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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 1919)
' NORTH PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. 0 ) BOOTH TARKINGTON $ VJ Copyright by Doubled, PK & Company. The Magnificent Ambersons "BEING A GENTLEMAN, I SUPPOSE." Synopsis. Major Amberson haa made a fortune, In 1873 when ether people were losing fortunes, and the magnlllconce of the Ambersoni began then. Major Ambcrson laid out a 200-acro "dovelopmont," with roads and statuary, and In tho center of a four-acre tract, on Ambcrson avenuo, built fr himself tho most magniflcont mansion Midland City had ever seen. When the major's daughter married young Wilbur Mlnafer the neighbors predicted that as Isabel could nover really love Wilbur all her love would bo bestowed upon tho vhlldrcn. There Is only one child, howo'-or, QcOrgo Ambcrson Mlnafor, and his upbringing and his youthful accomplishments as1 a mischief maker are quite In keeping with the most pessimistic predictions. By the time (Jeorge rocs away to college ho docs not attempt to conceal his belief that tho Ambersons are about the most Important family In tho world. At a hall given In tits honor when he returns from college, George monopollr.es Lucy Morgan, a stranger and the prettiest girl present, and gets on famously with her until he learns that a "queer looking duck" at whom he had been poking much fun, Is the young lady's father. lie Is tiugene Morgan, a former resident of Big burg, and he Is returning to erect a factory and to build horseless carriages of his own Invention. Eugene had been an old admirer of Isabel's and they hod been engaged when Isabel threw him over because of a youthful Indlscre tlon and married Wilbur Mlnafer. George mnkes rnpld progress In his court ship of Lucy. A cotillion helps their acquaintance along famously. Their "friendship" continues during his absences at college. George and Lucy become "almost engaged." CHAPTER X Continued. "Pootl" Aunt Amelia was evidently In a passion. "You know what's been going on over there, well enough, Frank Dronsonl I thought you wcro a man of tho world: don't tell mo you're blind 1 For nearly two years Isabel's been pretending to chnperono Fanny Mlnafer with Eugene, nnd nil the time she's been dragging that poor fool Fanny around to chapcrone her and Eugene I Under tho circumstances, she knows people will get to thinking Fanny's n pretty slim kind of clmp eronc, nnd Isnbel wants to please George becnuso she thinks there'll bo lesB talk If she can keep her own brother around, seeming to approve. Talk I' She'd better look out I Tho whole town will bo talking, tho first thing she knows I She " Amelia stopped, nnd stnrcd at the Amelia Stopped, and Stared at the Doorway In a Panic. doorway In a panic, for her nephew stood there. She kept her eyes upon his white faco for a fow strained moments, then regaining her ncrvo, looked away and shrugged her shoulders. "You weren't intended to hear what I've been saying, George," she said ulot!y. "But since- you seem-" I "Yes, I did." ' "So.l" Sho shrugged her shoulders sgaln, "After all, I don't know but It's Just as well, In tho long run." IIo walked up to where she sut. "You you" ho said thickly. "It seems tt seems to mo you're you're pretty common I" I Old Bronson had risen from his fchnlr in great distress. "Your aunt vras talking nonsense because she' piqued over a business matter, George," he said. "Sho doesn't mean what sho suld, and neither sho nor anyone else gives the slightest credit to such foolishness no ono In tho world I" Gcorgo gulped, and wet lines shone suddenly along his lower eyelids. Thoy thoy'd better notl" ho said, then stalked out of tho room, and out of the house. Ten minutes later, Gcorgo Arabor on, somewhat In tho semblanco of an angry person plunging out of tho Mun tin, found a palo nephew waiting to aecosi Mm. I haven't tfcao to talk, Gcorgle." i Tea, you have. You'd better I" What's tho matter, then?" His nnraesako drew him away from tho vicinity of tho house. "I want to tell you something I Just heard Aunt r Amelia say, tu there. She says' my mother's on your side nbout this dlvl Ion of tho property because you're Eugene Morgan's best friend. Sho wild " George paused to swallow. "She njd " He faltered. , "You look oleic," said his undo, and laughed shortly. "If It's because of uiythlng Amelia's been saying, I don't IrUtne you I What olso did she say?" Gcorgo svmllowed aguln, as with I nausea, but under his uncle's encour agement ho was able to bo explicit. "Sho said my mother wanted you to bo friendly to her about Bugeno Morgnn. She said my mother had been using Aunt Fanny as a chapcrone." Ambcrson emitted a laugh of dis gust. "It's wonderful what tommy-rot a woman In a state1 of spite can think of I I suppose you don't doubt that Amelia Ambcrson created this speci men of tommy-rot herself? Of all tho damn nonsense I" George looked at him haggardly. "You'ro suro people are not talking?" "Rubbish I Your mother's on my side about this division because sho knows Sydney's a pig and always has been a pig, and so has his spiteful wife. I'm trying to keep them from getting tho better of your mother ns well as from getting the better of me, don't you suppose? Well; they're in a rage because Sydney always could do what ho liked with father unless your mother Interfered, and tlioy know I got Isabel to ask him not to do what they wanted. That's all there Is to it." "But .she said," Gcorgo persisted wretchedly; "sho said there was talk. Sho Bald " "Look hero, young fellow I" Amber- son laughed good-nnturedly. "There probably Is somo harmless talk about tho way your Aunt Fanny goes after poor Eugene, and I've no doubt I've nbettetl It myself. Fanny wns always languishing at him, twenty-odd years ago, boforo ho loft here. Well, wo can't blame the poor thing If she's got her hopes up again, and I don't know that I blamo her, myself, for using your mother the way sho does." "How do you mean?" Ambcrson put his hand on George's shoulder. "You llko to tease Fanny," hq said, "but I wouldn't tense her about this, If I wcro you. Fanny hasn't got much In her life. In fact, I don't know of anything muck that Fanny has got, except her feeling about Eu gene. She's always had It and whnt's funny to us Is pretty much llfe-and- death to her, I suspect. Now, I'll not deny that Eugcno Morgan Is attracted to yo.ur mother. Ho Is ; and that's an otlwr case of 'always was ;' but I know him, and ho's a knight, George n crazy one, perhaps, if you've rend 'Don Quixote.' Aud I think your mother likes hi in better than sho likes any man outside her own family, and that ho interests her more than nnybody else and 'always has.' And that's all thcro Is to It, except" "Except whnt?'' Gcorgo nsked quick ly, ns ho paused. "Except that I suspect " Amberson chuckled, aud began dver: "I'll tell you In confldence. Fanny uses your mother for a decoy duck. Sho docs everything In tho world sho can to keep your mother's friendship with Eugcno going, because sho thinks that's what keeps Eugene about tho place, so to speak. Fanny's always with your mother, you see; and when ever ho sees Isabel he sees Fanny. Fanny thinks he'll get used to tho Idea of her being around, and some day her chance may comol Thcro I D'you see?" "Well I supposo so." George's brow was Btlll dark, however. "If you're suro whatever talk thero Is, Is about Aunt Fanny. If that's so " "Don't bo an ass," his unclo advised him lightly, moving away. "I'm off for n week's llshlng to forget that woninn In there, nnd her pig of n husbund." (Ills gesturo toward tho Mansion lndl cnted Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Ambdr- son.) "I recommend a like course to you, If you'ro silly enough to pay any attention to such rubblshlngsl Go6d byt" . , Georgo wns partially rens sured, but still troubled: n word haunt cd him llko tho recollection of a night- mare. "Talk " IIo walked rapld-Iy toward his own front gato. Tho victoria was there with Fanny ulono: sho Jumped out briskly nnd the victoria waited. "Where's mother?" Georgo asked sharply. "At Lucy's. I ouly enmo back to got ponio embroidery, becauso wo found tho sun too hot for driving. I huvon't timo to talk now, Georglo; I'm going rlcht back. I nrnmlKOil vnnr mntlinr " "You listen I" said George. "What on earth" He repeuted what Amelia had said. This time, howuver, he spoke coldly, and without tho 'emotion he had ex hibited during tho recital to his uncle: Fanny was tho ono who showed agita tion during this Interview, for she grew fiery red, and her eyes dilated. "Whnt on earth do you want to bring such trash to me for?" she demanded, breathing fast. . j "I merely wished to know two things: whether It is your duty or mine to speak to father of what Aunt Amelia" Fanny stamped her foot. "You lit tle fool I" she cried. "You awful little fool I Your father's a sick man, and you wnnt to go troubling him with an Ambcrson family rowl It's Just what1 that cat would love you to do I" "Well, I" I "Tell your father If you llko I It will only make him a little sicker to think he's got n son silly enough to listen to such crazlnessl" "Then you're sure there Isn't any talk?" Fanny disdained a reply in words. She made a hissing sound of utter con tempt nnd Bnnpped her fingers. Then sho asked scornfully : "What's the other thing you wanted to know?" George's pallor increased. "Whether it mightn't be better, under tho cir cumstances,'" he said, "If this family were not so Intimate with the Morgnn family at least for n time. It might be better " Fanny stared nt him Incredulously. "You mean you'd quit seeing Lucy?" "I hndn't thought of that Bide of it, but if such a thing were necessary on account of talk about my mother, I I " He hesitated unhnpplly. "I sug1- gested that If all of us for n time perhaps only for a time it might be better if" See here," she Interrupted. "We'll settle this nonsense right now. If Eu gene Morgan comes to this house, for instance, to sec me, your mother can't get up and leave the place the mlnuto he gets here, can she? What do you wnnt her to do: Insult him? Or per haps you'd prefer she'd insult Lucy? That would do Just ns well. What Is It you're up to, anyhow? Do you renlly lovo your Aunt Amelia so much that you want to please her? Or do you really hato your Aunt Fanny so much that you want to that you want to " She choked and sought for her hand kerchief ; suddenly sho begnn to cry. "Oh, see here," Gcorgo said. "I don't hnte you, Aunt Fanny. That's silly. I don't" "You do I You do I You want to you want to destroy tho only thing that I that I over " And, unable to continue, sho became Inaudible In her handkerchief. George felt remorseful, and his own troubles were lightened : all nt once It became clear to him that he had been worrying nbout nothing. Ho perceived thnt his Aunt Amelia was indeed an old cat, nnd that to give Ifer scandal ous meantlerings anotirt thought would bo tho height of folly. By no means insusceptible to such pathos ns that now exposed beforo him, he did not lnck pity for Fnnnj whoso almost spoken confession wns lamentable; and ho was granted tho vision to un derstand that his mother also pitied Fanny Infinitely mora than he did. This seemed to explain everything. ne patted tho unhappy lady awk wardly upon her shoulder. "There, there 1" he snld. "I dltJfi't mean any thing. Of course tho oury thing to do nbout Aunt Amelia is to pay no ntten tlon to her. It's all right, Aunt Fanny. Don't cry. I feel a lot better now, my self. Come on; I'll drive back there with you. It's all over, and nothing's tho matter. Can't you cheer up?" Fanny cheered up ; and presently tho customarily hostile nunt nnd nephew wcro driving out Amberson boulevard amiably together In the hot sunshine. 'Lucy Morgnn? Let me see: I seem to remember tho name. Didn't I know somo Lucy Morgan or other, onco upon a time?' Then you'd shako your big white head and stroke your long white beard you'd havo such n distinguished long whlto beard 1 and you'd say, 'No. I don't seem to remember nny Lucy Morgan ; I wonder what made me think I did?' And poor mo! I'd bo deep In the ground, wondering If you'd heard nbout It and what you were saying! Good-by for today. Don't work too hard dear!" Gcorgo Immediately seized pen and pnper, plaintively but vigorously re questing Lucy not to Imagine him with a beard, distinguished or otherwise, even In the extremities of age. Then, after inscribing his protest in the mat ter of this visloned beard, ho con cluded his missive In a tone mollified tr tenderness, nnd proceeded to read a letter from his mother which had reached him simultaneously with Lucy's. Isnhcl wrote from Ashcvllle, where sho hud Just arrived with her husband : "I think your father looks better al ready, darling, though we've been here only a few hours. It may bo we've found Just the place to build him up. Tho doctors said they hoped it would prove to be, and if it is, it would be worth the long strugglo we had with him to get him to glvo up and come. I'm afraid that in my anxiety to get him to do what the doctors wanted him to, I wasn't able to back up Broth er George as I should In his difficulty with Sydney nnd Amelia. I'm so sorry I George is more upset than I've ever seen him they've got what they want ed, and they're Ending before long, I hear, to live In Florence. Father said he couWn't dtnnd the constant per suading I'm nfrnld tho word he used was 'nagging.' I can't understand peo- or rnthor, with his lnck of emotion ; the spot, or not Ho owns nil theso buildings now, you know." "Didn't you, when you were here? Like uncle, like nephew." "I'm sure I didn't have It bo badly his nge," Ambcrson said reflectively, as they strolled on through tho com-' menccment crowd. , Eugeno laughed. "You need only- three things to explain all that's good I and bad about Georglo." "Threo?" "He's Isabel's only child. Ho's nat Amberson. He's a boy." "Well, Mister Bones, of these three) things which arc the good ones and which are the bad ones?" "All of them," said Eugene. George took nb conspicuous part In, cither the academic, or tho social cele brations of his class; he seemed to re gard both sets of exercises with n tol erant amusement, his own "crowd" "not going In much for cither of those sorts of things," as he explained to Lucy. Whnt his crowd had gono In for remained ambiguous; some negligent testimony Indicating that, except for an astonishing reliability which they all seemed to have attained In matters relntlng to musical comedy, they had not gone In for anything. Certainly the question one of them put to Lucy, and the anxious sympathy of his grand father and his uncle made htm feci hypocritical. He wns not grief-strick en; but ho felt that he ought to be, and, with a secret shnma, concealed his callousness benonth nn affectation of solemnity. But when he was taken into the room whore lay what was left of Wil bur Mlnafer, Gcorgo had no longer to pretend; his grief wns sufficient. It needed only the sight of thnt? forever inert semblance of the quiet man who hnd been always so quiet a part of his son's life so quiet a part that George had seldom been consciously awnre that his father was Indeed a part of his life. 'As the figure lay there, its very quietness was what was most life like; and suddenly it struck Georgo hard. And in thnt unexpected, racking grief of his son, Wilbur Mlnafer be came moro vividly oeorges rather than he had ever been In life. When George left tho room, his arm wns nbout his black-robed mother, his shoulders were still shaken with sobs. Ho leaned upon his mother ; she gently comforted him; and presently he re covered his composure nnd became self-conscious enough to wonder if he hud not been making nn unmanly dis play of himself. "I'm nil right again, mother," he snld awkwardly. "Don't worry about mo: you'd better go lie down, or something; you look pretty pnle." Isabel did look pretty pale, but not ghastly pale, as Fanny did. Fnnny's grief wns overwhelming; sho stnyed in her room, nnd George did not sco her until the next dny, n few minutes be fore the funeral, when her haggard face appalled him. The annoyance gave way before a recollection of the sweet mournfulness of his mother's face, as she hnd said good-by to him at tho station, nnd of how lovely she looked In her mourning, lie thought of Lucy, whom he hnd seen only twice, nnd he could not help feel ing thnt in these quiet Interviews he had nppeared to her ns tinged with heroism sho had shown, rather than said, how brave she thought him. When he went bnck to college, what came most vividly to George's mind, during rotrospcctlons, wns the despair ing face of his Aunt Fnnny. Again nnd ngnln he thought of It; he could. not avoid its haunting, ner grief had been so silent, yet It had so nmazed him. George felt more and more compns- g . .... t - . 1 ... SI plo bshavlng like that. George says Hlon lor U11S ani:i,;u amugouiac oi iu. thev mav be Ambersons. but they're u,m "u wroiu lo 11,3 "" vulgar I I'm nfrald I nlmost ngreo with mraiu poor Aunt i nnny mignr. him. At least. I think they were in- init now miners gone we won t want considerate her t0 Nvo with us nny longer nnd be "We plan to stay six weeks if the h cause I always teased her so much she nlnce ncrees with him. It does really mignt tnmu i u do lor turning iror out, seem to nlrcadyl He's Just called in tho door to say he's waiting. Don't smoke too much, darling boy. "Devotedly, your mother, "ISABEL." But she did not keep her husband thero for the six weeks she nntlcpated. She did not keep him nnywhere that long. Three weeks after writing this letter, she telegraphed suddenly to Georgo thnt they were leaving for home nt once; and four days later, when ho nnd a friend came whistling Into his study, from lunch nt the club, he found another telegram upon his desk. IIo read it twice beforo ho compre hended its Import. "Papa left us at ten this morning, dearest. "MOTHER." The friend saw the change in his faoo. "Not bnd news?" Gcorgo lifted utterly dumfounded eyes from the yellow paper. "My fnther," he said weakly. "She says she says he's dead. I've got to go home." . . . Els' Unclo George and the Major met him at the station when he nrrlvcd tho first time tho Mnjor had ever come to meet his grandson. The old gentleman snt In his closed car riage (which still needed paint) at the entrance to tho station, but ho got out nnd advanced to grasp George's hand CHAPTER XI. "Almost" was Lucy's last word on tlte Inst night of George's vacation thnt vltnl evening which she had half consented to ngree upon for "settling things" between them. "Almost en gaged," she meant. And George, dis contented with the "nlmost," but con tented that sho seemed glad to wear a sapphire locket with a tiny photograph of Gcorgo Amberson Mlnnfer Inside It, found himself wonderful In a new v)rld nt the final Instant of their part ing. For, after declining to let him kiss her "good-by," ns If his desire, for such a ceremony wcro tho most pre posterous nbsurdlty in tho world, sho )ind leaned suddenly close to him nnd left upon his check tho veriest feather from a fairy's wiug. She wrote him n month later: "No. It must keep on being nlmost. "Isn't nlmost pretty plcnsant? You know well enough that I enro for you. I did from tho first mlnuto I saw you, and I'm pretty sure you know It I'm afraid you did. I'm afraid you always knew it. But It's such a solemn thing It Bcarcs me. It means a good dcnl to a lot of people besides you and ino and thnt scares me, too. I shouldn't be a bit surprised to find myself an old lady, somo dny, still thinking or you while you'd be nwny and away with somebody else perhaps, nnd rati forgotten ages ago I 'Lucy Morgan,' you'd say, wheu you Baw my obituary. "There, Therel" He Said. "I Didn't Mean Anything." tremulously, when tho Iutter nppeured. "Poor follow 1" he said, Und patted him repeatedly upon tho shoulder. "Poor fellow I Poor Georglo 1" George noticed that tho Major's Ltremulousness did not disappear, us they drove up tho stroct, and that he seemed much feebler than during the summer. Principally, liowcver, Georgo was concerned with his own emotion, I don't know where on earth she'd go or what she could live on if we did do something like this, nnd of course wo never would do such a thing, but I'm pretty euro she hnd something of the kind on her mind. She didn't sny any thing, but tho way she looked is what makes me think so. Honestly, to me she looked Just senred sick. You tell her there Isn't nny dnngcr in the world of my treating her like that. Tell her everything Is to go on just ns it al ways hns. Tell her to cheer up !" Isabel did more for Fanny than tell Ing her to cheer up. Everything that Fanny Inherited from her father, old Aleck Mlnnfer, had been Invested In Wilbur's business; nnd Wilbur's bus! ness, after a period of illness corre sponding In dates to the Illness of WI1 bur's body, had died just before Wil bur did. George Amberson nnd Fanny were both "wiped out to n miracle of precision," as Amberson said. They "owned not n penny nnd owed not a penny," he continued, explaining his phrnse. "It's like tho moment Just be foro drowning: you're not under water nnd you'ro not out of it. All you know Is that you'ro not dead yet." He spoko philosophically, having his "prospects" from his father to fall back upon; but Funny had neither "prospects" nor philosophy. However, a legal survey of Wilbur's estate re vealed the fact thnt his life insurance wns left clear of the wreck; and Isn bel, with tho cheerful consent of her son, promptly turned this salvage over to her slstcr-ln-law. Invested, it would yield something better than nine bun dred dollars n year, nnd thus she was nssured of becoming neither a pauper nor n dependent, but proved to be, ns Amberson said, nddlng his efforts to the cheering up of Fanny, "nn heiress, nfter all, In spite of rolling mills and the devil." The collcginn did not return to his homo for tho holldnys. Instead, Isa bel joined him, nnd they went South for the two weeks. Sho wns proud of her stalwart, good-looking son nt tho hotel where they stayed, and It was meat and drink to her when sho saw how people stared nt him In tho lobby nnd on the big verandas Indeed, her vanity In him wns so domlnnnt that she was unnwnre of their staring nt her with moro Interest nnd nn nd miration friendlier than George evoked. Both of them felt constantly the dlf ferenco between this Chrlstmns time nnd other Christmas times of theirs In all, It was a sorrowful holiday. But when Isabel came East for George'; commencement, In June, sho brought Lucy with her and things begnn to seem different, especially when George Ambcrson nrrlvcd with Lucy's father on class day. Eugene had been in New York, on business; Amberson easily persuaded him to this outing; nnd they made a cheerful party of It, with tfto new graduato of conrse the hero and center of it nil. Ills unclo was a fellow alumnus. "Yonder was whore I roomed when I was here," he said, pointing out one of the university buildings to Eugene. "I don't know whether George would let my admirers piaco a tablet to mark "I'm All Right Again, Mother," Said Awkwardly. Ho in response to Ipvestlgatlons of hers. seemed to point that way : "Don't you think," he said, ''really, don't you think that being things Is rather better than doings things?" He snld "rnhthuh bcttuh" for "rather better," nnd seemed to do It deliberate ly, with perfect knowledge of whnt he was doing. Later, Lucy mocked him to George, nnd George refused to smile: he somewhat inclined to such pronunciations, himself. This Inclina tion wns one of tho things that ho had acquired In the four years. What else he had acquired, It might have puzzled him to state, had any body nsked him and required n direct reply within a reasonable space o time. He had learned how to pass ex aminations by "cramming;" that Is, in three or four dnys nnd nights he could get Into his head enough of a selected fragment of some scientific of philo sophical or literary or linguistic sub ject to reply plausibly to six questions out of ten. Ho could retain the Infor mation necessary for such a feat Just long enough to give a successful per formance ; then it would evaporate ut terly from his brain, and leave him un disturbed. George, like his "crowd," not only preferred "being things" to "doing things' but had contented him self with four years of "being things" ns a preparation for going on "being things." And when Lucy rather shyly pressed him for his friend's probable definition of tho "things" it seemed so superior and beautiful to be, George raised his eyebrows slightly, meaning thnt she should have understood with out explanation; but he did explain: "Oh, family and all that being a gen tleman, I suppose." Lucy gave the horizon a long look, but offered no comment. " "Aunt Fnnny doesn't look much bet ter," George said to his mother, a few minutes nfter their arrival, on the night they got home. "Doesn't she get over it nt all? I thought she'd feel better when we turned over the insur ance to her gave It to her absolutely, without nny strings to It. She looks nbout a thousand ycurs old I" "She looks quite girlish, sometimes, though," his mother said. "Has she looked that way much slnco father " "Not so much," Isabel said thought fully. "But she will, as time goes on." "Tlme'll have to hurry, then, It seems to me," Georgo observed, returning to his own room. "The idea of being a pro fessional man has never ap pealed to me." (TO BE CONTINUED.) Raising Foxes on Ranches. Raising ranch-bred foxes Is nn in dustry thnt is being carried on ex tensively In nil the Canadian provinces. In at least a dozen of the northern most states of the United States, and beginning In Japau and Norway, ull lying In much tho same climate belt, ndaptcd to domesticating the black fox, under tho most favorable conditions.
