Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-01-08
Moonlight and
Money
NJ nl
BY Marion Rubincam
a BITTER ACCUSATION
GHA pTLR 70

~ LIN SOCoftAAoN
CHAPTER ~
Louise felt only once the thrill
that M with first motherhood.
But 1t was an experience that went
to the very core of her being, That
added its sweetness to a soul rapidly
growing in sympathy and tenderness.
In little more than q year Louise
had crowded the experience that
some women distribute over a life
time. There are some women who
go through all she had experienced
with no mark on their characters to
show whore n one thing q touch
ed them. Mrs. Driscom had been
one of them. But Louise had a ma
ture that was a little like q sensitiZed
plate-every new adventure left its
mark, either highlight or shadow.
She had been a nice, minimizing,
rather shallow girl. With love came
sweetness. Marriage brought her a
great sympathy and understanding
for other people and a gradually
she needed badly and that, later, was
to pull her through many a difficult
situation. And motherhood gave g.
depth of ~womanliness to her that
nothing else could have brought.
But she doesn't seem like my
baby at ALL" Louise complained to
her father one evening when he
NAI IA ~ SS0 51AS fOSs oLAS
belongs to the doctor and the nurse
and the bottles and the diet chart In
the nursery. 1 scarcely see her at
ell"
There's plenty of time for that,
isn't there?" her father asked. "Af-
ter she gets well and strong, you
know"
II know, and I'm silly" Louise
said. But they are in there hours
and they won't tell me frankly what
1T Is. They evade and pretend
father, is she very sick 2"
But her father could not or would
not tell.
Late the next night she knew. Her
room was dark and she was sup
posed to be asleep. but from the ad-
joining room, converted into a nurs-
cry for the occasion, she caught the
sound of low voices. A CLEAN OF light
came from the cracks around the
door too, so she lay still, s~training
aer ears to listen.
She could not distinguish words,
merely voices. There was the rather
high treble OF a new night nurse her
father had recently engaged, and DR..
brakes voice, clearer than the others
and apparently giving directions. She
caught Harry's voice. too, and she
thought she heard her father outside
in the hall.
There were hurrying footsteps, the
noise of the telephone bell far down
in the lower hall, the whirr Of a
machine as 1t drew up and stopped
before the house. So the baby must
be very III, she reasoned. They must
have sent for another doctor too.
Feeling her uselessness. she lay very
quietly. Since she could not help,
she could ut least be still and not
give additional work or worry.
That they thought of her, she
knew, for once Harry came to the
hall door to her room II opened 1t
slightly. But she gave no sign that
she was awake. He must have BASS
was his voice she heard say,
Good God. it mustn't happeni 1t
would kill her"
She could distinguish nothing from
the subdued activity in the next
room. Then finally she heard her
father say:
Don't tell her now. She must
sleep as much as she can"
Gradually things grew quieter. She
could hear DR.. brakes voice again,
low, yet clear enough for her to rec
ognize the words:
But n chance in a hundred
from the start" she caught. Then a
blur Of words and presently "over-
work. under-nourishment it's the
usual story. Thousands die" more
words she could not get, then-"the
~expectant mother must have rest and
freedom from worry; she must
nourish herself and the little one as
well. I tried to impress that on her
when she came here, of course"
She could not hear any more.
Some one was crying she thought,
choking sobs that came now and
then.
There. there, you're overweight.
I'm going to give you something
soothing" 1t was the doctors words
again. Harry must be crying.
Harry crying! When a man cries
lt is infinitely more pathetic than
when a woman gives way, for the
causes must be so much greater.
But Louise suddenly felt no sympa-
thy for him. The words rang In her
ears-"overwork. anxiety, UNDER
nourishment''-it was Harry's fault
then, If the baby died.
She lay perfectly still, with this
bitter accusation in her mind.
Tomorrow-A Quarrel.