The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-02
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
BY JENNIE LITTLE.


l remember just how the rain drip
ped, dripped. monotonously down that
DAY, In an aggravating manner which
seemed to threaten: Il shall keep it up
till your nerves are on edge. or your
spirits down in zero" and / felt that
1t didn't need TO persevere much long
er. Summer vacation had begun. hut
what was the use of being released
from drilling tiresome children and
correcting examination papers. if there
was nothing better in sight?
mo, | may as well confess and get
it over. Up to that time not a scrap
of excitement, adventure or romance
had ever come into my life. and IL
was my thirty-ffth birthday, But
what could you expect from q plain.
prosy creature, handicapped from the
very start with the name of Amelia
Bump? | suppose the Bump was in
| evitable. seeing that | had no choice
| in the matter of ancestors, but surely
| if my dear parents hump of wisdom
| had been ever so slightly developed
| they would have offset il with a lovely
| front name like Evelyn, Sylvia or Dor
| IS.
Even Caroline might have been
| transformed into Carolyn. and Mary
| Jane into Marie Jean. or May Janette.
but not a letter in the alphabet could
! ameliorate the misery of being chris
tened Amelia. No young man could
be expected to choose as his partner
at the merrymakings n girl who had
neither, money, beauty or hrilliance to
take the sting from that hardly sup
| pressed smile when he introduced MY
| friend, Miss Bump" Why. even my
scholars made puns about it.
And so when the old folks died and
left me little besides the old home.
with not a near relative in the world,
it just eemed natural that | should
settle down for keeps, in the role of
old maid country school teacher. Nat
urally it happened that sometimes
| that starved youth in me clamored for
| recognition, and raised riots, as to-
day.
1t was the annual county fair. and l
had watched them all go by in their
shining buggieS and autOs-sweet-
hearts, young married couples. and
families, till it seemed that poor
Amelia Bump was the only solitary per-
| son in the village. 1t had been a per-
feet morning, and now I felt touch
Of savage satisfaction that the rain
| would spoil their pleasure. until I re-
membered that blizzard may seem
a May day if only you are with some
one you love- OH I was in tune with
he weather. all right.
And then my ears caught the roaring
hum of an airplane. nearer, nearer,
unbelievably nearl | raced TO the door
n time to see something like giant
wounded bird swooping down on the
zig meadow below the house. crash
Then my curiosity carried me on fly
ng feet to the spot, where figure re-
sembling an armored knight in goggles
picked himself up with a daZed look,
and bent over another PROSTATE form.
After a hasty examination he turned
TO me, as I stared, open-mouthed.
Tough luck Came through the
var without smash, and now brok-
N leg, and perhaps worse. for this lit
lie testing trip. Accident TO engine,
md we couldn't make a right landing.
Where's doctor?"
Believe me, / had little time TO
waste sympathizing with myself the
rest of the day. He was badly hurt
and the doctor and nurse settled him
in my little sunny guest room, so long
without a guest.
The holidays flew on wings. had
an interest in life, and the neighbors
really seemed to include me in their
interest in him. But the blow had to
fall. The day that he was able to he
helped out on the piazza, he turned
serious face to me.
"Here l am, nearly we'll enough TO
leave, and have never asked your
name yet it seems that l must have
known it always, we have grown to be
such friends"
ooh, no." l gulped, you couldn't
guess it in a lifetime It's Bump -
and l fairly glared at him as | braced
myself to meet that amused smile.
But it seemed to make absolutely no
| impression on him. for he went on
And your first name?"
Try, all you Rosalies and Marjories.
to share my feelings as / blurted ont.
"Oh, it matches the other-just Amelia.
and how hate it,"
He gave me such a queer look OF
surprise. Hate Amelia?" he repeated,
as if not sure of hearing Ele Alright.
Il love it best of all the names in the
English language, for it was my moth
er's Since she died. I've been the
loneliest fellow alive" Lonely Aud
he a handsome hero. There were two
of us then, it seemed.
Well all this happened weeks ago.
and today as | write. across the table
sits my aviator. the man of the house
| refuse to recognize a grammar rule
or algebra sign when | meet them,
| for unloved and unwanted Amelia