The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-03-30

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 I know it Is "constellation," and
not "consternation." But I used to
call them that when I was little girl,
and Mother said it was a good name
for them, anyway, for they were con-
sternation to her all right. Oh, she
said right off afterward that she didn't
mean that, and that I must forget she
said 1t. Mothers always saying that
about things she says.
Well, as I was saying, Father didn't
know until after breakfast that he had
a little daughter. eve never tell him
disturbing, exciting things just before
meals.) And then Nurse told him.
asked what he seId, and Nurse
laughed and gave her funny little
shrug to her shoulders.
Eyes, what did he say, indeed?" she
returted. "He frowned, looked kind OF
dazed, then muttered: We'll, well, up
on my soul! Yes, to be sure!"
Then he came in to see me.
I don't know, Of course, what he
thought Of me, but I guess he didn't
think much Of me, from what Nurse
said. OF courseI was very, very small
and never yet saw a little bit Of 9
baby that was pretty, or looked as II
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, moi"
He turned to Mother and hoped she
was feeling pretty we'll, then he got
out of the room just as quick as he
could. And Nurse said that was the
end Of It, so far as paying any more
attention to me was concerned for
quite while.
He was much more interested in his
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 the things, I think, that
bothers Mother. heard her say once
to Father that she didn't see why,
when there were so many, many stars,
q paltry one or two more need to be
made such fuss about. And I don't,
either.
But Father just groaned, and shook
his head, and threw up his hands, and
looked so 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 1nsignid-
cant as If you were just little green
worm crawling Oh the ground. Did
you ever feel like a green worm crawl
ing on the ground? It's not a 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 a lot. But they
couldn't settle it. Nurse said that that
was about the first thing that showed
how teetotally utterly they were going
to 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 we're going, to name
her darling little baby that awful Abb
gail Jane, they were very much mis-
taken; that she would never give her
consent to it-never. Then Father
would say in his cold, stern. way:
every well, then, you needn't. But
neither shall I give my consent to my
daughters being named that absurd
Viola. The child Is human being
not fiddle in an orchestra ~
And that's the way it went, Nurse
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 it
Marie. And so it 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.
OF course, when you stop to think
Of it, it's sort of queer and funny,
though naturally I didn't think Of 1t,
growing up with it as did, and always
having it, until suddenly one day it
occurred to me that none Of the other
girls had two names, one for their