fie "WILL YOU BE ENGAGED TO ME?" Synopsis. Major Amberson had made a fortune in 1873 when other people were losing fortunes, and the magnificence of the Ambersons began then. Major Amberson laid out a 200-acre "development," with roads and statuary, and in the center of a four-acre tract, on Amberson avenue, built for himself the most magnificent mansion Midland City had ever seen. When the major's daughter married young Wilbur Minafer the neighbors predicted that as Isabel could never really love Wilbur all her love would be bestowed upon the children. There is only one child, however, George Amberson Minafer, and his upbringing and his youthful accomplishments as a mschief maker are quite in keeping with the most pessimistic predictions. By the time George goes away to college he does not attempt to conceal his belief that the Ambersons are about the most Important family In the world. At a ball given in his honor when he returns from college, George monopolizes 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. He is Eugene 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 had been engaged when Isabel threw him over because of a youthful Indiscre tion and married Wilbur Minafer. George makes rapid progress in his court ship of Lucy. A cotillion helps theif acquaintance along famously. Their "friendship", continues during his absences at college. CHAPTER VIII Continued. In the matter of coolness George met Lucy upon her own predeter mined ground ; In fact, he was there first, and at their next encounter proved loftier and more formal than she did. Their estrangement lasted three weeks, and then disappeared without any preliminary treaty: It had worn itself out and they forgot it. The Major had taken a great fancy to her, insisting upon her presence and her father's at the Amberson fam ily dinner at the Mansion every Sun day evening. She knew how to flirt with old people, he said, as she sat next him at the table "on one of these Sunday occasions; and he had always liked her father, even when Eugene was a "terror" long ago. "Oh, yes, he was !" the Major laughed when she remonstrated. "He came up here with my son George and some others for a serenade one night, and Eugene stepped into a bass fiddle, and the poor musicians just gave up! That serenade was just before Isabel was married and don't you fret, Miss Lucy: your father remembers it well enough !" The old gentleman burst into laughter, and shook his finger at Eugene across the table. VThe fact is," the Major went on hilariously, "I believe If Eugene hadn't broken that bass fiddle and given himself away Isabel would never have taken WI1 bur ! I shouldn't be surprised if that was about all the reason that Wilbur got her I What do you think, Wil bur?" "I shouldn't be surprised," said WI1 bur placldy. ' "If your notion Is right I'm glad 'Gene broke the fiddle. He was giving me a hard run I" The Major always drank " three glasses of champagne at his Sunday dinner, and he was finishing the third. "What do you say about it, Isabel? By Jove !" he cried, pounding the table, "she's blushing!" Eugene was as pink as Isabel, but he laughed without any sign of embar rassment other than his heightened color. "There's another important thingthat is, for me," he said. "It's the only thing that makes me forgive that bass viol for getting in my way." "What Is it?" the Major asked. "Lucy," said Morgan gently. Isabel gave him a quick glance, all warm approval, and there was a mur mtfr of friendliness round the table. Summer glided by evenly and quick ly enough, for the most part, and at the. end seemed to fly. On the last night before George went back to be a junior his mother asked him confi dently if it had not been a happy summer. He hadn't thought about It, he an swered. "Oh, I suppose so. Why?" "I just thought it would be nice to hear you say so,'.' she said, smiling. "It's seemed to me that it must have been a happy summer for you a real 'summer of roses and wine' without the wine, perhaps. 'Gather ye roses while ye may or was ' It primroses? Time does really fly, or perhaps it's like the sky and smoke" George was puzzled. "It strikes me you're getting mixed. I don't see much resemblance between time and the sky or between things and smoke wreaths; but I do see one reason you like Lucy Morgan so much. She talks that same kind of wistful, moony way sometimes I don't mean to say I mind ItIn either of you, be cause I rather like to listen to it, and you've got a very good voice, mother. It's nice to listen to, no mat ter how much smoke and sky and so on, you talk. So's Lucy's, for that matter ; and I see why you're con genial. She talks that way to her father, too; and he's right there With the same kind of guff. . Well, It's all right with me ! I've got plenty to think about when people drool along I" She pressed his hand to her cheek, and a tear made a tiny warm streak across one of his knuckles. "For heaven's sake!" he said. "What'sthe matter? Isn't everything all right?" - "You're going away I I never can bear to see you gothat's the most .of it. I'm a little bothered about your rather, too," " . "Why?" -' - "It seems to me he looks so bad, Everybody thinks so.' . ; c - "What nonsense!" George laughed. 100183 taat way U mer. He Isn t much different from long. Did Lucy write you about the bedroom, was a young damsel's bou the way heVlooked aU his life, that factory?" doir, he said, so that nowhere could He never talks much about his v,., i . t j i . , . i l7 ' ut 1 . UK "es necn i Wnrrrlnff nKmif onma Iritriof tviontc Viol T& . .uo.v,.o -i ,A .. " y uoo aucticu no xicaiLii. I "What manded. Morgan's he?" ucultc i HA r o cn'f rrs-ivt r 4-n Hln I I ... 6 v .11 automobile concern, hasr "No," Isabel smiled.' "The 'auto mobile concern' is all Eugene's, and it's so small I understand it's taken hardly anything. No; your father has always prided himself on making only the most absolutely safe investments, but two -or three years ago he and your Uncle George both put a great deal pretty much everything they could get together, I think into the stock of rolling mills some friends of theirs owned, and I'm afraid the mills haven't been doing well." TAiac w tuai x'ttiiicj. uccuu i worry. You and I can take care of him Jhe rest of his life on what grand father" : "Of course," she agreed. "But your father's always lived so for his bus! ness and taken such pride In his sound investments ; it's with him. I" a paSSlOn I "Pshaw ! He needn't worry ! You tell him we'll look after him." He kissed her. "Good night; I'm, goingto tell Lucy goodby. Don't sit up for me.!' "Yes, I will," she laughed, won't be very late." "Well it's my last night." 'You "But I know Lucy, and she knows I want to see you too. your last night. You 11 see: shell send you home promptly at eleven!" But she was mistaken: Lucy sent him home promptly at ten. CHAPTER IX. Isabel's uneasiness about her hus- band's health sometimes reflected in her letters to George during the win ter that followed had not been alle- viated when the accredited Senior re-1 turned for his next summer vacation, 'For Heaven's Sake!" He "What'a the Matter?" Said, nnd she rnnfided to him in his room. soon after his arrival, that "some- .tAF hai cm tn her lnte - ly had made her more uneasy than ever "Doctor Rainey says we ought to get him away." Wflii info Hx t fhon" W I a U ILi "He won't eo" tt' mnn flwfniiv sef in his ..... .. ' . wnvB? thnrs tme" snin liporpp. '"i don't think there's anything much the mutter with him. though. Wave von seen Lucy lately? How Is she?" She looks nretty 1" said Isabel. I suppose she wrote yon they've moved?" "Yes ; INr got her ; address. She mlA thai- wm huildln." - Copyright by Doubleday. Pare & Company. Mm:mm,mmmM,ammmmmrrfrt. g. fff f f f f if if ff f r f f ff t f ff ff f t ff f KC4 X4 ?x4 iney did. its all finished, and t they've been in It a month. It's small, Dut on, sucn a pretty little house r wen, that s fortunate," George said. "One thing I've always felt they didnt know a great deal about, is ar- luueiiure. i , ".Don't they 7" asked Isabel, sur- Prised. "Anyhow, their house is charming. It's way out beyond the I end of Amberson boulevard; It's quite near that big white house with a gray- M . 1. 1 a i I Kreen TOO! SOmeDOClV DUllt OUt mere I a year or so ago. I suppose you 11 be unving out 10 see i-.ucy tomorrow. l thought George hesitated. MI tnougnt pernaps id go after dinner mis evening." ,. At mis nis motner laugnea, not as- tonisned. "It was only my feeble joke about 'tomorrow,' Georgie ! I was nretty sure you couldn't wait that .no. What factory?" ilie auiomODlie ; snous. XniS SDrintr they've finished ehrht automobiles and - i sold them all, and they've got twelve n . , , ... . , I more aimost nnisnea, ana tney re soia already! Eugene Is so gay over it! I nev re vorv lntprectinof tn lnnlr tiTtrifV, f.nnAtl.tnn nirn'i,ifnfnn I Denina me -arivers seat tnere's a sort . i 1 .....I wnere lour people can sit, with I U step and a little door in the rear, ana ' 1 i Know ail aoout it, said ueorge. I've seen any number like that, east. You can see all you want of 'em if you stand on Fifth avenue half an hour any afternoon. I've seen half a dozen go by almost at the same time within a few minutes, anyhow ; and of course electric hansoms are a common sight there any day. I hired 0ne myself the last time I was there. How fast do Mr. Morgan's machines go?" "Much too fast! It's very exhila- rnTincr nut rarner insrnrenins': ana they do make a fearful uproar. He says, though, he thinks he sees a way to get around the noisiness in time." "I don't mind the noise," said George. "Give me a horse for mine, though, any 6ayf I must get up a race Wl-h nft n those th!nr. Ponriennfa'11 leave it one mile behind in a two-mile run. How's grandfather?" "He looks well, but he complains sometimes of his heart." George had taken off his coat. "I don't like to hint to a lady," he said, but I do want to dress before din ner. Don't be lopg; I've got to do a lot of looking at you, dear !" She klssea him and ran awayf singing. t. . a t- But ;- his Aunt Fanny was not so a . "a nnar. foKi iti.c I eyes when George patronizingly asked her what was the news in her own "particular line of sport." "Well, what's the gossip? You usually hear pretty much everything that goes on around the nooks and crannies in this town, I hear. What's the last from the gossips' corner, j auntieT' Fanny dropped her eyes, but a movement of her lower lin betokened - -. . . . . t . . n rennenrv tn inuirn as sne rennea. There hnsn't been mnrh soj?sin latelv evrent the renort that Lucv Morgan " x " x, - sr v o -i trrTs O ViiLC urn uj m.o nc. There was a clatter upon George's plate. .inn.. .v ..n.i. vvuai wiiut uu juu i liiuu. you're talking about?" he gasped. Miss Fanny looked up innocently, "About the r'eport of Lucy Morgan's engagement to Fred Kinney." George turned dumbly to his mother and Isabel shook her head reassur ingly. "People are always starting rumors," she said. "I haven't paid an- attention to this one." XUl Jvu J uu c ucaiu in ix stammered. "Oh, one hears all sorts of nonsense, dear. I haven't the slightest idea that It's true." , "Then you have heard it I" Georee turned pale. ? "Eat your dinner, Georgie," his aunt said sweetly. "Food will do you ffood. I didn't say I knew this rumor was true. I only said I'd heard it." 'Fnnnv vou're a hard-hearted crea- tnre" Isabel said eentlv. "You reallv are. Don't Dav anv attention to her. aenrjre. Fred Kinnev's onlv a clerk in his male's hardware ninre? he couldn't marry for ages even if any body would accept him!" George breathed tumultuously. ul don't care anything about 'ages P What's that got to do with It?" he said, his thoughts appearing to be I 1 somewhat disconnected. "Ages,' don't mean anything ! I only, want to know 1 I want to know I want "HeL I stopped I "You must finish your dinner, dear, his mother urged. "Don't I - have -mushed, rve eaten an 1 I wflnt. I don't want anv more tnan 1 I - r wanted. 1 aont want 1 ae rose, I still incoherent. "I nrefer I want i' ! -1 - i Diease excuse me He left the room; and a moment later the screens outside the onen front door were heard to slam. "Fanny! You shouldn't" . I "Isabel, don't reproach me. He did have plenty of dinner, and I only told th truth: everybody has been say I IDjr " l4 &C4 T4 EC "We don't actually know there f isn't," Miss Fanny Insisted, giggling, "We've never asked Lucy." "I wouldn't ask her anything so ab- surd ln; : "George would" George's father re- marked. "That's vrhnr hp's" e-nne tn I o I do." " Mr. Minafer was not mistaken: that was what his son had gone to do. Lucy, 'and her father were just rising from their dinner table when the J 1 stirrer! vrmth nrriiror! nt tha frnnf door of the new house. It was a cot- tage, however, rather than a, house: and Lucy had taken a free hand with the architect, achieving results in white and. green outside and .white and blue Inside to such effect of youth and daintiness that her father mm. plained of "too much springtime !" Th whnip ninoo fninriinc hi own he smoke a cigar without feeling like In mtfinn Hnwever he wns smntincr whn 'orrirort h0 0nir. " " " v- i.v- vUi.vui aged George to join him in the pas- 1 time, but the caller, whose air Was both tense and preoccupied, declined t novar cmnVn fhnt ia Vm coi. I I dom I mean, no, thanks" he said. "i mean not at all. I'd rather not." "ivsn'f Tvn Ttroll finnmol" TJ'nrpQTil asked, looking at him in perplexity. "Have you been overworking at col lege? You do look rather pa " "I don't work," said George. "I mean I don't work. I think, but I don't work. I only work at the end Eugene's perplexity was little de creased, and a tinkle of the doorbell rifTnrded him ohvions relief. "It's mv foreman," he said, looking at his wntrh "T'll tn Ira. him ont in the vnrd to talk. This is no place for a fore man." And he departed, leaving the "living room" to Lucy and George. "What's wrong, George?" she asked softly. "What do vou mean: 'What's wrong?' , What makes you think any- thing's 'wrong' with me?" "You do look pale, as papa said, and It seemed to me that the way you talked sounded well, a- little con fused." . '. "See here J" George stepped close to her. : "Are you glad to see me?' Lucy protested, laughing at his dra matic intensity. "Of course I am! Do tell me what's the ? matter with you, George I" . . "1 will!" he exclaimed. I was a by when I saw you last. I see that now, though I didn't then. Well, Im not a boy any longer. I'm a man, and a man has a right to demand a totally different treatment" "I don't seem to be able to under stand you at all, George. Why shouldn't a boy be treated just as well as a man?" George seemed to find himself at a loss. "Why shouldn't Well, he shouldn't, because a man has a right t0 certain explanations I "Whot in tha Trrlrl In unn wn n f mo i ' " j " "Jv- I to explain? l L.rr -I . In -r-. -. rri ... ' lour conauct .wun lrea mnneyi , , ueoree snoutea T.npv uttered -.Rndden rrv of Z v laughter; she was delighted. "It's Miepn nwfr. I" fiho spd "T rlnn'f rnnw i vi..v. - that I ever head of worse misbe- havior ! Papa and I have been twice to dinner with his fami,y. and IVe been three times to church with 'Fred and once to the circus ! I don't know when they'll be here to arrest me!" "Stop that !" George commanded fiercely. "I want to know jusf one thing, and I mean to know It, too!" 'Whether I enjoyed the circus? "I want to know if you're engaged to him!" - "No!" she cried, and lifting her face close to his for the shortest in - stant possible, she gave him a look half merry, half defiant, but all fond. " was an adorable look, "Lucy!" he said huskily. Bnt she turned quickly from him, and ran to the other end of the room. I He followed awkwardly, stammering : I "Lucy, I want I want to ask you. Will you will you will you be en - traced to me?" She stood at a window, seeming to look out . into the summer darkness, her back to him. "No" she murmured, just audibly. "Why not?" "You're too young." "is that " he said, gulping "is that tne oniy reason you won w bhe did not answer. As she stood persistently staring but of the window with her back to him she did not see how humble his attitude had become; but his voice was low. and it shook so that she i couiavnave no qoudc oi ms emouon. "Lucy nlease forgive me for making l '. suai. a row,, ue saw, iuus scuuj. "I've been I've been terribly upset terribly! You know how I feel about! J you, and always have felt about you. Don't you? still she did not move or speac. "is the only reason you won t De - 1 rngaged. to me you think Tm too J Yuu& I.ucafr 83 By Bsotii igton f r r C f f f ft ff Jj J tfff T f Jf J" Ji'fr "It's it's reason enough." she said faintly. At that he caught one of her hands. and she turned to him: there were tears in her eyes, tears which he did not understand at alL T.nor rmn utti Aa.t min J UV.J , JUU UlUC UCIA JJL1 Vl "I knew you' "No, no!" she saidand she trashed hira away, withdrawing her hand. 'George, let's not talk of solemn things . ucniAmn thlnm, !' TIV .WV "Like being engaged." But Georee had become altoirether iubilant. and he lauehed triumDhant- ly. "Good gracions, tht fc't sol earn! "It Is tool" she said, wloine her eyes. "Its too solemn for us." "No, it isn't! I" "Let's sit down and be sensible, dear," she said. "You sit over t-ce " "I will if you'll call me 'dear ncain." tiv n cn;j , mtmi nii Lv - mat uulc ntaiu . una auuiiuci uic night before you go away. w-xvi v. jvu " "J "That will have to do, then," he laughed, "so long as I know we're en- j ; "t? -n q't cho nmfocfo "And we never will be if you don't promise not to. speak of it again Tjnf"i1 T tell TOT! tn I" "I won't promise that,' said the happy George. "I'll only promise Jiot to speak of It till the next time you call me 'dear ;' and you've promised to call me that the night before leave for my senior year." "Oh. but I didn't!" she said ear nestly, then hesitated. "Did I?" "Didn't you?" "I don't think I meant it," she mur- mured, her wet lashes flickering above irouDiea eyes "I know one thing about you," he said gayly, his triumph increasing. "you never went back on anything you said yet, and I'm not afraid of this being the first time !' "But we mustn't let " she fal- tered; then went on tremulously, George, we've got on sowell together we won't let this make a difference between us, will we?" And she joined in his laughter. "It will all depend on what you tell me the night before I go away. You agree we're going to settle things then, don't you Lucy?" "I don't promise." "Yes, you do! Don't you?" "Well" , l ! CHAPTER X. That night George began a Jubilant warfare upon his Aunt Fanny, open ing the campaign upon his return home at about eleven o'clock. Fanny had retired, and was presumably asleep, but George, on the way to his own room, paused before her door. and serenaded her in a full baritone: Ad T rnn 11.- ft 1 A .V T T 1 With my independent air, The people all declare 'He must be a millionaire !' Oh, you hear them sigh iand wish to die. And. see them wink the other eye At the man that broke the bank at Monte Carlo!" I After breakfasting In bed, George sPent the next morning at his grand f.tl10rc nnH At nnt nrAnnf Z., LrZ XI "u"1 uuu. luuvi.,. seemed to be ready for him "Thank you so much for the sere- t?,, I " J"" feUl l" "1LV- for the first time in two nights, but after your kind attentions he lay awake the rest of last night.' "Perfectly true," Mr. Minafer said grimly. "Of course, I didn't know, sir, George hastened to assure him. Tm awfully sorry. But Aunt Fanny was I so gioomy ana excitea oeiore 1 went out' Iast evening, I thought she needed 1 cneermg up. He turned to his mother. "What s the matter wih grandfather?" "Didn't you see him this morning?" Isabel asked. "Yes. He was glad to see me, and I all that, but he seemed pretty fidgety. I Has he been having trouble with his heart again? 1 "Not lately. No." ' "Well, he's not himself. What's he upset overr Isabel looked serious; however, it was her husband who suggested gloom ily, "I suppose the Major's bothered about this Sydney and Amelia bus! ness, most likely. "What Sydney and Amelia busl ness 2 George asked. "Yoia mother can tell you, If she l wants to," Minafer said. "It's not nay side of the family, so I keep off." "It's rather disagreeable for. all of I us, Georgie," Isabel began. You see. your Uncle Sydney wanted a diplo- ut ywwvu, uu c uivui i George, being in congress, could ar I ranira It' RonrirO lIM Ct him th nff(F 6 0 of, a South American ministry, but Sydney wantea a .European amoassa j oorsmp, ma ue gut qunc 6" with 'poor George tor thinking he'dl take anything . smaller and he be- lieves George didn't work hard enough for him. George had done his best, of course, and nnw Le'e out congreaa, Tarkin and won't run "agbin- i ther v . neys Idea of a big dlpidmatlc positioo . gone for good. Well, Sydney and your Aunt: Amelia are terribly disappoint ed, and they say they've been thinking for years that this town isn't really fit : to live in for a gentleman,' Sydney J says and it is getting rather -big and;-' dirty. So they've sold their house and decided to go abroad to live perma nently ; there's a villa , near Florence they've often talked of buying. And they want father to let them have their share of the estate now. Instead of :; waiting for him to leave It to them in his will." - " , "Well, I suppose that's fair enough, George said. "That is, In case he In tended to leave them a certain amount in his will." "Of course that's ' understood, Georgie. Father explained his will to third tn Rrnther flenrce nnel n third ! to us." . - . Her son made a simple calculation in his mind. Uncle George was a bachelor, and probably would never marry ; Sydney and Amelia were child- ; less. The Major's only, grandchild ap peared to remain the eventual heir of the entire property, no matter if the , Major did turn over to Sydney a third of it now. "Well,' I suppose it's grand- father's own affar. He can do It or not, just as he likes. I don't see why , he'd mind much." "He seemed , rather confused and-, pained about it," Isabel said. "I think , they oughtn't to urge it. George says that the estate won't stand taking out "Lucy, I Want I Want to Ask You, the third that Sydney wants, and thai Sydney and Amelia are behaving like a couple of pigs. I'm on George's side, whether he's right or wrong ; I alway was from the time we were children; and Sydney and Amelia are hurt with me about it, I'm afraid. They're stopped speaking to . George entirely. Poor father ! Family rows at his time of life." An hour after lunch, George strolled over to his grandfather's, intending to apply for further information, as & party rightfully interested. He did not carry out this Intention, however. Going into the big house by a side entrance, he was informed that the Major was upstairs in his bedroom, that his sons Sydney and George were both with him, and that a seriou argument was In progress. George went to the foot of the great stairway. He could hear angry voice overhead those of his two , uncles and a plaintive murmur, as if the Major tried to keep the peace. Such sounds were far from encom aging to callers, and George decide i not to go upstairs until this Inter7iet was over. He turned from the stair way, and going quietly into the library picked up a magazine but he did not open it, for his attention was Instant ly arrested by his Aunt Amelia's voice, speaking in the next room. The door vas open and Gee heard her, .dis tinctly. "Isabel does? Isabel!" she exclaimed, her tone .high and shrewish. "Yo needn't tell me anything about Isabti Minafer, I guess, my dear old Frank Bronson! I know her a little better than you do, don't you think?" George heard the voice of Mr. Bron son replying a voice familiar to hln as that of his grandfather's attorney-in-chief and chief Intimate as well. Hf was a contemporary of the Major's, be ing over seventy, and they had been through three years of the war in the same regiment "L doubt your knowing Isabel," , he said stiffly. "You speak other as you do .because she sides with her brothel George, Instead of with you and Syd ney." "You little fool! You awful little fooir (TO BE CONTINUED.) Reasoning From Kittens. ' Little Edward's twin sisters wert being christened. All went well until Edward saw the water in the tont Then he anxiously turned to his poth er and exclaimed : "Ma, which one ar you going to keepr" Blighty (Lon don). ChIco I In wme parts or ape .rrovino South Africa, chleory gives a yieia $250 to 5300 per acre, jooanneswrg I twin the chief market 1 Ss

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