White County record., 1922-07-13

course, and Nurse Sarah says the sun wasn't shining at all. It was night and the stars were out. She remembers particularly about the stars. for Father was in the observatory. and couldn't be disturbed. (We never disturb Father when he's there, you know.) And so he didn't even know he had a daughter until the next morning when he came out to breakfast. And he was late to that, for he stopped to write down something he had found out about one of the consternations in the night.
 He's always finding out something about those old stars just when we want him to pay attention to some thing else. And, oh, forgot to say that know 1t Is constellation" and not "consternation." But I used to call them that when l was a little girl and Mother said 1t was good name for them, anyway, for they were con sternatlon to her all right. Oh, she said right off afterward that she didn't mean that, and that must forget she said 1t. Mothers always saying that about things she says.
 We'll, as I was saying, Father didn't know until after breakfast that he had . little daughter. eve never tell him disturbing, exciting things just before meals.) And then Nurse teld him.
 asked what hs said, and Nurse laughed and gave her funny little shrug ts her shoulders.
 "Yes. what did he say, indesdr' she returted. "He frowned, locked kind of dazed, then nuttered: Well. we'll up- on my soul Yes, to bs surel'"
 Then he came ia ts see me.
 l don't know, sf course, what he thought of me, but I guess he didn't think much of mo, from what Nurse said. Of course was very. very small and l never yet saw . little bit of baby that was pretty. or looked as If It was much account. So maybe you couldn't really blame him.
 Nurse said he looked at me, nut tered. Well, well, upon my soul !" again. and seemed really quite interest ed till they started to put me in his arms. Then he threw up both hands, backed off, and cried "Oh, no, no, no p He turned to Mother and hoped she was feeling pretty well, then he got out of the room just as quick as he could. And Nurse said that was the end of 1t, so far as paying any more attention to me was concerned for quite a while.
 Fl fv,.a tod tv,h t1 new star than he was in his new daughter. We were both born the same night, you see, and that star was lots more consequence than I was But, then, that's Father all over. And that's one of tho things, I think, that bothers Mother. I heard her say once to Father that she didn't see why, when there were so many, many stars, a paltry one or two more need to be made such fuss about. And don't, either.
 But Father just groaned, and shook his head, and threw up his hands, and looked 80 tired And that's all he said That's all he says lots of times. But It's enough. It's enough to make you feel so small and mean and inslgnih- cant as If you were just a little green worm crawling on the ground. Did you ever feel like green worm crawl ing on the ground? It's not pleasant feeling at all.
 Well, now, about the name. Of course they had to begin to talk about naming me pretty soon; and Nurse said they did talk lot. But they couldn't settle 1t. Nurse said that that was about the first thing that showed how teetotally utterly they were going te disagree about things.
 Mother wanted to call me Viola after her mother, and Father wanted to call me Abigail Jane after his mother; and they wouldn't either one give in to the other. Mother was sick and nervous, and cried a lot those days, and she used to sob out that if they thought they were going to name her darling little baby that awful Abi- gail Jane, they were very much mis- taken; that she would never give her consent to it-neyer. Then Father would say in his cold, stern way:
 Very well, then, you needn't But neither shall l give my consent to my daughters being named that absurd Viola. The child is human being not a fiddle. In an orchestra! !"
 And that's the way 1t went. Nursa said, until everybody was just about crazy. Then somebody suggested Mary" And Father said. very well, they might call me Mary; and Mother said certainly. she would consent to Mary. only she should pronounce 1t Marie. And so 1t was settled. Father called me Mary, and Mother called me Marie. And right away every body else began to call me Mary Marie. And that's the way it's been ever since