The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-03-15

sS0Kxsa8a@s AsaNg ~
nntsrprlse Assscaetion
Aunt Mary, Mother Waverly
and Mollie are N happy AZ I am
over the thought of a baby in the
family. Dear Aunt Mary told me
that for q long time she had been
afraid that ! was going to be
childless.
Il cannot tell you. Margie. how
great was my disappointment at
not having children. Your Uncle
John was especially fond of them.
| have knows him to stop on the
street to pat little ragged urchin
on the head and slip q quarter
into his hand. Sometimes my
heart would almost break when l
saw him lift the little girl of one
OF our friends to his knee and
hold her as long as she would sit
with him. I knew II was the
great grief OF his life. as II was
mine. We never spoke of Il after
the first five years of our mar
ried life. but the hurt was there
so great that each feared to make
the other more unhappy by refer
ence to It,"
Mother Waverly came over ana
brought me whole little change
of clothes that were Dicks.
They were the first clothes
ever made" she said, land | have
kept them for Dicks baby" The
little. old-fashioned, long dress
was perfectly beautiful, and felt
like Tim O'Connor when he look
ed at the baby clothes of Tim, jr..
when | put the lace and embroid-
cred cap over my doubled-up fist.
II looked as though nothing hui
man could ever be small enough
to wear that tiny head covering.
"Will my baby be as little as
that?" l asked Mother Waverly,
In awe Of its diminutive proper
tons.
Richard wore It when he was
christened." she answered.
And my Richard shall wear II
when he is christened," l said,
with conviction.
Il haven't sewed for a long
while, Margie, but | am going to
make some little things for your
baby. Oh, l wish Richard had
lived to see his grandchild.
Come on, Sallie! you and I
will go shopping this very morn
ing" said Aunt Mary. II want to
sew. too, and | have grown very
tired of embroidering clothes and
putting monograms on household
linens"
Don't forget to add darniug
stockings, Aunt Mary" l inter-
rupted.
But you know. dear, like to
darn stockings. l always feel like
the man In the Arabic proverb
who made two blades of grass
grow where only one had grown
before,
you make one pair of Dick
socks do where 1t took two be-
FORE" / said with a laugh.
Wont 1t be fun to darn the
knees of little stockings, Sallie?
l remember how you used to COM
plain of the way Dick wore his
out"
my goodness, dears, do you
know you have already reared my
baby to school-boy age. Go and
do your shopping this minute or
You will have him at mans es-
tate and married before 1 have
ever held him in my waiting
arms"
Both women bent down and
kissed me, for as you see, little
book. since that fainting spell a
week ago. have not been able to
get up without becoming dizzy.
While they were gone Mary
came in. She did not say a word
for minute, and then she Wake 4
over slowly and two big tears fell
on my face as she kissed me.
As things have turned out II is
probably for the best that Mary's
baby died, but I would not for the
world grieve her by telling her so.
especially when she said that she
was almost sure IL her baby had
lived Jack would have still loved
her and stayed with her.
Don't you remember how ten
der he was to me when he came
to the hospital when l was sick?'
she asked.
Yes, dear" ! answered, but 1
did not know what else to say,
for | knew that becoming a faith
er does not change a mans char
acter and disposition Instantly
any more than becoming convert
to the Christian religion.
Character is like everything
else in the world, always chang
ing either for better or for worse.
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