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

INK lueiu Il utH Nut udN Mary nuu
Joined Lily and Adam there on the
porch. and Lily had been looking up
with new eyes. and Mary had searched
her face. and then Adams face. and
they had all seemed i'm u sudden naked
ness. and Mary had known that n
great place was closed against her.
Since then house and porch and gar
den and routines had become like those
OF other places. She had always been
shut outside something. and always
she had borne burdens. The death of
her parents. gadfiies Of need. worst OF
all n curious feeling that the place
closed against her was somehow her
self-that. so TO say. she and herself
had never once met. She used to say
that TO herself sometimes. There's
two of me and we don't meet-we
don't meet"
And now EC wants me To- take her
boy and Adams" she kept saying. "I'il
never do such Il thing-never."
She thought that the news OF Lily's
death was what gave her the strange.
bodily hurt that had seized hcr-the
news that what she was used to was
gone: that she had no sister: that the
days OF their being together and all the
tasks of their upbTinGinS were finished.
Then she thought that the remember
ing of those days of her happiness and
her pain. and the ache of what might
have been and OF what never WAS. had
come TO torture her again. But the
feeling was rather the weight of some
imminent thing. the ravage OF some
thing that grew with what it fed on.
the grasp upon her of something that
would not let her go.
She had never seen them after their
marriage. and so she had never seen
either of the children. Lily had once
sent her a picture of John. but she
had never sent one of this other little
boy Mary tried TO recall what they
had ever said Of him. She could not
even remember his baptismal name.
but she knew that they had called him
Yes" because it was the first word
he had learned To say and because he
had said il to everything. The baby
can say Yes" Lily had written once;
II guess it's all he'll ever be able to
say. He says it all day long. He
won't try to say anything else And
once later: We've taken TO calling the
baby Yes. and now he calls himself
that. Yes wants it he says. and
Take Yes and Yes is going off now
His father likes it. He says YES is
everything and no is nothing. l don't
think that means much. but we call
him that for fun But Mary could
not remember what the child'S real
name was. What difference did il
make? As If she could have child
meddling round the house while she
was sewing. But. Of course. this was
not the real reason. The real reason
was that she could not bring up a
child-did she not know that:
He's six years old now. and. Aunt
Mary. this amt Il place for him. He's
nice little fellow and l hate for him
TO get rough and lie will If he stays
here.
She tried TO think who else could
take him. They had no one. Adam.
she knew, had no one. Some of the
neiGhbOrs there by the ranch-it was
absurd TO send him that long journey
so she went through it all. denying
with all the old denials. And all the
while the weight in her body grew and
filed her. and she was strangely con
scious of her breath.
What ails me-" she said aloud. and
got up to kindle Il light. She was /
amazed To see that it WAS . o'clock. !
and long past her supper hour. AS she |
took from the clock shelf the key to |
the barn, some one raped at the back /
door and came through the cold kitchen 1
with friendly familiarity. 1t was |
Jenny. Il shawl over her head. her face
glowing with the cold, and in her nit |
tened hands fiat parcel.
My hands most froze," Jenny adj
mitted. II didn't want to roll this |
thing. so l carried it fat out. and it |
blew considerable. Its the picture"
Get yourself warm" Mary bade her.
I'll undo it. Who is it OFF, she
added. as the papers came away.
That's what ! don't know" said
Jenny. but I've always liked il
around. thought maybe you'd know"
II was picture which. in those days.
had not before come To Old Trail
Town. The figure was thai 80 Il youth.
done by a master Of the tines-the
head and shoulders Of 4 youth who
seemed To he looking passionately mt
something outside the picture.
There it is. anyhow" Jenny added.
III ycu like it enough TO hang it up.
hang il up. rs a Christmas present"
Jenny laughed e!iish.y.
Mary 5'havah hcld che r'ct;-e oTt
before her.
II do" she SAID: Il could take a real
fancy 10 IL. III have II az OH the
wall Much Obliged, I'm sure. Set
iown a Iniugtc."
But Jenny could not 90 this. and
Mary. the key To the barn still in her
bands. followed her out. They went
through the cold kitchen where the
and the ironing board and
he clothes bars and all the familiar
things stood in the dark. To Mary
.hesc were sunk in Il great obscurity
md insignifcance. and even Jenny be-
NJ there was unimpOrtant beside the
hing that her letter had brought 10
hink about. They stepped out into
he clear clitterinE night with its