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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 1919)
NORTH PLATTK SEMI A IJKIvLY TlillJFNE Th.8 A'DARK-EYED LITTLE Bynopsls. Major Amberson had mado a fortune In 1873 when other people were losing fortunes, and tlio magnificence of the Ainbersons began then. Klajvt Amboraon laid out a 200-acro "development," with roads and statuary, bd tn tlio center of a four-acre tract, on A ml) arson nvenuo, built for himself the most rnagnlflcent mansion Midland City had over Boon. When tho major's dauch'tcr marrlod yotinff Wilbur Mlnafcr tho neighbors predicted that as 'Isabel could never realty lovo Wilbur all lior love would bo bestowed upon tho children. There Is only one child, however, George Amberson Mlnafer, and bin upbringing and his youthful accomplishments as a mischief maker aro quite In keeping with the most pessimistic predictions. CHAPTER II Continued. 2 "Your sister stole It for me !" Georgo Infitnntly replied, checking the pony. "She stole It off our clo'csllne nn' guvo It to me." "You bo get your hnlr cutl" said tho stranger hotly. "Ynhl I haven't got any sinter 1" "I know you haven't nt home," Gcorgle responded. "I mean tho one that's In Jail." "I dare you to get down off that oony 1" Georgia Jumped to the ground, and tho other boy descended from tho Rev. Mr. Smith's gatepost but ho descend ed Inside tlio gate. "I dure you out side that gate," said Georgle. "Ynhl I dare you hnlf way here. I dare you " But these were luckless challenges, for Georglo immediately vaulted the fence and four minutes later Mrs. Malloch Snilth, hearing strango noises, looked forth from a window; then screamed, and dashed for the pastor's tudy. Mr. Malloch Smith, that grim bearded preacher, came to the front yard and found his visiting ncphow being rapidly prepared by Mnstcr Mln afer to servo as a principal ilguro In a pngftnnt of massacre. It was with irrcat physical dlfllculty that Mr. Smith managed to give his nephew a diunce to escape Into tho house, for Georgle was hard nnd quick, and In uch, matters remarkably Intense; but tho minister, nfter a grotesque tussle, fdt him separated from his opponent and shook him. "You stop that, you I" Georgle cried fiercely, nnd wrenched himself nwny. "I guess you don't know who I ami" "Yes, I do knowl" tho angered Mr. Smith retorted. "I know who you nre, and you're a disgrace to your mother I Your mother ought to bo ashamed of herself to allow " "Shut up about my mother beln' ashamed of herself I" Mr. Smith, exasperated, was unable to closo tho dialogue with dignity. "She ought to bo ashamed," ho repeat ed. "A woman t-hat lets a bad boy llko you " But Georglo had reached his pony nnd mounted. Before setting oft at his accustomed gallop ho paused to Inter rupt tho Rov. Malloch Smith again. "You pull down your vest, you ole blllygoat, you 1" he shouted, distinctly. "Pull down your vest, wlpo off your chin nn' go to h I" Such precocity Is less unusual, even In children of tho Rich, than most fcrown people Imagine. Ilowevcr, It wjs a now experience for tho Itov. Malloch Smith, and left him In n state of excitement. He ut once wrote n note to George's mother, describing the crlmo according to IiIh nephew's testimony, and tho note reached Mrs. Mlnafcr before Gcorgle did. When ho got home sho read It to him sorrow fully. " Dear Madam: Your son has caused a painful distress In my household. Ho made an unprovoked attack upon a little nephew of mine who Is visiting In my nousehold, Insulted -him by calling him vicious names and falsehoods, stating that ladles of his family wore In Jhll, He then tried to make his pony kick him, and then the child, who Is only eleven years old, while your son Is much older and tronger. ondoavorod to nvold his lndlgnl tUs and withdraw quietly, he pursued tolm Into tho Inylosuro of my property nnd brutally assaulted him. When I appeared upon this scene he deliberately called In sulting words to me, concluding with pro fanity, such ns "go to h-," which was heard not only by myself but by my wlfo and the lady who lives next door. 1 trust audi a Btate of undisciplined behavior may be remodlod for tho sake of the rop sUtlon for propriety, If nothing higher, of Hhe family to which this unruly child bo- Georglo had muttered various Inter uptlons, and as sho concluded the rending ho Bald: "He's nn olo llnrl" "Gcorgle, you mustn't sny 'llnr.' Isn't this letter tho truth?" "Well," sold Gcorgle, "how old nm I?" "Ten." "Well, look how he says I'm older than a boy eleven years old." "That's true," said iBabol. "Ho does. But isn't Bome of It true, Georgle?" Gcorgle felt himself to bo in a dif ficulty here, and he was silent. "George, did you say what ho snyn you did?". "Which7 one?" "Did you tell him to to Did you ny, 'Go to h ?'" Georglo looked worried for n mo ment longer; then ho brightened. "Lis ten here, mnmma; grandpa wouldn't wlpo his shoe on thnt olo atory teller, would lie?" "Georgle, you mustn't" "I mean: nono of the Ambcrsons wouldn't koiiii anything to do with BEAUTY OF NINETEEN. hlni, would they? lie doesn't even know you, floes he, mamma?" "That hasn't anything to do with it." "Yph. It hast I mean: nono of tho Amberson family go to sec him, nnd they never havo him como In their house; they wouldn't nsk him to, and prob'ly wouldn't even let him." "That Isn't what we're talking about." "I bet," said Gcorgle emphatically, "I bet If he wnnted to see any of 'em, he'd haf to go around to the sldo doorl" "No, dear, they " "Yes, they would, mamma I So -what does It matter If I say somep'm' to him ho didn't like? That kind o' people, I don't see why you can't say unythlng you want to to 'em I" "No, Georgle. And you hnven't an swered mo whether you said thnt dreadful thing ho suys you did." "Well" snld Gcorgle. "Anyway, ho said somep'm' to mo thnt made mo mad." And upon this point he offered no further details; he would not ex plain to his mother that what had made him "mad" was Mr. Smith's hasty condemnation of herself: "Your mother ought to bo ashamed," and "A woman that lets a bud boy llko you '' Georgle did" not even con sider excusing himself by quoting these insolences. Isabel stroked his hond. "They wero terrlblo words for you to uso, dear. From his letter lie doesn't seem a very tnctful person, but " "He's Just riffraff," said Gebrgle. "You mustn't say so," his mother gently agreed. "Where did you learn those bad words he speaks of? Where did you hear anyone use them?" "Well, 1,'vo heard 'cm serreval places. I guess Undo Georgo Araber bou was tho first I ever heard say 'em. Uncle Georgo Amberson said 'em to papa once. Papa didn't like it, but Undo George was Just laughln' nt pupn, nn' then ho snld 'em whllo ho wns laughln."' "That was wrong of lilm," she eald, but almost instinctively ho detected tho lack of conviction In her tone. It wns Isnbel's grent failing that what ever nn Amberson did seemed right to her, especially if tho Amberson was cither her brother George or her son George. "You must promise mo," she snld feebly, "nover to use those bad words again." "I promise not to," he said prompt ly and ho whispered an Immediate codicil under his breath: "Unless I got mad at somebody I" This satisfied a code according to which, In his own sincere belief, he never told lies. "That's a good boy," she said, and he ran out to tlio yard, his punishment over. As nn Amberson ho was already a public character, and tho Btory of his adventuro In tho Itov. Mnlloch Smith's frontiynrd became a town topic. Mnny "Pull Down Your Vest, You Ole Billy- goat." people glanced at him with grent dls taste thereafter, when they chanced to encounter him, which meant noth- to Georglo, hecuuso ho Innocently believed most grown pcoplo to bo nec essarily cross looking us u normal pliC' nomenon resulting from tho adult state; and ho fulled to comprehend thnt the distasteful glances had any personal hearing upon himself. If he bad perceived such a bearing he would have been uffeotnd only bo fur, prob ent Am Copyright by Doubleday, Vnur A Company. nbly, us to mutter, "Riffraff 1" Pos Hlbly he would huve shouted It; und certainly most people believed n story that went round the town Just after Mrs. Amberson's funeral, when Geor glo was eleven. Gcorgle was reported to have differed with the undertaker about tho seating of the family; his Indignant voice had become audible: "Well, who Is the most Importunt per son at my own grandmother's fu neral ?" And later he had projected his head from tho window of the fore most mourners' carriage, ns the under taker happened to pass. "RlffrnfT!" There were people grown people they were who expressed themselves longingly: they did hope to live to see the dny, they snld, when that boy would get his come-upnncol (Thoy used that honest word, so much bet ter thnn "deserts" und not until many years later to be more clumsily ren dered ns "what Is coming to him.") Something wns bound to take him down some day, and they only wnnted to bo there I But Georgle heard noth ing of this, nnd tho yearncrs for his taking down went unsatisfied, whllo their yearning grew the greater as the happy dny of fulfillment was longer nnd longer postponed. CHAPTER III. Until he reached 'the uge of twelve Gcorgle's cducntlon was a domestic process; tutors enmo to the house, and those citizens who yearned for his taking down often snld : "Just wait till ho has to go to public school; then he'll get it!" But at twelve Georglo wns sent to n prlvntc school in tho town, and there enmo from this small and Independent institution no report, or even rumor, of Gcorgle's getting nnythlng that he was thought to de serve; therefore the yearning still per sisted, though growing gaunt with feeding upon itself. The yearncrs were still yearning when Georgle nt sixteen was sent nwny to a great "prep school." "Now," they snld brightly, "he'll get It I He'll find himself among boys Just as Importunt In their home town as ho is, and they'll knock the shilling out of him when he puts on his airs with them I Oh, but that would be worth something to seel" They were mis-' taken, it nppearcd, for when Georgle returned n few months Inter he still Beemed to have tho same stuffing. Ho hnd been deported by the authorities, tho offense being stated as "Insolence nnd profanity;" in fnct, he hud given the prlncipnl of tho school Instruc tions nlmost Identical with those for merly objected to by the Rov. Malloch Smith. But he had not got his come-upance, and those who counted upon It were embittered by his npponrance upon tho downtown streets driving a dog cart nt a criminal speed, mnklng ne- destrlnns retreat from the crossings, and behaving himself ns If ho "owned tho earth." When Mr. George Amberson Mlna fcr enmo homo for the holidays at Chrlstranstlde In his sophomore, year, probnbly no great dmngo had taken place hiBlde him, but his exterior was visibly altered. Nothing about him encouraged any hope thnt ho hnd re ceived his come-upance; on the con trary, the yenrners for that stroke of Justice must yearn even more Itch Ingly: the glided youth's mnnner hud becomo polite, but his politeness was of a kind which democratic people round hard to bear. Cards were out for a ball In his honor, and this pageant of tho ten antry was held In tho ballroom of tho Amberson mansion tho night after his arrival. It was, as Mrs. Henry Frank lin Foster said of Isabel's wedding, "a big Amberson-stylo thing." All "old citizens" recognized as gentry received cards, and of course so did their danc ing descendants. vTho orchestra and the cuterer were brought from away, In tho Amberson mnnner, though this was really a ges ture perhaps ono more of habit than of ostentation for servitors of gnyety as proiiclent ns theso importations wero nowadays to be found In the town. It wns the lust of tho grent, long-remembered dnnccs thnt "every body talked about" there wero get ting to bo bo many pcoplo In town thnt no Inter than tho next year there wero too many for "everybody" to henr of even such a ball as the Ambersons. George, white-gloved, with n gnrdo nin In his buttonhole, stood with his mother and tho Major, embowored In tho big rcd-und-gold drawing room downstairs, to "receive" the guests: and, stnndlng thus together, tho trio offored n picturesque example of good looks persistent through three gene rations. Tho Mujor, his daughter nnd IiIh grandson were of a typo nil Am berson : tall, straight and regular, with dark eyes, short noses, good chins: nnd tho grandfather's expression, no less than tho grandson's, wns one of faintly amused condescension. There was a difference, however. Tho grand son's unllncd young face had nothing to offer except this condescension: the grandfather's had other things to KM.V. It was a handsome, worldly old bersons face, conscious of its Importance, but iiersuuslvo rather than arrogant, nnd not without tokens of sufferings with stood. The Major's short white hair ns parted In the middle, like his grandson's, and In nil ho stood as briskly equipped to the fashion ns tho exquisite young George. Isabel, standing between her father and her son, caused a vague amaze ment In tho mind of tho latter. Her nge, Just under forty, was for Georgo a thought of something ns remote ns the moons of Jupiter: ho could not possibly hnve conceived such an ngo ever coming to be his own : five years was tho limit of his thinking in time. Five yenrs ago he had been a child not yet fourteen; and those five yonrs were an abyss. Five years hence he would be almost twenty-four; what the girls he knew called "one of the older men." He could Imagine himself nt twenty-four, but beyond that his powers Btaggcred and refused the task. He saw little essential differ ence between thirty-eight nnd eighty eight, nnd his mother was to him not n womnn but wholly a mother. The woman, Isabel, was a stranger to her son; ns completely a stranger ns If ho hnd never In hJs life seen her or heard her voice. And it wns tonight, while he stood with her, "receiving," that he caught a disquieting glimpse of this stranger whom he thus fleet lngly encountered for tho first time. Youth ennnot Imagine romnnce npnrt from youth. That Is why tho roles of the heroes and heroines of plnys aro given by the managers to the most youthful uctors they enn find among tho competent. Both middle aged people and young people enjoy a piny about young lovers; but only middle-aged people will tolerate a play about middle-aged lovers; young people will not come to see such a play, because for them middle-aged lovers are n Joke not a very funny one. Therefore, to bring both the mlddle-nged people nnd the young people Into his house the mnnager makes his romance ns young as he con. Youth will Indeed be served, nnd Its profound Instinct Is to be not only Bcornfully amused but vaguely an gered by middle-aged romance. So. standing beside his mother, George wns disturbed by a sudden Impression, coming upon him out of nowhere, so inr ns ne could detect, that her eyes were brilliant, that she was graceful and youthful In a word that she wns romantically lovely. He hnd one of those curious moments thnt seem to have neither a cause nor any connection with actual things. xnere was nothing In either her looks or her manner to explain George's un- comrortnwe feeling: nnd vet it In creased, becoming suddenly n vague resentment, ns If she had done some thing unmotherly to him. The fantastic moment passed: nnd even while It lasted he was doing his duty, greeting two pretty girls with whom ho had grown un. ns neonlo snv. nnd warmly assuring them thnt ho re membered them very well un insur ance which might havo surprised them "In anybody but Georgle Minnferl" It seemed unnecessary, since he had spent many hours with them no longer thnn the preceding August. They had with them their parents nnd nn uncle from out of town; nnd George negli gently guve tho narenls the snmo in surance he hnd given tho daughters, nut murmured another form of greet ing to the out-of-town uncle, whom ho had never seen before. This per son Georgo absently took note of ns a "queer-looking duck." Undergradu ates had not yet ndonted "bird." It was n period previous to that in which a sophomore would hnve thought of tne Hiiaron girls' uncle ns n "nueer- looklng bird," or. nerhnns. a "funny. fncoblrd." In George's time every hu- mnn mule wns to be defined at pleas ure ns a "duck:" but "duck" wns nm spoken with ndmlrlng nffectlon. ns In Its rormcr feminine use to signify n "dear" on the contrary, "duck" Im plied the speaker's nersonol detnch- ment nnd humorous superiority. An Indifferent amusement ' was what George felt when his mother, with gentle emphnsls, Interrupted his In- torcnango or courtesies with tho nieces to present him to tho queer looking duck, their uncle. This cm phttPls of Isabel's, though slight, on nhlcd Georgo to perceive that she con sidered tho queer-looking duck a per son of some Importance; hut It wns far from enabling him to understand why. The duck parted his thick and longlsh black hair on the side; his tie was a forgetful-looking thing, and his cont, though It fitted n good enough mlddle-nged figure, no product of this yenr, or of Inst year either. Observing only his unfashionable hnlr, his 'preoccupied tie and his old coat, tho Olympic George sot him down as n queer-looking duck, nnd hnvlng thus completed' his portrait took no Inter na 111 ll I Til The Shnrtia yiri passed oa, inking tho queer-looking duct sUq them, nnd George heenmo pink with xrfHtlca tlon as his mother called his attention to n white-bearded guest waiting to shako his hand. This was George's great-uncle, old John Mlnafer: it was old John's boast that In spito of his By Booth Tarkington connection by marriage with tho Am bersons he never hnd worn nnd never would wenr n swnller-tall coat. Mem bers of his family hud exerted their Influence uselessly nt eighty-nine conscrvntlve people seldom form rad ical new habits, and old John wore his "Sundny suit" of blnck brondcloth to the Amberson ball. The coat was square, with skirts to the knees; old John called It n "Prince Albert" and was well enough pleased with It, but his great-nephew considered It the next thing to nn Insult. The lnrge room hnd filled, and ? hnd the brond hall and the rooms at? the other sldo of the hnll, where there were tnblcs for whist. Tho Imported orchestra wnltcd In the ballroom on the third floor, but a local harp, 'cello, violin and flute were playing nlrs from "The Fencing Master" in the hnll, nnd people were shouting over the music. Old John MInnfer's voice wns louder nnd more penetrating thnn nny other, b.ecriuso he had been troubled with deafness for twenty-five years, hoard Ills own voice but fnlntly, nnd liked to henr It. "Smell o' flowers like this al ways puts me In mind o' funerals," he kept telling his niece, Fnnny MInnfcr, who wns with him; and he seemed to get a grent deal of satisfaction out of this reminder. His tremulous yet stri dent voice cut through thp voluminous sound that filled the room, nnd ho wns heard everywhere. Presently George's mortlflcntlon wns Incrensed to henr this sawmill droning harshly from the midst of the thick ening crowd : "Ain't the duncln' broke out yet. Fanny? Hoopla I Le's push through and go see the young women oiks crack their heels 1 Sturt the cir cus 1 Hoopsey-dalsy I" Miss Fanny Mlnafcr, In charge of the lively vet eran, was almost ns distressed as her nephew George, but she did her duty nnd managed to get old John through the press nnd out to the broad stair way, which numbers of young people were now ascending to the bnllroom. George began to recover from the deg radation Into which this relic of enrly settler dnys hnd dragged him. What restored him completely was a dark eyed little beauty of nineteen, very knowing In lustrous blue nnd Jet; at sight of this dashing advent In the line of guests before him George was fully an Amberson again. "Remember yon very well indeed 1" he said, his grnclousness more enrnest thnn nny he hnd heretofore dlsplnyed. Isnbel heard him nnd laughed. "But you don't, George 1" she snld. "You don't remember her yet, though of course you will 1 Miss Morgnn Is from out of town, nnd I'm nfrnld this Is the first time you've ever seen her. You might tnke her up to the dancing; I think you've pretty well done your duty here." "Be d'llghtcd," George responded formally, and offered his arm, not with a flourish, certainly, but with nn Impresslveness Inspired partly by the nppenrnnce of the person to whom he offered It, partly by his being the hero of this fete, nnd partly by his youth fulness for when manners are new they are apt to be elnborate. The little beauty Intrusted her gloved fin gers to his contsieeve, and they moved awny together. As he conducted Miss Morgan through the hull townrd the stairway they passed the open double doors of a enrdroom. where some squadrons of older people were preparing for ac tion, and, leaning gracefully upon tho mantelpiece of this room, a tall man. handsome, high-nuinnered nnd spar kllngly point-device, held laughing converse with that queer-looking due);, tho Shnron glrl.V undo. The tall gen tleman waved it gracious salutation .to George, and Miss Morgan's curiosity wns stirred. "Who Is that?" "I didn't en tch his name when m.v mother presented him to me," said George. "You moan the queer-looking duel:." "I mean tho aristocratic duek." "Thai's my Uncle George. Honor able Goire Anihorson. I thought ev erybody knew him." "lie looks as though everybody ought to know him," she said. "It seems to nm In jour family." If she hnd nnv sly Intention It skipped f over George harmlessly. "Well, of course, 1 suppose most ev erybody does." he n'dmltted "out. In this part of the country especially. Besides Uncle Georgo Is In congress ; the i'limlly like to have someone there." "Why?" "Well. It's sort of n mod thing In one way. For Instance, Uncle Sydney Amberson and his wife, Aunt Amelia, they haven't much of anything to do with theniselvo get bored to iletttji around here, of course. Well, prob ably t'nde Ocorge'II have Uncle Syd ney appointed minister or ambassador or something like that, to Russia or Italy or somewhere, and that'll moko It pleasant when any of tho rest of tho family go traveling, or things like thnt. 1 expect to do a good deal of traveling myself when I get out of col lege." Sydney wob aa Amberson exag gerated more pompous than gracious; too portly, flushed, starched to u shine, his stately Jowl furnished with an Ed ward the Seventh beard. Amelln, like-. wise full-bodied, showed glittering blond hair exuberantly drejwert; n pink, fat face cold under a white-hot tinra; n eolla, cold bosom under n white-hot necklace; great, cold, gloved 8:r. and tho rest of hor bcnutlfully nphotvic -As Georgo ascended the broad stairway tfiy wero precisely tho uunt and uucle t.c was most pleased to point out to a girl from out of town, ns his nppurtennnces In ttio way of relatives. At sight of them the grandeur of the Amberson family was Instnntly conspicuous ns n perma nent thing: It was Impossible to doubt that the Ambersons were Intrenched, In their nobility and riches, behind polished and glittering barriers which were as solid as they wero brilliant, and wduld last. CHAPTER IV. The hero of tho fete, with tlie dark eyed little beauty upon his nrm, reached the top of tho second flight of stairs; ond here, beyond n spacious Jwvdlng, where two proud-like darkles tended n crystalline punch bbwl, four wide nrchwnys In a rose-vine lattice framed gliding silhouettes of wnltzere, nlrendy smoothly nt It to the Castanets of "Lu Pnlomu." Old John Mlnafer, evidently surfeited, was in the act of leaving theso delights escorted by a middle-aged man of commonplace ap pearance. The escort had a dry, lined face upon which, not ornamentally but us n matter of, course, there grow a business man's short mustache; and his thin neck showed an Adam's apple, hut' not conspicuously, for there was nothing conspicuous about him. Bald lsh, dim, quiet, he was an unnotlco- George Danced Well and Miss Morgan Seemed to Float nble part of this festival, and nlthongb there were a dozen or more mlddle nged men present, not casunlly to h distinguished from him In general as pect, he wns probnbly the Inst person In tho big house at whom a strangei would hnve glnnced twice. Tt did nol enter George's mind to mention to Miss Morgan that this was his father, or to say anything whatever aboul him. Mr. Mlnnfer shook his son's hand unobtrusively In passing. "I'll take Uncle John home," he said In a low voice. "Then I guess I'll go on home myself I'm nol o great hand nt parlies, you kuaw Good night, George." "George murmured a friendly enough good night without pnuslng. Ordi narily he wns not ashamed of the Min afers; he seldom thought about them tit all, for he belonged, as most Amer ican children do, to the mother's fam ily but he was anxious not to linger with Miss Morgan In the vicinity ol old John, whom he felt to be u dis grace. lie pushed brusquely through the fringe of calculating youths who were gathered In the arches, watching for chances lo dance only "with girls who would soon be taken off their hands, nnd led his stranger lady out upon the Hour. They caught the, time Instantly, nnd woro away In the waltz. Georgo danced well, and Miss Mor gan seemed to float ns part of the mu hie the very dove Itself of "La Palo ma;" George became conscious of hi range feelings within him: an exal tation or soul, tender but Indefinite, rtnd seemingly located In tho upper part of bis diaphrugem. The stopping ol the- music came upon him llko the waking to un alarm clock; for instantly six or seven of the calculating persons about the en try ways Ijore down upon Miss Morgan to secure dances. George had to do with one already established as a belle. It seemed. "did times starting over again! My Lord!" all l'1'U BE CO.NTIMu.D.) One for Mamma. I sent my small (laughter Into tho front room to do some dusting. Noi hearing her around, I stepped quietly Into the room and found her sitting Idly by the window with her work unllulshcd. 1 said to her: "Don't you know Satan finds work for Idlo hands to do?" Sho quickly replied: "He must be something like you." Exchcngo. i
