Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-21

gesture not unlike one OF someone
dropping n red-bot burden.
IF Roy ever finds out how / feel
about the kid he'll be awful disap-
. pointed" she mused. And she played
the part of a conventional mother as
well as she could.
Baby himself seemed TO sense his
mothers mental attitude. When he
was alone with her he was just as
bad as n four months,old creature
can be. He was fretful and noisy,
irritated by slightest sounds or lights
or dScomforts. Parents and child
never seemed in harmony unless they
were out of the tiny flat. When she
put him in the go-cart and took him
to the park or Riverside drive they
usually had peaceful afternoons.
Sometimes on these rare outings,
Marie could almost forget that she
had baby. He slept or played quietly
with mis- fingers and toes and rattle
and his mother seWed or read or
watched the crowds. She loved the
hum OF passing motors that lulled her
into coma while she sat in the friendly
sunshine. She even liked the rough
gaiotN of children romping with their
mothers or their nurses. Usually the
warm sun and the rustic of trees and
the soft padded sound of horses feet
on the tan-harlI for equestrians made
her feel quiet, stupidity happy and
relaxed. But at other times she liked
the styles and colors OF the women's s
clothes and watched passing motors
to peer intcrestedly into the faces OF
the men and women who rode in
them.
In the flat, however, IL was harder,
and Marie's housekeeper bound her
tu the flat Roy expected and had
pnnl food gnanl.
did the cooking and washing and
cleaning and IT seemed that baby
had an unCanny way of knowing
when he could most inconveniently
interrupt her work. lie howled more
than any other baby on the block.
Sometimes when she was very tired
and her back ached and the rain had
made her take in the washing or the
grocer had walked muddy shoes
across her newly scrubbed floor she
felt that II would be relief to strike
the screaming, most unreasonable
child. He did not seem to have any
more sense as he grew older. At IA
months he was just as unmanagea BILE
as he was at 4 weeks.
Roy did not know that she had con-
feSsed to herself she hated the baby.
but he could not help seeing that she
was impatient and daily growing
pered. The strain was telling on her
I'm many ways and he got some Of the
benefit OF small explosions of nerves.
There's no way out thot
wanted you and i suppose I've got to
pay up for it. But--oh you nasty
little devil. ] could choke you when
you hollow that way" she snarled
over the crib.
Sometimes, when backache and
weariness and dislike seemed mount
ing TO the breaking point, she was
afraid she would choke him. And
then, when one day she could stand
his screaming no longer, she struck
him across the face.
The blow was a hard one. The
childs cry stopped suddenly. lie
turned white and they stared at each
other, the mothers eyes as wide with
fright ana horror as his own.
Then suddenly as the boys breath
came back and his ery turned from
one of mere temper TO one OF terrible
pain. Marie rushed from the room
and from the house
on the first landing she encoun-
tered the janitress.
GO UPSTAIRS and look TO my baby"
she said, grasping the woman's arm.
II ! go back | am afraid l will kin
him. II just can't stand him any