Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-08-02
CHAPTER ~,

CHAPTER ~.
Aunt Harriet considered. Evil
IDENTIFY she had not expected to tell
me all this about my mother. 1t
was the first time l had ever been
able to find out anything definite
at all, and l did not want to let the
opportunity slip.
please go on" 1 begged.
after all, there isn't So much to
tell" Aunt Harriet continued, play-
ing with a handsome black pearl
your father and mother were I'M
suited to each other from the start.
She was not born to the sort of life
she had to lead with him and she
made him look ridiculous.
How"
"She hated to spend money for
things. She dismissed servants. she
wanted to do her own work. She
hated to spend money on clothes,
having always made her own. She
thought it wicked to have more
than three courses at a dinner
your father used to give dinners
where there were Is and 90"
GLOW awful" I murmured.
My aunt smiled.
"Of course in these days things
(WeTe uOle ulllSl tllliys DuL yOuA
mother would not try to conform.
She believed her own narrow, econ
omical way the best. The odd part
was that she looked so dainty and
pretty, and when she was dressed
up in the sort of clothes fit for her
station, she was one of the prettiest
women in the city. She could have
made him her slave. if she had
tried. for your father has always
been susceptible to beauty in a
woman. asSEz ssts
II suggested taking her abroad.
Europe was the great place to
finish off ones education. She was
seasick, she hated the strange new
cities. she disliked the people she
met. Roor girl! / suppose we should
have been sorry and helped her more
than we did. We were botha little
impatient.
"She disapproved of so many
things. Perhaps, from a strict
standpoint she was right. But we
all have to make allowances. Our
own code of honor cannot be ap-
piled to everyone else. That's where
she was narrow. One evening a
very distinguished woman was pres
ent at a reception in her house
your fathers house. too, remember.
The woman said something which
offended your mothers scruples,
and she insulted her, there, with all
the room looking on. Everyone
your father cared about was pres
ent.
Gle was furious. They ouarreled
and she went back home. But they
made it up. outwardly at least, and
you were born six months later.
You lived with her in the country
for two and a half years, and she
died then. I went to the funeral.
Your father had gone to Europe, he
came back as soon as he could. L
look you away with me and you've
cen under my care ever since
until you ran off with Winthrop"
I asked for more details. Strange
" enough, I could not entirely SYM
pathize with my mother. when L
knew all my aunt could tell. Yet
I longed more than ever to have
known her. .
$50 when your father heard of
tou deliberately coming down here.
he naturally thought it was your
mother in you. her odd instinct for
getting away from people, for bury
Ing herself in the country. l sup"
pose you do inherit your recluse IN
stincts.'
We talked of other things later.
She told me what she had heard of
Win, which was little enough.
'I saw to it that u set dropped
him." she said. "He runs around
with quite another group-not very
nice people. rather fast, l think.
Gwen won't drop him, of course"
So it seemed that things were the
same with himl If only he would
FOO tba shal1ownesS of those people.
Jf only he could be made to see the
worthwhile things of life! / felt
all the old longing more strongly
than ever.
Colin came again for two weeks
and left. I had kept away from the
village people while Aunt Harriet
was with me, knowing she would
not like them. When Colin came,
they seemed to avoid me-possibly
Feeling hurt because they had not
been invited to meet my aunt. So L
was alone all the time now, except
Tor mother Taylor and Elias occa-
sional visits.
A sudden and sickening %revela-
lion came to me one day when May
was calling. the first visit from her
n6or weeks. The baby was on n
hwn and I called her for her nap.
Connie" I called, and as she did
not come. Connie Anderson! You
little WITCH" I ran down and picked
her up to carry her to the house.
May surveyed us with uplifted eye
brows.
"Connie Anderson, you call herr
Eyes, that's her name"
but, of course, she's your child"
mo. She's the daughter of-of a
friend of mine. She was named