Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-11-26
CHAPTER Continued.

ing TO 06T own way -oA NnlCA no one
20 look at little Anne, would have be-
f;eved her capable-some of the money
Ahat had been collected to help her was
apent on a typewriter, situation was
found in the office of philanthropic lit
erary lady who interested herself in
giving work to those who needed it, and
a smart girl was hired to look after the
baby while Anne was busy; Phil, then
9 years old, remained on at school, and
the dreadful chasm torn by death was
bridged over.
The Oliyers-Anne fatty refused to
use her fathers Italian rendering of the
name as prejudicial to business-faded
quickly out of the memory of the fash
ionable folk who had befriended them or
were replaced by some fresh charitable
sensation.
This was now five years ago In these
five years had come some changes Little
Anne had supplemented her typewriting
business with the drudgery of daily
governess work, reserving the former for
evening employment only. Phil was 10,
a slender, agile lad, the living image of
his dead father, and ON the point of
leaving school; Gerry, now Z years old,
had grown into terribly fragile child,
whose health was a never failing source
of anxiety; and Anne herself, at %, still
held the little household together with
her frail hands by dint of patient, I'M
RENTING toll.
Even as she sat listening on that
scorching July afternoon to the chill
dren's music, her ever busy brain was
planning how it would be possible to
get the change of air and scene, if only
for few days, they all needed so sorely.
How hard it seemed that, pinch and
screw and deny herself as she might,
there never was enough money TO allow
the slightest margin for anything beyond
the bare necessities of life.
Little Anne smothered a sigh as she
glanced at Gerry's thin fingers picking
away so cleverly at the banjo strings.
Fresh air all day long and new milk
straight from the Govt" Why not order
the child chicken and champagne and
month in the south of France at once?
Oh, for ten pounds! Only tent And
absolutely her own to do as she pleased
With Free of any demand from the
butcher, the baker, or the candlestick-
maker-such an entirely extraneous and
independent sum that she could not even
be assaulted by qualms of conscience after
she had spent it, that it might have been
used for better or wiser purpose. If,
for instance, some good angel would put
ten sovereigns into her hands on the con-
dition that they were only to be applied
towards paying the expenses of
months holiday for them all at the sea-
side What must it feel like, she won
dered, to have the power to draw on
ones bankers for the requisite funds to
carry out the most extravagant within,
and when it came to an actual neces-
sity, like health, for instance?
why can't we go and play to people
in the streets and get pennies in tin
mug, like they do outside the Horned
Ram, Nang You've no idea what heap
of money the chaps make who do it"
exclaimed Phil, suddenly pausing. There
was a woman and two boys in front of
the bar as / came home last night. She
had horrid, wheezy harmonium, and
the boys were bowling, The Holy City
all out of tune, but | saw the plate as
one of them handed it round, and it was
ehock full of pennies and half pennies,
and there was some silver too. Gerry
and can sing and play better than they
could. 1 believe we could earn money
that way. l do really"
ooh, yes! Do let us, Nan dear!
Wouldn't it be fun? Only you'd have
to tome along too WITH a piano in q
cart. | saw gentleman in the street
playing like that the other day. He had
an ugly black thing half over his face
with two holes for his eyes, and the
people said he was a real live lord, only
he'd been naughty at home and so his
father wouldn't give him any money to
buy his dinner!" exclaimed Gerry ex-
citedly, her pale, small face aflanle in a
moment Fancy if we could earn
enough to buy the tickets for the train
to Sandbeach and"
Nonsense! Tickets, indeed! Why,
we must go to Sandbeach first, and sing
and play on the sands to the visitors"
interposed Phil in a contemptuous tone.
Perhaps it would be a good thing for
Nan to go with us; a piano helps to
make more noise, and she could look
after you because you're only little
girl Gerry; but it wouldn't be worth
while to begin in these dirty streets.
Let's risk it, and go to Sandbeach to-
morrow, and if we haven't got money
enough to stay there, and can't make
any, we must come back again, that's
all. You always say there's nothing like
trying, Nan dear"
The boy slipped his arm lovingly round
his elder sisters neck and leant his
curly, dark head against her chestnut
one while Gerry scrambled on to her lap.
We'll 60 to Sandbeach and make
heaps and heaps of yellow shillings-see
II we don't, Mani" she shouted. "Nc-
body'll know who we are; only we won't
black our faces like the dirty niger
boys, will wei You can wear a black
thing with two holes for your eyes, like
the lord did, and / can wear my white
frock and the coral beads that poor
mammie left me. and Phil can wear
oh, bother wearing-who cares about
clothes, That's a girl all overt" ex-
claimed the boy impatiently. "But you
might have a mask if you wished, Anne.
Nobody would recognize you then, and
Terry and don't matter"
Wait little-do wait, dearsl Give
MI