Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-04-13

coyfsv has an unhappy child
- Her foiher has hard nature,
noy' ,,bry Anne is Scren frtcs 10
ano IN, ohiid's love Of the beautiful.
e,y.,,,;c e,ey. meons. This drives Arne's
WI,r N suicide and the Carriers
~ w., trop, the old gray farmhouse 10
W.. ,ou tonr called GreenUiile, ,ohcre
1, bropoht up. A. siTteon she
h"ns hs,, opoN from all life and pied.
ard hcr best friend. Cherry
U.sd;po. is not thought ~ for her 10
,, ha,s"S she /, not opcn ollopcd 10
SIterd CherrD's graduation pdrfy.)
TIT Of course she had to tell John
ID porterfield that she was not going
q the marty and It nearly broke her
,,.rt 10 do it. She lay awake that
,isbt with small clepched fists, thinking
,hout life, visiouing the party and the
u,bt clasp OF John Porterheld's arms
=. he danced with Cherry. For they
we're going to dance on the broad
,.rspda, and to Anne. dancing was tile
r,ost wonderful thing in the world, al
though she had never danced in her
Iife outside Of her own room. Some.
times the very thought Of dancing had
induced her to take off her shoes and
rsrform intricate dance steps which she
Invented herself before her mirror. If
lin and Martha Carter had known this
,ber would have been Mortified.
II was a warm July night and Anne
tossed on her pillow. Finally she got
IN and knelt by the window, straining
her ears toward the Hardings'. which
hy several squares to the north. but
there was no sound Of the gayety. Out
aide the crckets chirped dolefully and
suddenly wave Of utter loneliness
,wept over Anne with the memory of
that other night when she had knelt by
tbe window waiting for them to bring
home her mother. That had been ten
yss1 ago, but the memory was poig-
nspt. She could see the old farmhouse
and hear the frogs shrilling In the river.
Then she remembered that awful mo-
mept when she had looked down at her
mother's still face surrounded with its
dripping hair and her father had turned
and blamed her for what had happened.
She crept back to bed and went on
thinking vaguely about life, her vivid
rouns mind torturing her very soul
with doubt OF herself. What was there
sbo,lt her mother that was wrong?
Anne remembered her mother as some
thing beautiful. She remembered her
mothers slender hands. and her sprigged
muslin frocks and that faint scent that
slways clung to her clothes Her father
had said hundred times that her
mother was weak and vain, and that
she, Anne. had inherited this weakness
and vanity. Was it wrong to like beau
tiful things? Was it wrong TO hate
her ugly clothes and to. trim over her
hats so that they would be more becom
ing? Was it wrong to like flowers. and
the smell Of them? Was it wrong to
dance? Her father never explained any
thing to her. He never told her why |
be thought II was wrong for her to do !
the things that other girls did. He |
simply stated fact and required her to
believe It.
Annes mind lesped to that sunny
,fternoon when she had walked past
the Sutter House with Cherry. She
recalled Cherry's sidclong glance at
he men on the veranda. and her own
,qrnirg cheeks And then her fathers
niger. aud her shame at being sent |
,onie like child, Why did she hate
he eyes Of those men on the porch. and
What did Aunt Martha mean when she
nade strange illusions to Lucy Pratt
md what had happened to her? Lucy
Pratt lived down in n poor part Of
own, and Anne had never known her
'ery well She recalled her vaguely
"a weak pretty girl, who had left
chool at fifteen TO work in the over
u factory. There had been a great
eal of talk about Lucy. but Anne had
ever understood it, She did know.
owevcr. that whatever n was, IL was
omethng to be ashamed Of, to speak
1 under ones breath.
That night after her father had re-
lrned from downtown Anne had over.
card him talking to Aunt Martha.
-, Anne's weak" he had said bitterly.
She's like her mother"
Aunt Martha had been bending over
ns ,, stove and she turned around now.
we don't want Lucy Pratt scandal
this house she said dorkly.
II, Ana Jim Carter growled out. I'D
III her. .r
Anne wondered what they meant. Her
yes were beginning to close and her
'ouSnts came now in soft waves. beat
70 on the shore line OF her mind soft
' She thought of John Porterfield,
90 hsr heart stirred deliciously. She
sied the way his head was sci
ais strong shoulders. and the strong
aap OF bis jaw. lie had flashing white
'eth ana blue eyes. How wonderful
would be to dance with him, to wear
eer Whlte dress. the one she wore To
uufcR' and TO look up suddenly and
m ,eel ms blue eyes looking down into
.N' strange thrill went through
-, 10 be followed Immediately by tho
J,sIrping ',sI thought that her father would
"nA II was wicked if he knew.
tomorrow Anna ...onI, A..