South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-10-02

Visions OF waking up and nndlng IL
smothered to death. 1t was so. little.
there seemed no way TO keep it COW
cred, and yet keep its head out so it
could breathe.
She was glad the room was kept
dim. She didn't want TO see il again
now She had looked at it once and
IT had been so red and wrinkled that
her feelings had been almost one of
repulsiOn. She had told herself that
IL was a most unnatural and unmoth-
erly feeling, but that had not changed
Dreams and Reality.
Her dream pictures had been of a
golden haired. blue-eyed baby-the
kind one sees on calendars and infant
food advertisements. But this was
very different There wasn't any hair
at all. and its eyes were so squinted
that their color couldn't be told.
After the first look, she had turned
her face to the wall with a faint re-
quest TO the nurse TO take it away.
The nurse had tried to assure her
that ali very new babies looked like
that, that it took several weeks be-
fore they were ever pretty.
And then Helen asked if Warren
had seen IL. And when she was told
he hadn't she asked them to keep il
from him until it looked a little
different.
For some reason she felt it was her
fault, that it's unattractiVeness was a
personal reflection on her. She Won
dered If she could ever grow to love
tiff it should always be ugly. The
possibility Of having a homely child
had never occurred to her, so certain
had she been that her baby would be
so beautiful. And now
Mother Thoughts.
Probably after while, it wouldn't
be SO red and wrinkled, but it's mouth
had seemed so large. Could time
change those things? From that one
glimpse. deep in her heart. she could
not believe that time would make il
a beautiful child.
If IL had been a boy, it's looks
wouldn't have mattered so much, just
so it was big and strong. But an
ugly little girl! The thoughts made
her sick at heart.
And then she thought Of all the
dainty little clothes she had made
lacey gowns with blue ribbon. Blue
ribbons on that crimson baby
Nurse don't use any of those little
dresses that have blue ribbons.
don't think blue would be very be-
coming to it now.
The nurse promised, depressing a
smile.
"An Ugly Little Girl"
And then again she turned her face
ITO the wall and began miserably TO
plan how she would dress it if it were
always the ugly little girl, At least
she would have the judgment to dress
ii plainly. to make it as inconspicuous
as possible. She had always thought
il ridiculous TO see ugly little chill
dren dressed up in all sorts of frills
and furbelows.
And then she thought Of the family
, reunions and dinner at Warren'S
fathers, when Carrie (Warren's sis
teri would bring her three beautiful
Childreni And she had looked for
ward so proudly to taking her own
beautiful baby; and now-and now
she would have to take an ugly little
girl,
Why should Carrie have lovely chill
dren. If she could nOt?. Carries hus-
band was nearly as good looking as
Warren. And Carrie herself - at
times she was almost plain
Nurse" she call, family. bring
me a hand glass"
The nurse hurried to the bed
why, you don't want a hand glass
now. do you? You're not well
enough
q want a hand glass and I want
TO have that blind raised by the bed
so that / can see"
There was something in her voice
that made the nurse think it would
refuse, so she brought the glass.
Helen held it up before her face and
examined each feature more critically
than she had ever examined them be-
fore. Was she the cause of baby's
homeliness?s Warren's regular clean
cut features were unquestioned-and
hers?
She had always thought her fea-
lures were good; she had always been
considered very pretty. But that
was perhaps because of her hair and
4 her colOring. She remembered now
that she never took very good pic
| lures, and after all, pictures were the
test of ones features.
Her mouth-she had never thought
il large before but now, when she
thought OF the pictures-and the
babys mouth and the babys
mouth
Disillusion.
She let the glass fall TO the floor.
hid her face in the pillow and burst
into tears
The nurse bent over her in alarm.
Mrs Curtis Mrs. Curtis-you
mustn't cry like that, YOu'n start
your fever again. And just because
YOU look a little thin and pale Why
you'll be yourself in a week or so, If
you don't make yourself sick again
now"
"Oh. no. no. it isn't because I'm
! thin or pale" sObbed Helen. It's
because the baby's SO ugly. and il
doesn't look like Warren, so il must
look like me-"
The nurse had a sense OF humor
and in spite OF her anxiety for her pa
tent, she could not help smiling.
But when Helen sObbed on and
would not be cOmfOrted. she became
/ impatient and alarmed. Warren had
/ just come in. his face full OF anxiety.
shes taken some absurd idea tfrat
| the haby's ugly" the nurse whispered
hurriedly. and that IL resembles her.
can't do anything with her; see il
YOU can. She mustn't cry like that
il will send her fever up again.
| Warren sat down on the edge Of the