Middletown transcript., 1917-06-02
CHAPTER XIII.
The Dam Gives Way.


She began getting her strength back
very fast in the next two or three
days, but this queer kink in her emo
tions didn't straighten out. She came
to see that it 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
ecstatically for it's miracle-for the
child which, by making her a mother,
should supply what her life needed
her soul wouldn't-couldn't accept
the substitution. Those two droll,
thin-voiced, squirming little mites that
we're exhibited to her every morning,
were as foreign to her, as if they had
been brought into the house in
basket.
When Harriet came in for the first
time to see her, Rose knew. Har-
riet was living here now, running the
house for Rodney, while Rose was
laid up. Doing it beautifully well.
too, through all the confusion OF
nurses and all. Harriet said:
81 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
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 as she could, and pretended. 1t
was only before Rodney that the pre-
tense was really necessary. And with
him, really, it was hardly a pretense
at all. He was such a child himself,
in his gleeful delight over the pos
session Of q son and daughter, that
she felt for him, tenderly, mistily
luminously, the very emotion she was
trying to capture for them-felt like
cradling 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 we'll brought
up, those twins; that was apparent
from the beginning. They had two
nurses oil to themselves, quite apart
from Miss Harris, who looked aftel
Rose-Mrs. RustOn and Doris, the
maid, who were destined, it appeared
to be as permanent as the babies. Bu
Rose had the germ of an idea Of he
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 a littl
afraid Rodney would want the gi-
named after her, and was relieved t
find he didn't. Thered never in tn
world be but one Rose for him, h
said. So Rose named the girl POrtia
They kept Rose in bed for thre
weeks; fiat on her back as much
possible, which was terribly irksom
to her, since her strength and vita
ity were coming back so fast. Sh
might have rebelled, had it not bee
for that germinant idea of hers.
wouldn't do, she saw, In the light Q
that, to give them any excuse for cal
ing her unreasonable.
One Sunday morning, Rodney col
ried her upstairs to the nursery
see her babies bathed. This was
big room at the top OF the h0us
which Florence McCrea had alway
vaguely intended to make into
studio. But, in the paralysis OF IL
decision as to what sort Of studio
make it, she had left the thing bare.
Rodney had given Harriet cart
blanche to 60 ahead and fit it up b.
fore he and Rose came back from tn
seashore, and the layette was mOn'
ment to Harriet's practically. Thel
had been a wild day of supplement
ing. of course, when it was discovere
that there were two babies instead {
one.
The room, when they escorted Ros
into it, was q terribly impressi1
place. The spirit of barren, steri
efficiency brooded everywhere. An
this appearance of baroness obtaine
despite the presence of an enormol
number of articles-a pair OF scale
perfect battery of electric heater
of various sorts; rows Of vacuum Ja
for keeping things cold or hot; sma