Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-01-26


| gets chance ,oith small part in one
of the seasons neto plays. Kathleen,
ioho did not ioorry about Virginia
aohen she is poor. begins to be some
achnt fearful of Bill She is deter
mined to get him back and to safe
guard herself, tells Virginia that she
is engaged to Bill second time. Then
| Virginia hears that her baby is i'll, and
she ruShes off IN the night to the
| Andersons, aoho haze kept the baby
| during her short sojourn on the stage.
NSHE'S in there" And then as Vir-
~ ginia rushed into the bedroom Mrs.
Anderson followed adding quickly, ''But
she's much better. You shouldn't have
rushed off in this precipitate way, Nir-
ginia. The idea Did you walk up from
the station in that get-up at this time
of night"
Virginia was kneeling beside the
small bed, her arms flung around the
tiny figure that lay there. She was
thanking God in a passion of gratitude
for sparing her Barbara, and she real
lied as she never had before how much
she loved the baby. Girl-like she had
wanted to get away to the city to en-
counter adventures, and in order to do
that she had been quite willing to leave
her baby. If anything had happened
she could never have forgiven herself,
and she bent above the tiny dark face.
SO like her own. in yearning tenderness.
Virginia, you're going to ruin that
suit if you don't get up" Mrs. Ander-
sons crisp tones reached Virginia at last
and made her smile. Jimmy's mother
would always worry about the things
| that didn't matter. but somehow that
fact did not bother the girl as it once
had. She felt more tolerant of the
faults of every one. and she knew that
she owed lasting debt to her mother
in-law for taking care of Barbara. In
the first spontaneous show of affection
that she had ever felt, Virginia rose to
her feet and went up to Mrs. Anderson
She put her arms tenderly around the
| figure in the big bathrobe and let her
tired head fall on the broad motherly
shoulder.
.'Oh, Mother" she said softly, II can
never thank you, never"
Mrs. Anderson patted Virginia sooth-
ingly. There, there, you're nothing
but baby yourself, ] declare. You
come with me and let me get you into
bed. You mustn't break down"
Virginia followed her mother in law
to her own old room, the room that had
been hers when she had first come to
! Crystal River and that she had always
hated. Tonight, somehow it seemed
| comfortable. homy, altogether different.
There Virginia got out of her stI eet
clothes and into velvet dressing gown,
an extravaganza Of her earlier days be-
fore she had been married. With her.
dark hair standing out around her small
head and the soft dull gold of the robe
she was arresting. Even Mrs. Ander-
sleeping in the baby's room and Mrs
Anderson, who had been up two nights
with Barbara, finally consented and
went to her own room to get some rest.
Virginia curled up on the bed close be-
side her baby and dozed and woke. Once
she leaned over to listen to the faint
even breathing that came so regularly
and she sank back on her pillow with
heart overhowing with gladness. Moth
ing mattered now, she thought vaguely.
| AS long as she had Barbara she wanted
nothing else. She wondered off and on
| through that long white night about
| life. Just suppose she hadn't been given
Barbara; just suppose she hadn't real
lied in time that it was not right for the
baby to be. shifted off on Mrs. Ander-
son. And Then with a great sigh of re-
lief and clutching of the bedclothes she
would sink into slumber again.
She woke at dawn to find Mrs. An
derson standing by the bed with a tray
ON which were steaming coffee and
some buttered toast.
Virginia sat up with sleep filled eyes,
and then started as she looked for the
baby and found her gone.
Mrs. Anderson smiled at her terrified
fook,
much better" And she looked almost
tenderly at the girl, almost as IL Yir-
ginia were child herself.
J ln..,...s.,... s.sis. "A WAL z. ]