Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1917-08-16
CHAPTER Kill.
-
The Dam Gives Way.

She began getting her strength back
very fast in the next two or three
days, but this queer kink in hex emo
lions didn't straighten out. Shn came
to see that il was observation-disclosures
almost, but that didn't help. Instead
of Il baby she had given birth to two.
They were hers, Of course, os much
rs one would have been. Only, her
soul, which had been waiting so
ecstatically for its miracle-for the
child which, by making her Il mother,
should supply what her life needed
her soul wouldn't-couldn't accept
The substi tution. Those two drOll,
thin-voiced, squirning little mites that
were exhibited to her every morning,
were US foreign to her, us il they had
been brought into the house in q
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:
II think you're in great luck to
nave had two at once; get your duty
30 pOsterity done that much sooner.
.And. of course, you couldn't possibly
lie expected to nurse two great crea-
cures like that"
Rose acquiesced. She would have
struggled, though, she knew, but for
<u:., Cot h.,
Mer 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
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 pretense
Mt all. He was such child himself,
in his gleeful delight over the pos
session of son aud u daughter, that
che felt for him, tenderly, mistily,
LUMINOSITY, the very emotion she was
trying to capture for them-felt like
grading his head In her weak arms,
kissing him, crying over him.
She wouldn't have been allowed to
do that to the bubbles, anyway. They
were going to be terribly we'll 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 it 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
ne difficulty. The boy was Rodney,
Of course, after his father and grand
fMther before him. Rose was little
afraid Rodney would want the gill
pamed 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 Oh her back as much as
possible, which was terribly irksome
70 her. since her strength and vital
ny 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
nat. to give them any excuse for call
Ing her unreasonable.
One Sunday morning, Rodney car
eied her upstairs to the nursery II
~ her babies bathed. This was 4
blg room at the top of the no, is
which Florence McCrea had alw ay
vaguely intended to make into
studio. But, in the paralysis Of. II
decision as to what sort Of stud 10 t
make it, she had left the thing b: are.
Rodney had given Harriet cart
blanche to 60 ahead and fit 1t up b,
fore he md Rose came back IF bm til
Asashore, sud the layette was mon,