Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-08-23
The Streets of Life

1t was about the middle OF the
afternoon when she heard the noise
of a powerful car coming up the
street. The sound startled her and
she sprang up and ran to the win
dow keeping behind the white mus
lin curtain. The a came on with
a roar of an open cutout and a
grinding of gears, and the next
minute Geraldine's big a drew up
before the house. Geraldine was
not alone, for Dane Grey was with
her and dear old Pierre the chauf-
feur. Anne had grown very fond of
Pierre.
From her point of vantage Anne
looked hungriiy at Dane Grey. She
loved him, she loved him, she
| thought exultantly; there never
would be any one again who could
wake her heart to SO rapturous a
thrill; never any one who fulfilled
SO fully her ideal of what a man
should be.
He sprang out and helped Geral-
dine to the sidewalk. Now they were
coming up the tagged walk and
Anne could hear them on the porch.
| Her heart beat suffocatingly in her
I throat, a dizziness van before her
eyes and she caught the curtain
with a trembling hand to steady
herself.
The bell rang through the house
and Anne stood motionless, waiting.
| She could hear the humble of their
voices on the porch, but she could
not hear what they said. II rang
again, and then again, tearing
Anne's heart with every peal. If
only she could call to them, If only
she could let them know that she
was here locked up. IL only they
could take her away forever; but
that was impossible. Her pride held
her where she was. kept her from
screaming aloud in her agony of
mind. She could never go to Dane
Grey that way, like a runaway in
the night whom he might marry
out of pity. And so she stood there
with her red lip held tightly be-
tween her teeth until they finally
left the porch and looked eagerly
I'D at all the windows from the
sidewalk. Anne shrank still further
hack behind the curtain and with a
sinking heart finally saw them get
back into the car and drive away.
1t was then that she broke down
and dropped weakly into a chair
sobbing pitifully like a child whose
heart is broken. But back of the
| u lAlClC was ~ 1AA ~ %Nfo
hat at any rate they had come
there to help her, that Geraldine
really cared, and that no matter
what became of her she had kept
her misery to herself, that Dane
Grey would have no part in the pitt
full thing that was her life.
Anne cried until she could cry no
more, and then she got UP from the
bed, tidied her hair, wished vaguely
that she could battle her aching
| eyes and freshen her face with cold
water, and signing. drew a chair up
to the window and sat there waiting
for her father. A little o breeze
blew the curtains in softly and felt
delicious as it ruffled the hair that
chung to her burning forehead.
She felt a great deal better when
she finally heard her father step UP
on the porch. The very prospect OF
getting out of her room, if 1t were
only to cook the evening meal under
the tutelage of her sneering father,
was a relief rom being under lock
and key.
He was very silent as he came
upstairs and threw the door open.
He did not even tell her to come
downstairs, but after waiting a mo
ment Anne went silently down into
the kitchen and prepared Things Ior
the evening meal. She was con-
scious as she moved about that her
father was observing her closely
under lowered eyebrows, but she
made no effort to speak to him. She
wondered II he could tell that she
had been crying and she hoped not.
Finally everything was ready and
once more they sat at the table to-
gether, without speaking. Anne
could hardly choke down her food
but she forced herself to eat. Her
pride was uppermost. and h was
determined not to let her father see
how miserable she was.
When he finally pushed his chair
away from the table and pulled out
his pipe, examining the tobacco in
| the bowl ~viciously, he turned to her
and began to speak.
Tomorrow, Anne defies her father)