The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-04-07
Cant We Try Each Other Once More"


panion could realize what had hap
pcned.
Won't you, please" she began,
eagerly, her eyes searching the wom-
ans face won't you please tell me
what a divorce is?"
There, it was out-that awful, I'M
answered question which had been
tormenting her small soul for days
upon davs-and her bolstered-up cour-
age suddenly subsidized into fairness
as she realized the magnitude of her
temcrity in asking this strange and
beautiful lady question which had
invariably met with a 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 anead
Of her with hard. unsceiEg eyes, and
WINGED as though struck; but the man.
with a mans dis asst" for q scene, Was
the first to treat this conversational
bomb as a casual matter. He leaned
forward in the most friendly manner
possible, clthoucn his ruddy skin had
taken on a still warmer tint, and
forced q smile IS he looked into the
wide eyes that gazed wonderiDGly into
his own.
We'll. now, what makes You ask
such funny question: he Gucried.
Il wanted 10 know 50 bad she said,
appealingly. Mammals got one, but
she's gone away, an everybody says
Re STILL Wen | ask them. Nobody
will tell NE what a divorce is. Did
it hurt mammo" she cried. Her eyes
still urged their questionable ques-
ton 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
Cook said So An mamma cried and
| cried, an got sick and went to bed,
an | heard nurse tell cook that mann
ma had a divorce. An Wen I asked
mamma w'oC that WIS she jas cried
and Rugged me; and | asked nurse,
NJ Sh 81
said | mustn't ever say such q thing
a9ain. Then they took mamma away
in q long carriage with flowers in it,
an the LADY next d0Cr came III an said
tho divorce killed mamma. an to-
day | asked the iawyer-man over there
an he just jumped an said, My good
gracious, chile | do so want to
know what a divorce is" 1t was a
| long speech for a small girl, but the
words tripped over each other in
their haste to escape, AID there were
; ~1e..s" .::o.-e waiting co be released.
The woman's voice was calm and
| even as she answered; the curve Of
| her check 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 a 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.
| guess" Frightening up, shell 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 wet a
divorce is?"
! 1t was delicate situation. The man
leaned forward and answered for his
wife, who had mutely turned her lead
away. He was fond Of children.