Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-30
BY Henry KitcheH Webster

that pretty well for the first Try. Usually they
so into fits, even when they're nowhere near
a. old as you"
nut right here Was where young Anne. like
Brsr Rabbit In his celebrated experience with
the tar baby broke her molasses Jug She
drew a totally unwarFanted assumption from
the fact that poor old Charlotte didn't yisbiy
have fits Anne had few things yet to learn,
and one OF these. in point now. was tho spiritual
application " tho law II inertia She didn't Al
all realize how much momentum Charlotte had
acquired In the past two OF her 20 years by the
accumulation OF a husband and a baby 10 take
care OF. house 10 keep going. an appearance OF
solyeney TO present 10 the world. u heavy train
OF ears, In fact behind her on the rails, which
needed a good deal OF energy TO pull. TO bs
sure. but which. on occasion. had an almost
irresistible power TO push. Young Anne. run
ming light and making excellent speed toward
whatever she wanted. getting on very satis-
factorlly 30 Ions there was nothing much In
the way. had simply no conception OF what q
head.on collision with Charlotte would mean
It's only fair to say that Charlotte hadn't
either. nor did she. until little after o'clock
that afternoon. foresee one, Fifteen minutes
after Ammo had finished her exposition OF her
sisters character and motives and her own In
tentions. tho two were discussing what they'd
have for lunch. and romping with tho baby ms
domestiealy an II nothing had disturbed their
additionally sistoriy relation. The only time
they skirted tho mornings battlefield WAS when
Charlotte made humorous reference 10 Il.
This was after lunch. when Anne was setting
out for n matinee.
II suppose. II were to say I was glad plcky
Boyd had invited you and that you were going
TO see such a good show. you'd tell mo that
said II because I'm glad TO bs rid OF you for q
while: 40 won't But do have n good time.
and don't analyze Dicky. because II will be nice
TO have him ask you again"
There was n little more edge TO that than
you'd have expected from poor old Charlotte.
Looking back upon It. Ammo decided that this
was tho first intimation Of her sisters new
note.
The new note was unmistakablc. when Anne
got homo from the matinee. She found Char
lotte busy at her desk. Tending off the baby
with one hand while she wrote with the other.
am glad you're back. anyhow" Charlotte
said without rising. Have a good time? Come
and take Jamese off me. will you? He's Just
ruined the signature on perfectly good check.
o. don't care what you do with him. Take
him along upstairs with you. II you're going
He'll have a grand time with your trunk until
you get your things hung up
Sure" said Anne. I'D love to-" And then
actually caught herself on the edge OF an apol.
ogy for having left her room like that Half
way up the stairs she was sufficiently recovered
to stop and say: That's one to you. / thought
perhaps II left 'em you'd think It was your
Christian duty to put them away for me-"
You're going to know me whole lot better
before you go back to school," Charlotte called
after her.
II what Charlotte meant by this prediction
that Anne was going to accumulate a lot OF
rev and unsuspected data about her. 1t was
verified. AS an entelechy. on the other hand.
Charlotte day by day became to Annes bright.
hard, young mind more mysterious.
The theory and technique Of the jump was a
subject In which Anne was professedy expert.
Among her friends in school she gave lessoni
In 1t by precept and example. Any situation, no
matter how difficult intrinsically, in which you
could manage to get the jump on your rival. OF
opponent was far from hopeless. You KEEP,
the jump by knowing what you were going to
do next, while the other party to the affair waa
still contemplating the thing you had done last
and then. by doing that next thing decsively
just as he came up for air. The principal OF
Anne's school could have borne eloquent and
pathetic testimony to the chds talents in this
branch Of applied psychology: the hair-bobbins
episode was but one Of brilliant galaxy.
WE'LL the thing that Anne's expertness en-.
abled her clearly to perceive at the end Of Tho
first "a hours Of her visit to Charlotte waa
that her elder sister had got the jump on her.
How she had got it remained mystery Dor
the first evening and the first morning Of ths
visit the jump had been with Anne, but some
how or other during her absence at the matinee
the shoe had, so to speak, changed feet. If
you want an example, Charlotte's manner Of
dealing with her fathers letter will serve.
When Anne came downstairs with the baby
(she'd had revealing experience with him up
there In her room, while she tried to do some-
thing entirely at cross purposes with his. Shed
never had the care Of small irresponsible
rnffian like this before except under circum-
stances In which she could give him her whole
attention. and she could adumbrate now what
it said for Charlottes force of character that
she wasn't in a sanatorium for nervous wrecks),
when she came Juggling him, now, downstairs
Charlotte got up from her desk, took him away
from her, chucked him casually onto the daven-
port, and said:
Il got letter from father this afternoon,
from the ship just before they sailed He sent
his love to you. I'd show you the letter, but
Jamesie got 1t and chewed it up. They're going
to have grand time, he and mother. She sent
her love, too to both OF U.S."
She had nothing more, 1t appeared, to vol
unteer about the contents Of the letter. and the
crime imputed to Jamesie certainly plaus-
ible enough An even imperfectly masticated
letter wasn't thing you could ask to have ex-
htbited document.
Did he say anthing." Anne asked, after turn
ing the thing over in her mind for minute,
about having written to me?"
MOT word" said Charlotte. And she added,
with slightly reflective smile, "of course,
there's no reason why he should mention a
thing like that--to me-"
Meaning he wouldn't want to make you
Jealous Anne commented. in the hope Of
But all she got from Charlotte was, 20, well.
that's your idea
Il suppose he may have sent my letter to the
school," Anne reflected
OF course" said Charlotte She was kneel-
ing on the davenport, holding the baby by the
feet and letting him down over the back of It.
a proceeding which reused him to such ecstasies
OF delight that 1t wasn't easy to hear Just what
she said. "Of course people never realize how
long 1t takes a letter to come clear across from
San Francisco"
Anne was conscious OF wish that 1t were
practicable to put young Jamese on the wit