Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-30
Anne Grades an Issue

A NNE stubbornly refused to search
"A her thoughts for an explanation of
her feelings. But she resolved TO spend
as little as possible Of the money Steele
gave her. on herself \ certain amount
must be paid out regularly. and she
would deny herself things in order to
do this, that was rs far as she would
80 in the analysis Of the. matter.
When Steele had given her that first
hundred dollars, she had inclosed all
but twenty-five dollars Of it in an
envelope and on the first day of their
arrival in Colon, had posted it back
to New York This done, she had
given herself up to the enjoyment of
everything, and she hadn't remembered
the money until she had opened her
purse that morning to pay for the
beads. and found out that she hadn t
enough. If she hadn't admired the
beads, he wouldn't have insisted on
buying them for her. and Of course, she
hadn't dreamed they would be so ey-
pensive. Now. Of course. he believed that
she had frittered all her money away
the thought, for although Anne had
married for money, it was not because
she herself wanted 1t, she hadn't been
selfish in the matter and she didn I
want Steele to believe that of her.
And of course, he had misunder-
| stood her, they had both played at cross
purposes.
II am not trying to buy your love, :"
had been the words he had used. And
ut the thought, her cheeks suddenly
| tamcd and she sprang up quickly, re
solved not to think anything more
about it.
/ She Knocked on the door Of his room,
| Her heart beat in her throat MS she
heard his hurried footsteps crossing the
! floor. The next moment he had flung
tn" door open and they stood facing
each other.
II think it was you who misunder-
stood" she began bravcly. "You see
/ ] didn't want yor to have wrong
idea of me. didn't mean to be ex
travagant and careless about the money
you had given me, that was ALL"
! Her small face was anxious, but be
fore the look in his eyes her own fell
She was suddenly amazed to find her
self trembling, and this fact disturbed
her. Always before In his presence
she had been mistress of herself save
, for that first time when his strange
proposal had terrified her.
/ But. almost Immediately Steele had
recovered himself, and his next words
were gay.
We'll, now that we understand each
other, we'll never speak of the matter
again. Suppose we go for drive
WcAld you like that|'
Her response TO him was Immediate
and passion Of gratitude toward him
rose up in her heart. How rdiculously
easy he had made it for her. He ha,
been willing to accept without further
questioning the explanation she hac
given him; he had deliberately SO,
aside the issue.
1t was with relief that she turned
! back to her own room to get ready for
! the drive, and for the rest of the after
noon she was unusually gay and excited
| But back in her thoughts there fingered
something that she was trying des
perately not to remember. 1t was the
! look that his eyes had worn when h,
had looked at her. 1t had been gone In
an instant, hut in that brief space OF
time she had trcmbled before it, and
something had risen in her to meet il
something that she had never expe.
rienced before and did not want TO face
No, what she wanted was to be free
and untrammcled. She wanted to be
able to look all men straight in the
eyes, calmy and coldly, and withou,
trace of emotion OF any kind. She
already had mission in life and many
things to forget and oil she asked of IN,
future was that 1t spare her any furthe,
suffering. Surely that was little enough
to ask,