and think afterward. I don't believe I was particularly mischievous,
but I had a habit of diving into things that kept Mother in a state
of constant apprehension. Father used to laugh at my pranks and tell
Mother not to worry about me. He used to declare that no matter into
what I plunged I would land right side up with care. I was never at
the head of my classes in school, but I was never at the foot of
them. I was what one might call a happy medium. My little-girl life
was a very happy one, and full to the brim with all sorts of pleasant
happenings."

"I never heard you say so much about yourself before, Grace,"
observed Elfreda.

"I'm usually too much interested in other people's affairs to think
of my own," laughed Grace. "I have never heard Anne say much about
her childhood, either. She must have had all sorts of interesting
experiences."

"Mine was more exciting than pleasant," returned Anne. "Practically
speaking, I was brought up in the theatre and knew a great deal more
about things theatrical than I did about dolls and childish games.
I was a solemn looking little thing and wore my hair bobbed and tied
up with a ribbon. I never cried about the things that most children
cry over, but I would stand in the wings and weep by the hour over
the pathetic parts of the different plays we put on. Father was a
character man in a stock company. We lived in New York City and I
used to frequently go to the theatre with him. My father wished me
to become a professional, but my mother was opposed to it. When I was
sixteen I played in a company for a short time. Then mother and
sister and I went to Oakdale to live, and the nicest part of my life