The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1903-07-22
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ANTHONY
By TEMPLE BAILEY
copurlaht. 1919. bu 7. c. Mcclure

b.O.O.O.O.O.OO.O.o.O.O.Os-c
The Misses Hildreth never spoke OF
Anthonys pedigree. There was a GER
tain flavor Of the stables about the
word which offended their nice taste.
Ills ancestor was Antonio 1" Miss
Anne would say proudly. "The blue
ribbon winner at the bench shows"
Anthony had never won a blue rib
bon In fact, he had not been entered.
Charles, the butler, had advised against
1t.
He'd never stand It, ma'am, his
nerves are that shaky," he had said to
Miss Angelina.
But when he took Anthony for walk
he met Tam the trainer. What cud
he git with that nose?' he had asked
disdainfully, and Tam had nodded
wisely.
'But, there, wouldn't tell the old
ladies that there wasn't any chance"
Charles had said.
For the world of the Misses Hildreth
reyolved around Anthony, and they
fought off the monotony OF their gray
lives by an absorbing devotion to the
little Skye with the banged hair.
One morning in front of the brown
stone IIlldreth mansion stood modest
cab, while before an upstart yellow
brick apartment house across tho way
waited victoria with a crest on the
door and cockades on the hats of coach
man and footman. Charles helped Miss
Angelina into the cab. She was going
to visit cousin at Newport. She en-
braced Miss Anne and kissed Anthony
on the tip of his unaristoeratic nose.
"Take care Of him, Anne" she said
as she was driven away.
AS Miss Anne turned to 80 in the
house there swept into the victoria OPP
poslte an Individual lady. the un-
thinking might have called her. But In
spite of the borrowed crest and stolen
cockades, Miss Anne knew that no
where In the blue book of New York
was there the name of person who
wore "a ring on her thumb.
The fat, red face of the person peer
ed out eagerly. That's darlin' dog"
she said. Then the good natured crea-
ture bowed effuslvely to Miss Anne,
but Miss Anne looked calmly over her
head
"Who is that person'" she asked
Charles
Charles did not know, and Miss Anne,
with shrug of her sloping shoulders,
trallcd up the stairway.
All that day Miss Anne and Anthony
sat by the window In an upper front
room Miss Anne embroidered and
Anthony lounged on his white covered
table and was bored to the point Of
extinction. Outside the sun sh0ne and
the wind blew with alluring freshness.
Within all was darkness and quiet and
inaction. And Anthony WIS young.
What rebellious plans ragged III his bos-
ON will never be known, but that night
the Hildreth mansion was the scene Of
Il tragedy.
Bedtime came. ana Miss Anne, with
her soft. gray hair in decorous curl pa
pers, laid herself down In the Stiffness
of the big room. Anthony's basket was
in dressing closet close adjoining
For hours everything WAS very. very
still. Miss Anne slept soundly, with
her little, soft, old face on her little,
soft, old hand, and dreamed the dreams
that come to such sweet saints.
Anne Anne.
Wide awake In II moment, Miss Anne
CROPPED for the matches, and ut once II
faint glow showed the wonder in her
old face
"Who calledT
She slipped out of bed and went TO
the door The hall was solid with
blackness. She listened only the far
away hum of downtown noises.
In the ominous stiffness came the
thought, Why had not Anthony walked
She pushed the door of the closet open
and listened. But no gurglc of CON
tented doggish sleep came forth.
Anthony was gone.
For IL moment the little lady stood
daZed. Then she ran through her room
TO the hall and down the stairway.
AS she reached the bottom square
of graylsh white light faced her The
front door was open,
Miss Annes nervous fingers played
across the buttons ON the wall. and
lights flared up all over the house.
Then the bell connected with Charles
room whirred in the distance, and
presently Charles came down in Il lin
tied costume of slippers and long coat.
"Anthony's gone" said Miss Anne,
and she wept
Charles examined the door. That
/ Mary came In last. It's her careless
ness, he declared.
There was no more sleep for the
household that night Only weary
vigil, and all the next day Miss Anne
wandered from window to window UNI
til Mt last she crept to the door to wei
come her sister, and the slender little
women fell on each others necks.
81 woke in the middle of the night"
sobbed Miss Angelina, land called
you"
/
but 1t was too late"
Charles looked over the heads of the
/ little ladies mt Mary, the housemaid
Then he winked and tapped his fore
head significantly.
In the ghostly stiffness of the old par
| lor the tale was all told, and the tive
lonely little women sat down to face
the loss of the one interest in their
/ barren lives
/ But meanwhile-Anthony?
/ BY morning he was miles away from
| the brownstone front. The days Went
on, and gradually the glory of his vel
low White TOSS dpparted. At times ht
went hungry, and his round sides be
! came mere hollows, but in his eye:
was the sparkle of care free spirit
Back of him was the dim room will
/ its combining white covered table. aheat
I OF him sunshine and freedom. Blu
l dark DAYS eame when he WAS driven