Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-07
THE GIRL WHO
SMILED THROUGH
BY Marion Rubineam.
Copyriehs. George Matthew Adams.
THE NEW INTEREST.
Chapter III.

Alice felt she WAS not accomplishing
III She wanted To by adopting the little
waif. And vet she couldn't do otherwise,
Th,re was something in her that urged
her 10 take the child, and the desire was
stronger than her reason. =,
.of course. she's going 20 be care,
Alice told her Mother when they sat
talking about the prospective adopuon.
Its going TO mean hours ana hours
every day devoted 10 looking after her.
I'll have TO learn how to take care oil
baby. for one thing. Mrs. Godirey gave
me splendid book written by the lore
most doctor on children heaith u the
country.
aOf course. | can look after her for
xo,, Mrs Fairbanks offered. ANXIOUS
a. always 10 give Alice her way. But the
rirl .hoo1 her head.
NO. You'll have certain amount
,f care. az course. that cant be helped.
put I'm going % do most OF It.
- in thu course OF few weeks. the
deserted baby arrived ~ its permanent
borne Rerenice. as Alice called her. adopt
inv the foreign spelling Of that attractive
name. was really pretty baby.
Though goodness knows she was
bonely enough when ! first met her,
Alice remarked humorouslv 10 Clara when
this chum called to see the new mernDer
az the family. "She was as thin ms ran,
and gray. and her hands had that dread
frl appearance of bird claws that we see
often in the babies in ShartytoWn.,
.'rs she much trouble? Clara asked
holding out finger awkwardlv ana water
ing the baby's hands curl around H. ..os
course. I'm pretty green at II. I've joined
Tho Little Mother classes Mrs. Godfrey
has NJ the settlement house and YOU
should spe the number OF things M
learning 70 do
You always were pretty efficient,
7 Thought YOU must know most every
chino bv this time : Clara answered smi-
inqlv Can hold the baby
No" Alic,, answered with an AR OF
vrea, wisdom. The essence OF knowledge
N bringing up a baby is TO let " alone;
Rerenice has her bath and her bottle ana
,hen she maps n she needs care during
.he morning while m at the garden WORK
p, .he settlement house. mother gives "
"Oh. Clara" she broke of to laugh:
''vou should see mother and the oabE'
r.'s been wars since she had one. OF course
and she can't get used 10 ncw ways bere-
nice has a bath az q certain Temperature
and | have bath thermometer tta'
floats i'm the tub TO show when II warm
enough Mrs Narlowc gave II to bere-
nice As a present Mother SAYS she used 10 l..
stick her elbow in the water, and II u
didn't scald her, II wasn't too not 'or
rncr' ~.
She went on, telling the events OF the
new bnby's day. bottles and maps, fresil
air. more maps loose clothing that ieI'
IL nIzCpr.s pf all rN-
element and coddlinc, no rocking no
Summing nm and down to bring out a
crow of delight and 10 bring on indlges-
tion.
Mrs. NIarlowe had doctor for her,
and he has gwen the formula for preparing
her milk. Alice went on, her tone un-.
consciously assuming that lofty ar OF
preat wisdom which all Young mothers
display.
Clara listened with interest and some
time with amusement. This was new
Aice. this girl who held the tiny child
IN her arms. and caressed her SO gently.
who carried her upstairs 70 he'd and who
sat with her head turned 10 one side CO
catch any possible sound that might show
per nice was wakeiul.
Its awfully funny, was Clara way
al telling her mother about IL. II use 20
think last vesr when David Thorne was
50 crazy over Mice, and they were 10
get married. that this summer | would be
Visiting them in the country and that
Nice would have a baby. she always adore
childrn SO. And here she is with baby
sure enough. only gypsy family had
20 come along and desert the child 50
Alice could show another side of her gen
erous heart.
Clara had expressed it awkardly enough
but she had come strangely near the trut b.
The desire that had almost forced
Alice. against even her common sense,
10 take in the orphaned baby, was the
u,orld-old desire of motherhood. Uncon-
sciouslv she had planned ahead her whole
life with David Naturally, she wanted
children. as every normal woman does.
The maternal instinct was stronger Ia
her. perhaps. than in some frazier girls.
And she was now, as the psychologists
would saw. rationalizing her maternal
instincts by adopting this stray child
The love that was waiting for the children
denied her. was being lavished on this lit
lie one. so much in need OF just the affec-
ton and care that Alice could give 1t.
And in the giving of il, Alice was happy.
I. was strange-she thought one night
AZ she put one hand out in the dark to
touch the sleeping baby S crib-that more
women did not try TO reconstruct their
lives in this fashion. to build again, even
when the foundations OF their happi-
ness were destroyed.
Tomorrow ow-Lawrence Dilemma.