The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-07-12
CHAPTER XIII.
The Dam Gives Way.


She began getting her strength back
very fast in the next two or three
days, but this queer klnk In her emo
tlons didn't straighten out She came
to see that 1t was absurd-monstrous
almost, but that didn't help. Instead
of a baby, she had given birth to two.
They were hers, Of course, as much
as one would have been. Only. her
soul, which had been waiting so
ecstatlcally for its mlracle-for the
child which, by making her mother,
should supply what her life needed
her soul wouldn't-couldn't accept
the substitution. Those two droll,
th!n-voiced, squrming little mites that
were exhibited to her every morning,
were as foreign to her, as if they had
been brought into the house In a
basket.
When Harriet came in for the first
time to see her, Rose knew. Har-
Iict was living here now, running the
house for Rodney, while Rose was
laid dp. Doing it beautifully well,
too, through all the confusion Of
nurses and all. Harriet said:
Il think you're in great luck to
have had two at once; get your duty
TO posterity done that much sooner.
And, of course, you couldn't possibly
be expected to nurse two great crea-
lures like that"
Rose acquiesced. She would have
struggled. though, she, knew, but for
that queer trick fate had played her.
Her heart ached.
When she found that struggling
with herself, denouncing herself for
q brute, didn't serve to bring up the
feelings toward the twins that she
knew any proper mother ought to
have, she buried the dark fact as
deep us she could, and pretended. 1t
was only before Rodney that the pre-
tense was really necessary. And with
him, really, 1t was hardly pretcnse
at all. He was such child himself,
In his gleeful delight over the pos
session of son and daughter, that
she felt for him, tenderly, mistily,
lumlnously, the very emotion she was
trying to capture for them-felt like
cradllng his head in her weak arms,
kissing him, crying over him.
She wouldn't have been allowed to
do that to the babies, anyway. They
were going to be terribly well brought
up. those twins; that was apparent
from the beginning. They had two
nurses all to themselves, quite apart
from Miss Harris, who looked after
Rose-Mrs. Ruston and Doris, the
maid, who were destined, 1t appeared,
TO be as permanent as the babies. But
Rose had the germ Of an idea of her
own about that.
They got them named with very lit
tie difficulty. The boy was Rodney,
of course. after his father and grand
father before him. Rose was little
afraid Rodney would want the gil
named after her, and was relieved to
find he didn't. There'd never In the
world be but one Rose for him, he
said SO Rose named the girl Portia.
They kept Rose in bed for three
weeks; fiat on her back as much as
possible, which was terribly irksOme
to her, since her strength and Vital
ity were coming back so fast. She
might have rebelled, had it not been
for that germinant idea OF hers. 1t
wouldn't do, she saw, In the light of
that, to give them any excuse for call
ing her unreasonable.
One Sunday morning, Rodney car
ried her upstairs to the nursery to
see her babies bathed. This was a
big room at the top of the house
which Florence McCrea had always
vaguely intended to make into a
studio. But, in the paralysis of in
decision as to what sort Of studio to
make 1t, she had left the thing bare.
Rodney had given Harriet carte
blanche to go ahead and fit it up be-
fore he and Rose came back from the
seashore, and the layette was a monu-
ment to Harriet's practically. There
had been a--wild day of supplement-
ing. of course, when 1t was discovered
that there were two babies instead of
one.
The room, when they escorted Rose
into 1t, was terribly impressive
place. The spirit Of barren, sterile
efficiency brooded everywhere. And
this appearance Of baroness obtained
despite the presence Of an enormous
number of articles--a pair of scales,
a perfect battery of electric heaters
OF various sorts; rows Of vacuum jars
for keeping things cold or hot; a small
Sterilizins oven; instruments and up