
or never with You. Pretty soon it will
be too late. Are you ever going back
to architecture? To your profession?"
A clean amputation. mo, Mother"
She gave an actual gasp, as though
Icy water had been thrown full in
her face. She looked suddenly old,
tired. Her shoulders sagged He stood
in the doorway, braced for her re-
proaches. But when she spoke it was
to reproach herself. "Then I'm a fail
ure."
"Oh. what nonsense, Mother. I'm
happy. You cant live somebody else's
life. You used tn tell me, when was
kid, remember, that life wasn't just
an adventure, to be taken as 1t came,
with the hope that something glorious
was always hidden just around the
corner. You said you had lived that
| NOV opd n ho dp,f vvorlyod Vo,, eo;d ~
She interrupted him with a little
cry. 81 know l did. l know / did"
Suddenly she raised a warning finger.
Her eyes were luminous, prophetic
.Dirk, you can't desert her like that!
Desert who?" He was startled.
Beauty! Self-expression What
ever you want to call It, You wait !!
She'll turn on you some day. Some
day you'll want her, and she won't be
| there"
Inwardly he had heen resentful of
this bedside conversation with his
mother. She made little of him, he
thought, while outsiders appreciated
his success. He had said, 80 big"
measuring a tiny space between thumb
| and foretinger in answer to her half
playful question, but he had not hon
estly meant it. He thought her ridicu-
| lousy old-fashioned now in her view
| point, and certainly unreasonable. But
he would not quarrel with her
"You wait, too, Mother" he said
now, smiling. "Some day your way
ward son will be a real success. Wait
till the millions roll In. Tbsp we'll
see"
She lay down, turned her back de-
liberately upon him, pulled the covers
up about her.
"Shall l turn out your light, Mother,
and open the windows?"
"Meena1l do 1t. She always does.
Just call her. Goodnight"
He knew that he had come to be
rather big man in his world. Infiu-