Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-30

sisters smile, II guess you'd better tell me Just
What you mean" she said.
Anne's smile breadened into one Of uneauiy'
oesi relish. SWELL" she remarked. its . chance
TO find out whether you're old or not. IL you're
game 10 take II without friiis. don't mind
Charlotte laughed, go ahead she command
%. her voice Loyalty responding with Just the
shade OF careless amusement she wanted, Lets
see whether could get into the set or not"
But this touch of irony didn't diseomposs
Anne a Bit She spoke when she got ready re-
fleetiyeiy;
"You got a jolt when you found ia written
TO father. too. You pretended 10 be pleased.
because you pretend you love him 50 much that
you have 20 let on 10 be glad over anything that
would piase him. such as getting a sweet little
Eoodby note from me. Really. you were Just
about as glad TO hear that I'D written TO him
ss you would be TO find note from some
swsetie In one OF wiifred's poekets--it comes 10
more or less the same thing. OF course
Charlotte managed one more laugh. "Reaiiy
Anne" she said. 'you're being Just as funny ss
when you used 10 dress up In mothers clothes
and pretend to so calling"
20. yes" observed the impsrturbabls child.
"thata tho way people always try to set out
OF Il when they've had enough. But don't
mind being funny"
rs there any morc?" Charlotte asked.
"You've settled It that don't care for father.
What's tho next thing? That he doesn't care
for me-"
I'VE can take that next. II you like" said
Anne. "Hc had an awful crush on you for a
while. Goliy. don't remember! Perfectly silly
about you. You could get anything you wanted
out OF him. or course. he kot sore when you
Tilted him for Wifred. He's been ever
since. hasn't he? How many presents has he
given you-rcal presents. ! mean. not junk?
How much has he done for you?"
I'VE don't want anything done for u.s." Char
lotte said. quietly. "wilfred wouldn't let me II
did. Father told me before wo were married
that he was going to try to reduce expenses In
order to lay up moro for all Of US when he
died" She added. with pounce OF anger. I'D
like to get into your mind with a broom!'
ANY time you like" said Anne. "only It's
your mind we're talking about now: yours and
fathers. Why. look here. / can remember-l
suppose I must have been or 7-before you
got pretty. when you were scrawny and disagree
able and affected know used 10 think you
must have something terrible tho matter with
you. Well. did father ever make a fuss
about you then-hold you in his lap and pet
you. and bring you presents? And wouldn't It
have done you more good right then than any
thing else? It wasn't until you were some-
body nice to snuggle up to that he began. ]
was just beginning to get scrawny and unpleas.
ant then myself I was In the side lines.
But when you Tilted him, took him over
II guess that's enough" said Charlotte, get
ting to her feet. II don't suppose you're old
enough to realize what perfectly nasty things
you've been saying"
20, they're nasty enough" Anne agreed. good
humoredly, "only the nastiness isn't In saying
them But haven't got around yet to why you
wrote that letter to father"
Charlotte turned upon her with gasp Of
protest. but the girl didn't look up She had
clasped one knee in her hands and was staring
at it medtatively.
1T wasn't because you're getting sick OF
vA,,sro It'll
see that last night. That's one Of the real
things about you. So you must have written
to dad because you wanted some money out Of
him. Well, guess there's reason why you
shouldn't That's what did. asked him for
$S00-besides my regular allowance, of course
told him knew 1t was an awful lot Of money
but I'd simply be heartbroken II couldn't
have it."
Charlotte echoed the amount mechanically.
then inquired what the child wanted it for.
Dancing lessons" she said. And in response
to another echo went on to explain: mot ordi-
nary dancing lessons nor the regular boarding
school gymnastics dancing. either. The school
provided that. and 1t was second rate, like all
the rest of their instruction-good enough for
fluffs. But their bunch was going to get Baum.
who was the greatest ballet master in New
York. as well one of the greatest of living
dancers. He wouldn't do any of the routine
teaching, Of course but he'd give them good
and then. There were 10 of them meant to
go into it. The school authorities had been
bulhed into giving the scheme sort Of passive
sanction; they'd furnish chaperons and arrange
hours and SO on. provided the girls could get
parental authorization. but they wouldn't
recommend 1t nor have anything to do with the
collecting Of money. Which meant, Of course,
that 1t had to be cash In advance. What wrote
to father was that all the incest girls in the
school were going into it-every one Of my best
friends-and that I'd be terribly left out unless
he'd see me through. And that they'd prob.
ably give show commencement time. Sob
stuff like that, you know; It ought to fetch
him, I guess"
isn't that the reason" Charlotte asked, "why
you're so keen to go into it?"
Anne stared. How old do you think am
9? No. but If I'd told dad the real reason he'd
have come down on mo like a-feather bed.
There are several Of my best friends who aren't
going into 1t at all because they couldn't ever
be real dancers This is going to be a serious
thing. IT turn out to be good as think
| am, why III know what to do next I'm pretty
old, Of course that's the main trouble"
You mean you want to be a professional
ballet dancer?" Charlotte asked. you'd ask
Baum for job?"
At the end Of 10 weeks course Of lessons?
It isn't quite as quick as that. No, but could
find out In that time whether I'm hopeless
lemon or not: II am, it's no use going to the
Adt Win Iather ABOUT IT, III nave to go to the
mat with him about something OF course. only
want to choose good hold. I'd like to have
something to go on before come back from
this silly old school. I know I'm not coming
back to be domestic pet. Got to act like one,
that's all, till it's time to strike out. But not
for steady thing. unless lose my mind. It's
too darned uncertain. Look at you!"
It's silly to be rude like that just-wan-
tonly," Charlotte remarked.
That wasn't wanton," Anne retorted. II
meant it. You let dad kid you out Of going to
Europe for serious shot at the piano-he'd
have let you go a dozen times for fun. He
didn't want you to do any real work on it, even