The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-01-24

| beautiful lady question which had
invariably met with startled rebuff
from others. Her eyes went to the
floor and she dropped obviously.
The effect was electrical. The two
faces before her seemed suddenly i'm
mobilizd. The woman looked ahead
of her with hard, unseeing eyes, and
WINGED as though struck; but the man,
with mans distaste for a scene, was
the first to treat this conversational
bomb as a casual matter. He leaned
! forward in the most friendly manner
possible, although his ruddy skin had
! taken on a still warmer tint, and
forced a smile as he looked into the
wide eyes that gazed wonderinsly into
his own.
We'll, now, what makes you ask
such funny question:" he queried.
Il wanted to know so bad" she said,
appealingly. Mammals got one, but
she's gone away, an everybody says
BE STILL wen l ask them. Nobody
will tell me what a divorce is. Did
1t hurt mamm?" she cried. Her eyes
still urged their questionable ques-
tion that she had asked again and
again, but to which no one had given
her an answer
The woman leaned forward, gather
ed the little bundle Of loneliness into
her arms and held her close.
Where has mamma gone, dear?"
she asked. Her husband had leaned
back again and was staring at the
floor. Husband and wife ignored each
other.
Gone to be an angel" was the
prompt answer. Papa went away
first, but he didn't go to be angel.
Cook said so. An mamma cried and
cried, an got sick and went to bed,
an | heard nurse tell cook that man.
ma had a divorce. An wen | asked
mamma w'ot that was she jus cried
and hugged me; and l asked nurse,
an she cried, an she scolded me an
said | mustn't ever say such thing
again. Then they took mamma away
in long carriage with flowers in it,
an the lady next door came in an said
the divorce killed mamma. An to-
day asked the lawyerman over there
an he just jumped an said, My good
gracious, chile!', l do so want to
know what divorce is" 1t was
long speech for a small girl, but the
words tripped over each other in
their haste to escape, and there were
plenty more waiting to be released.
The woman's voice was calm and
even as she answered; the curve OF
her cheek vouchsafed her husbands
view was as fair and cold as the snow,
but the eyes fixed on the child burned
like living Goals.
''But who takes care of you, dear?"
81 don't know" she said, slowly, as
though this were new idea to her.
Mamma did, but she went to be an
angel so awful soon; an nurse an
cook did, but they kissed me an cried
an went away the day that lots of
people came to our house an bought
things. Now the lawyer-man is taking
me away to live with mammals auntie.
l guess" Frightening up, She'll take
care of me now"
She lifted a supplicating face to the
woman bending over her, and with a
child's unwearied insistence again
sought an answer to the question that
lay so heavily on her little SOUL
Won't you please tell me w'ot q
divorce is?"
1t was delicate situation. The man
leaned forward and answered for his
wife, who had mutely turned her head
away. He was fond of children.
Now see here; suppose l tell you,
will you promise not to worry about
it any more?"
A vigorous nod.
He remained silent a moment, trying
to formulate an answer so. simple that
the child's mind could grasp it, then
spoke to the anxious face:
well, divorce is-a divorce-well,
two people vt married, you know;
and sometimes 1t doesn't work as well
as they thought it would, so they go
to the lawyer-man like yours over
there and get unmarried"
He floundered hopelessly over his
definition, ending it with an uncom-
fortably red face, for it was harder
than he had anticipated, and two
searching eyes glued to your face are
apt to be disconcerting.
The little one nestled back against
the bosom which exhaled the same
faint, uncatchable sweet odor that had
always clung to mammals dresses, and,
with her inquiring eyes still searching
the mans face. propounded the next