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The BRONZEMAN Twenty-seven Her Own Daughter (Continued from page 11) Clutching her suitcase tightly, she hugged little Bertha very close as she crept downstairs only to be confronted by her parents-in-laws and her husband. Bravely she started past them with her head high in the air. Paul's father stopped her: "Just a moment," he said icily. Dane glanced at Paul who was standing there mute. With tears streaming down her sad little face, Mrs. Montgomery moved softly from the room. Dane knew and understood that she was powerless to interfere. When Dane glanced down again Samuel Montgomery was offering her a check for two thousand dollars. A smile crossed her face; but quickly faded. Her lips moved as if to speak; but closed again tighter than before. Dropping her suitcase to the floor she reached for the check, money Samuel Montgomery was giving her to step out of his son's life. She could see the look of surprise on his face as she took the check, reached for her suitcase and left very quickly through the big white door. "There--see how easy that was! See how willingly she accepted the money. Girls like that are only after money, my boy," Samuel said as he led Paul through the arched door and into the spacious sitting room. The next morning when Samuel Montgomery and Paul left for his office they saw the check torn to bits in the front of the vestibule. Then Dane didn't want their money! Samuel Montgomery was more disturbed. Paul just shrugged his shoulders and walked ahead while his father continued to gaze at the pieces in deep thought. Back in her Aunt Stella's comfortable little sitting room, Dane related all that she had been through. Aunt Stella listened patiently. When finally the conversation was ended, and Dane had decided to go under the name of Cummings, and move on the west side, they crept to bed where Dane lay wondering if she shouldn't have told Aunt Stella about switching the babies. In the end she gave up, deciding to keep her secret. The years that followed were to Dane such as only come to persons who are lonely. She had watched her little Pearl grow into a selfish, brazen, lazy girl of eighteen. Many nights Dane had crept around the big grey house peering into the French windows at Pearl. In church she had seen her knock hats from the heads of the stylish women and pound backs of the proud men. Down town she had seen her. More than once she had been tempted to snatch Pearl from the proud, haughty Maybelle as they strolled down the street, and run away. Dane followed them to New York, to California and back to Chicago without being recognized. Money! Money had ruined Pearl. Money that Dane had hoped would make Pearl a sweet, kind-hearted, ambitious girl. Night after night she'd bury her face in her pillow crying over her little Pearl. Sometimes sweet, gentle, little Bertha would cuddle close to Dane and ask her what was the matter. Dane would kiss her over and over again. How differently she had reared Bertha. It was a few days after Pearl's eighteenth birthday that she came into the dress shop where Dane was head fitter. Pushing the green velvet curtains apart, Dane saw Pearl sitting on the chair, her legs crossed brazenly, a cigarette hanging carelessly from her over-painted lips. The "don't care" expression of her rather attractive face and dark circle under tired eyes, gave her the appearance of a woman who has lived a fast life. She ran her long fingers through her untidy hair. When a spark of fire from her cigarette dropped on her chic green suit she jumped up swearing loudly; and made no effort to apologize later. Blindly, Dane helped Pearl try on half a dozen different types of dresses. Once she stuck Pearl, ever so little, and was called a "fool." After shifting from foot to foot, Pearl finally suggested that Dane finish the other garments at her home that very night as she was planning to go away. Of course Dane didn't refuse. It was a mild summer-like night, and a warm, gentle rain was falling. Even the sweet odors of spring found their way to the private sitting room where Dane, still lost in painful thoughts, was kneeling on the floor marking off the hem in Pearl's long black evening gown. It was just after Maybelle had strolled into the sitting room, smiled on Dane but not recognizing her and strolled out as the phone rang. Pearl dashed to it. A woman with a loud squeaky voice was talking to Pearl very rapidly. Pearl told the woman she'd phone her as soon as she heard from "him." Him, of course, meant some man friend of Pearl's! She added, in a low voice, that it was a "cinch" and be sure to get room 208. What on earth was Pearl up to now? Dane was curious to know. Before Pearl could hang up and walk across the room the phone rang again. It was a man talking this time. Dane could see that Pearl was both happy and excited. This heavy voiced man was doing all the talking. Pearl nodded her head and continued to repeat "yes." Before she hung up she quickly took something down on a small pad beside the phone. The she got up laughing, (Continued on page 28) [[advertisement]] To be ATTRACTIVE you must CLEAR and LIGHTEN your complexion...... Above all, men admire a smooth, soft, light skin, because it is the basis of real beauty and feminine charm. Dr. Fred Palmer's Skin Whitener Ointment will give you this complexion by softening and lightening the skin, no matter how dark; clearing away bumps, blotches and tan marks and ridding the face of that oily, shiny look...and does it for only 25c a box. 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