Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-16

ing the little boy something had decid-
ed for her in a soft. fierce rush OF feel
ing not her own. She had committed
herself TO Jenny almost without viii.
But Mary felt no exultation. and the
weight within her did not lift
Il really couldn't do anything else but
take him. / s'pose." she thought. Il
wonder whatll come on me next?"
All the while she was conscious of the
raw smell of the clover in the hay of
the managers. as If something of sum-
mer were there in the cold
Mary Chavah sent her letter of blunt
directions concerning her sisters head
stone and the few belongings which
her sister had wished her to have
the boy.
Send the little one along. 1 am not
the one. but don't know what else to
tell you to do with him. Let me know
when To expect him and put his name
in with his things 1 can't remember
his right name"
When the answer came from John
Blood Il fortnight later it said that Il
young fellow OF those parts was start
ing back home shortly to spend Christ
mas and would take charge OF the
child as far as the city and there
put him ON his train for Old Trail
Town. She would be notified just what
day To expect him. and John knew
how glad his mother would have been
and his father. too, and he was her
grateful nephew. +. She would
send some money every month to
ward him.
The night after she received this let
ter Mary lay long awake. facing what
IL was going 10 mean 10 have him
thereto have a child there.
She recalled what she had heard
other women say about it-stray utter
ances. made with the burdened look
that hid a secret complacency, a kind
of pleased freemasonry in a universal
lot
The children bring SO much sand
into the house. You'd think it was
horses
The center table looks loaded and
ready TO start half the time. but l
can't help it. with the chiIdren's books
md truck
built without a coat closet. The chill
-
litter up everything"
Every one or their knees out and
their underclothes outgrown and their
waists soiIed the whole time. And 1
do try so hard"
Now with all these bewilderments
she was to have TO do. She wondered
II she would know how TO dress him.
Once she had watched Mis- Winslow
dress child and she remembered what
unexpected places Mis- Winslow had
buttoned-buttonhole that went up
and down in the skirt bands and so
on. Armholes might be too small and
Garters too tight. and how was one
ever TO know? If il were a little girl
nOw-but n little boy. What would
she talk TO him about while they ate
together?
She lay I'm the dark and planned
with no pleasure. but merely because
she always planned everything. her
dress. her baking. what she would say
20 this one and that She would put
up a stove in the back parlor and give
him the room off She was glad
that the parlor was empty and clean
mo knickknacks for boy TO knock
around she found herself thinking
And a child would like the bedroom
wall paper. with the 6vs border. wheE
summer came he could have the room
over the dining room with the kitchen
roof siopinc away from II where ne
could dry his hazelnuis-she had
thought of the pasture hazelnuts first
thing. There were n good many things
a hoy would like about the place
the bird house where the martins al
ways built. the hens. the big hollow
tree. the pasture ant hill She would
have to find out the things he liked TO
eat She would have to help him with
his lessons: she could do that for only
a little while until he would be too old
TO need her. Then maybe there would
come the time when he would ask
her things that she would not know.