The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-04-28
Evelyn Var BureF1 e.m.n,..,,a,,

eve were awaiting for Betsy to finish with
Mrs. Spencer young Mrs. spencer and we
heard"
Wash your faces and hands" Grand
mother Pollard turned to the little table set
for them near the kitchen fire.
. Something In her manner imposed silence;
even Valora made her toilet in the adjoining
8ash-room quietly, with only an intermit-
tent sob. sat
AS she helped them to supper there was
a trembling in their grandmother's hands
With pang, Narcissa saw it. 1t was what
they had told her that made it. "Poor old
Mis- Pollard" She recalled Betsy Smith
words. Her poor, dear granny made to
suffer for-whatp Anyway she would
speak to Valora and no matter what they
heard again 9~.s -
And she called my mamma a-a ren-a-
gadeP It burst from Yalora, as the full
force Of the outrage freshly occurred to
her, and my papa sneakl"
Beneath the table Narcissa's slim little
foot swung out towards her sisters ankle;
the contact was painful, but brought Valora
up, expectant. Their eyes met.
Your father Is mol sneak" /" quivered
the grandmother's voice, "and he loved
your mamma" .@N
Valora controlled fhe maddening inn
pulse to go on. s.z III ,a..4s.
and" a little voice said, "could
there be much wrong i your papa and your
mamma loved
The kitchen door opened and closed with
firm gentleness. ~
\ "Henrylp Grandmother Pollard cried
out, joyousIy.
The twins waited. Their father stood
there, smiling at them all Smiling as
though but for something, he would smile
more as though there was a reason why his
arms did not open, why he did not laugh
out and call to them.
Grandmother Pollard rose and went to
him. He took her in his arms and she
kissed him as though he were little boy IN
stead Of very tall man. He came to the
table and bent over each of the twins, kiss
ing them too.
'Papal" Valora's little tongue cIung
whisperingly to the word im4
II came across the riyerion some busi-
ness, he said to his mother, Sc got away
to see you. 1.s
!" Your rooms all ready"
"Ohl" thought NarcHsa, Elf Grand
mothers face could be like that all the
time a4
"It I stop" he said, "they need me
now, were 50 busy at the factory"
He wanted no supper and he, did not sit
down. Hat in hand he walked back and
forth in his great high boots, talking to his
mother. He did not seem like any little
girls papa he seemed like their grand
mothers son, boy, with hair curling back
from such white forehead. and then below
the line made there by his hat, brown tan.
He stopped again and looked down at his
children, Narcissa watched her sister IL
might be that Valora would cry out TO him
the words oil Mrs Spencer But she was
looking Up from her plate shyly, smiling
engagingy at him, From his pocket he
drew two bright new chinking silver dollars
and put one down before each Of them and
turned away
There was something, he told his
mother, in his rooms upstairs that he
wanted, and he left the kitchen. Ii vas
when Narcissa yJse from hetable and was
placing her chair back against the wall,
that she peeked past her grandmother into
the little parlor and saw before she could
be firmly drawn back, her papa, standing
before her mammals picture. There was
positive warning in her grandmother S
eyes, as at the tight clutch .of her arm,
Narcissa looked into them.
Then she knew why the picture hung
there, not turneG to the wan, 1nd She whis-
pered ii that night when theyl we're IN bed
TO Valora. Because papa loves il ike
be loves mamma"
And Valora understood.
The only way we can ga eyen with
Betsy Smith, said Valora the next day ii
the leaf-carpeted playhouse, is to play
her."
"Tll be smith, Z agreed Naycissa, aonly
II get drunk and beat you,iyou mustn /
cry too real; you always spoil
I'm going 70 play her lovely" Valora
was hugging the block Of wood. "Of
course Betsy hasn't any children, but
couldn't play any lady without a child.
Just play Betsy has z II was,sinpe to
Narcissa ead nhiIe Yalora could play
animal on tag OF anything Of The kind Ike
Others did, she could not play childless,
human grown-up. I'm oif to nay shoe
shop" Narcissa took up her crooked stick
and hobbled away
And Valora's fancy, qaite,out of keeping
with the Betsy smiths circumstance,
clothed the block-oi-wood child ii embroid-
cries and lace, frills upon friilsof it, bows Of
shell-pink, booties of II ii leather and SOCK
10 match. And i was s-ch 4 baaai..u II
baby too, Wit curls and blue eyes. And
how il could land had To bewalked with,