The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1922-06-08
CHAPTER III
The Break Is Made.


finished her story, only she shrugged
her shoulders again, and looked back.
first one way. then another. As for
her calling me "chatIerbuX '->he al
ways calls me that when she's been
doing all the talking.
A. near as | can remember. ! have
told Nurse SarahS story exactly rs she
told ii L. me. in her own words. But
of course | know | didn't get il right
all the time, and | know I've left out
quite lot. But, anyway. its told
whole lot more than | could have told
why they got married in the first place,
and 1t brings my story right up To the
point where | was born; and I've al
ready told about naming me. and what
time they had over that.
OF course what's happened since.
up To now. don't know all about, for
| was only a child for the first few
years. Now I'm almost Il young lady,
standing with reluctant feet where
the brook and river meet" q read
that last night. | think It's perfectly
beautiful. So kind of sad and sweet.
II makes me want to cry every time
| think of it, But even if | don't
know all of what's happened since
| was born. | know a good deal. for
I've seen quite a lot. and I've made
Nurse tell me lot more.
know that ever since / can remem-
her I've had Ia keep as still as mouse
the minute Father comes into the
house; and | know that | never could
imagine the kind of a mother that
Nurse tells about. if il wasn't that
sometimes when Father has gone off
on trip, Mother and | have romped
all over the house, and had the most
beautiful time. | know thar Father
says that Mother is always trying to
make me Marie" and nothing else !;
and that Mother says she knows
/ FathorIl never be happy until he's
made me into IA stupid little Mary
with never an atom of life of my
/ own. And, do you know? it does seem
/ sometimes. a. if Mary and Marie We're
] lighting inside of me, and | wonder
which is going to beat. Funny, isn't
/ it?
Father is resident of the college
now, and don't know how many stars
and comets and things he's discov-
cred since the night the star and
were born together. But / know he's
very famous. and that he's written up
in the papers and magazines. and is
in the big fat red who's Who" in
the library, and has lots of noted men
come To see him.
Nurse says that Grandma Anderson
died very soon after | was born, hut
that il didn't make any particular diff
ference i'm the housekeeping; for things
went right on just as they had done
with her giving the orders as before
that she'd given them all alone any
way. mostly, the last year Grandm:
Anderson lived. and she knew just
how Father liked things. She said
! Mother tried once or twice to take the
reins herself. and once Nurse let her
lust to see what would happen. Bu
things got in an. awful muddle righ
away, so that eySn Father noticed i
and said things. After that Mother
never tried again, | guess. Anyhow
she's never tried ii since | can remem
her. She's always stayed most of III
time up in her roomSin the east wing
except during meals, or when sh'
went out with me, or went TO th'
things she and Father had to 60 4
together. For they did go to lots o
things, Nurse says.
II seems that for n long time the,
= didn't want folks to know there wa
> going TO be a divorce. So before folk
they tried to be just as usual Blu
Nurse Sarah said she knew there wa
! going to be one long ago. The frs
ever heard of it was Nurse tellin
Nora. the girl we had in the kitche
then. and the minute ! got chance
asked Nurse what it was-a divorce
NV. | can remember now how scare
, she looked and how she clapped he
hand over my mouth. She w0uldn'
tell me-nOt a word. And that's TN
= first time | ever saw her give tina
=, ouick little look over each shoulder
she's done ii lots of times since.
!, As | said. she wouldn't tell me. s
7 had to ask some one else. | WASH
, going 10 let it 90 by and not find ou
moi when Nurse Sarah looked S
scared. and when ii was sometime
my father and mother were going
u have some day.
didn't like to ask Mother. Som
Z way. | had a feeling, from the wa
Nurse Sarah looked, that it was sOm'
/ thing Mother wasn't going TO like. An
I thought If maybe she didn't kno
vet she was going TO have it, thu
: certainly / didn't want TO be the on
u IN fell her. So | didn't ask Motht
what divorce was.