The Democratic advocate., 1909-10-08

bor
nor daughter, Anne Morton went to
hor room and locked the door. Throw.
i,o aside her lace cloak, she turned OH
I'll the lights and. tall and graceful
IN her clinging yellow gown. studied
borself in the mirror.
Richard Hunter had not asked for Il
single dance. but had devoted himself
20 Nollie Pierce. Anne began to real
i7o that this had been the order of
things for some time. Morris Trevor
o1so had not come near. And only a
roar ago, before she had broken her
onoagement with Richard, there had
not been dances enough to satisfy her
admirers. Surely at twenty-seven Il
woman has not lost the power to at
tract, Was she becoming a wallfow-
er:
THE mirror was reassuring. Her
fine brown eyes were large and clear.
her heavy dark hair perfectly arrang-
od her oval face and small head GER
family distinguished. She smiled rue
fuIly. and a dimple deepened in her
nose she noted critically that she look
ed bored, almost unhappy; the corners
of her mouth dropped and two cross
LITTLE lines showed between her eyes.
Anne began to take stock Of herself
Tonight she had actually sat out three
dances with the chaperons. She faced
the fact that her friends were becom-
ing fewer; that the men called less
often. invited her less often to share
their pleasures. ''The girls'' no longer
dropped in to gossip of clothes and
mprrymakings and beaus. Yes, even
in the family things had changed. Hel
mother, always loving, was also pa
tient. Harry, with the frankness Of
fourteen, remarked, when she was IL
ritated with him. that she was beconl
ING a cross old maid. Jean assumed
condescending younger sister airs.
She was quite sure that it was Rich
ards place to make the first move to-
ward reconciliation, even though she
admitted to herself that the fault had
bpan mostly hers At last she went to
bed and cried herself to sleep. But
she avoke early, so much earlier than
usual that. as she lay thinking, it came
to her that not for months had she
really seen her father. not for months
had she breakfasted with the family.
On impulse she rose, took a cold
plunge and dressed for the street. She
had nearly finished when the rising
bell rang.
She stood nervously adjusting her
collar at the mirror, a little sensitive
about going down lest some member
of the family might comment on her
unwonted presence, when she noted
that she looked positively cross. 1t
made her seem old She by an effort
made herself smile. and the dimple
again showed itself Then she started
for the door just in time to encounter
Harry. who was coming with an old
gong to awaken her. Yesterday she
would have complained to her mother:
today she laughed as he scampered
back to his room to finish dressing.
When she heard the breakfast bell
she started slowly downstairs, and as
she reached the lower hall she caught
her own name spoken by her mother
in an anxious tone Involuntary she
paused Her father replied:
Don't worry, mother, Anne needs
lesson in loving. She will have to suf-
fer till she finds out that no woman
is loved and sought unless she is low
ing-lovable. She will not be her old
attractive self till she stops being
bored and sarcastic and is pleased and
interested and shows that she is. She
is getting selfish, and nothing but
thinking of others will do her any
good"
But. Fred" her mothers voice con-
tinued. Richard never came near her
last night nor Morris nor Henry Par
ker Do you suppose they resent her
treatment of Richard? And she II
never about when our older friends
call and never up in the morning. Has
it occurred to you that Richard may
have shown her he wanted to break
with her and that she is unhappy
about it? Last night he was so deVot-
2d to Molly Pierce!"
Nonsense, Richard simply had
real mans self respect. She dismissed
him for nothing. and l don't blame
him for not crawling back like Whlr-
ped puppy. Perhaps he is getting IN
terested in Molly-a live young fellow
is not going to let the caprice of one
woman spoil life for him. He did care
He told me himself when it first hap
pened that he was all cut up about it,
but that she would have to call him
back herself. She hasn't done SO.
Well. there is nobody like him. Yes,
another cup, dear, please" Anne ned
softly back to her room, her cheeks
and eyes ablaze. fury in her heart.
How dared they! How dared they dis
cuss her affairs and side with Rich
ard. Then it came upon her that these
Two dear persons. the dearest in the
world. loved her and had right to
say to each other what they thought
about their own child.
And they were right-that was the
worst of it. What should she 90:
After a moments hesitation she went
quietly down and took her place al
the table bidding them good morning
rs if nothing had occurred. Harry and
Jean came chasing each other down
the hall to join the family, and then
everybody seemed to begin talking and
laughing. In spite Of herself Anne
became interested. She laughed, anC