Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-06-10
ON SUNSET HILL
BY CHRISTINE HAYES.

Az b pinned on her hat Anne
| Waring suppressed q savage desire 20
tear n into shreds and instead smiled
| encouragingly at her reflection In ue
| cheap square mirror.
"A good, brisk walk, and you'll De
a new woman, my dear" she said.
A rood, brisk walk was Anne's STOCK
remedy for a dark blue afternoon. IL
had never failed, perhaps because sne
was seldom troubled with dark blue
| afternoons.
Indirectly the hat was Responsible
| for this one-hence the brief anninlia-
five impulse. Directly, however, q
thourhtiess remark was to blame, one
of those chance shots that hurt by
their very truth.
1t was Saturday. and a halliday az
the office, so after lunch she mao run
in to see her sister. Her twelve-year-
old niece, Ruth, had greeted her Win
"Oh, auntie. I just love you In tnat
hatl Don't you think small mats are
SO much more becoming to mi~ddle-ageo
people?"
Anne had gasped, thankful that Ruth
was rafting on without noticing her
discontinue. She had made a hur-
ried departure and, locking herse1 IN
her lodging house room, had striven TO
readjust her world. Somehow she had
never thought Of herself as middle
aged. And by modern standards sne
was not. The idea had come u a
shock, and 1t was not welcome. Sne
could not have told why. Certainly she
had expected to be middle-aged some
time.
Now, drawing on her gloves, h
peered into the mirror again, more
closely. Yes, the lines at the corners
of her mouth were deepening. PICKING
IN her muff she walked down the stairs
rather slowly. At the street door she
paused a moment, feeling as though
she were about to face the world in
a new character.
Once outside, however. the clear. cold
air brought a rose pink to her cheeks
and q sparkle to her eyes, and gradu-
ally her sense of depression slipped
away before the thousand-and-one In
teresting things Anne always managed
to see on her way.
'T1l walk out to Rolf" she decided.
"and just about get there In time to
see the sunset from that hill. Then 1
can take the car back"
Out In the more open spaces Of the
suburbs, Anne fnced her problem
squarely.
ssYou must get used to the idea, Anne
Waring," she admonished herself.
"You are Observation-Disclosures. I
don't think it's the growing old that
You mind. though, so much as the
growing old in ofice-lodging-house
restaurant surroundings. And your
surroundings are your own fault; but
it's too late now. You were foolish
enough to let a silly quarrel with Pc
ter spoil your whole life"
But In spite of herself. Anne's mind
dwelt on Peter Lee rather wistfuIly.
Peter and she had been engaged for
almost q year when o dispute had oc.
CURED over some trivial matter. To
the dismay Of each If them the dis
puts had Of It's own accord. 1t seemed,
taken on the proportions Of q quarrel.
Both had been obstinate and proud.
and at last Peter had gone away. Anne
had never heard from him since.
She was still thinking Of him when
she reached Sunset Hill. She had
timed her walk wen, for the drama Of
the sunset was Just being staged. the
pine trees black against the glory OF
the flaming sky. Breathlessly Anne
watched its gorgeous shifting.
"Anne Waringl What are you doing
on my hini Didn't you see my tres.
pass signsf But the Spirit Of Lost
Happiness needs no trespass signs. l.
Of all men might have known that"
At her name Anne had turned, to
sec Peter Lee.
"But-Tm not the Spirit Of Lost
Happiness" she protested, feeling
strangely as though they had parted
only yesterday.
well, II you're not the Spirit of
Lost Happiness. perhaps-would you
be the Spirit Of Happiness, Anne-not
lost, you know, but foundf You see,
you've haunted my thoughts 80 long
that I'm bound to have you a spirit Of
some kind. Anne, you could forgive
me-"
Anne forgave him.
Peter" shes whispered a few mo-
ments later. "d-doesn't the sunset
grow old gracefully |"
Copyright. 1919. by the Mcclure News
paper syndicate.)