The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-06-29
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ELEANOR IMPORTER
ILLUSTRATIONS By
-. >. RH.UVINGSTONE.
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III:
&4s ICopyrisht by ELEANOR H. PORTER)
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
RH.LVNGSTONE.
ICopyright by ELEANOR H. PORTER)

Marie while she wanted me Mary-l
did not know what they wanted; and
/ wished / had never been born unless
I could have been born a plain Susie
or Bessie, or Annabelle and not a
Mary Marie that was all mixed up till
I didn't know what I was.
And then I cried some more.
Mother dropped the dress then, and
took me in her arms over on the
couch, and she said, There, there" J"
and that was tired and nervous, and
all wrought up, and to cry all 1 wanted
to. And by and by, when was calm
er could tell Mother all about it.
And I did.
I told her how hard I tried to be
Mary all the way up to Andersonville
and after I got there; and how then
1 found out, all Of sudden one day,
that father had got ready for Marie,
, and he didn't want me to be Mary,
and that was why he had got Cousin
Grace and the automobile and The
geraniums in the window, and, oh,
everything that made it nice and COM
fly and honey. And then is when they
bought me the new white dresses and
the little white shoes. And l told
Mother, of course, it was lovely to be
Marie, and liked it, only I knew she
would feel bad to think, after all her
pains to make me Mary, Father didn't
want me Mary at all.
81 don't think you need to worry
about that" stammered Mother. But,
tell me, why why did-your father
want you to be Marie and not Mary"
And then told her how he said he'd
remembered what I'd said to him In
the parlor that day-how tired l got
being Mary, and how I'd put on Ma
rie's things just to get a little vacation
from her. and he said he'd never for
gotten. And 80 when it came near
time for me to come again, he deter
mined to fix it so I wouldn't have to
be Mary at all. And so that was why.
And I told Mother it was all right,
and Of course I liked it; only it did
mix me up awfully, not knowing which
wanted me to be Mary now, and which
Marie, when they were both telling me
different from what they ever had be.
fore. And that it was hard, when you
| were trying just the best you knew
how.
And I began to cry again.
And she said there, there, once
more, and patted me on my shoulder,
and told me I needn't worry any more.
And that she understood. it, if l
didn't. In fact, she was beginning
to understand a lot of things that
she'd never understood before. And
she said it was very, very dear
of Father to do what he did, and that
1 needn't worry about her being dis
pleased at it. That she was pleased,
and that she believed he meant her
to be. And she said I needn't think
any more whether to be Mary or Ma
rie; but to be just good, loving little
daughter to both of them; and tina
was all she asked, and she was very
sure it was all Father would ask, too
I told her then how I thought he
did care little about having me there,
and that knew he was going to miss
me. And told her why-what he'd
said that morning in the Junction
about appreciating love, and not miss
!! ing things or people until you didn't
have them; and how he'd learned his
lesson, and all that.
And Mother grew all flushed and
rosy again, but she was pleased. l
knew she was. And she said some
beautiful things about making other
people happy, instead of looking to
ourselves all the time, just as she had
talked once, before went away. And
/ felt again that hushed, stained-win-
dow, soft-music, everybody-kneeling
kind of way; and 1 was so happy
And it lasted all the rest of that eve
ming till I went to sleep.
And for the first time beautiful
lUSd CC1lllS " lAC, NliCh L thOuShI Ao"
Mother was trying to please Father,
ard he was trying to please her.
Wouldn't it be perfectly lovely and
wonderful if Father and Mother should
fall in love. with each other all over
again, and get married? I guess then
this would be love story all right,
all right!
OCTOBER
Oh, how 1 wish that stained-window,
J -everybody-kneeling feeling would last.
! But it never does. Just the next
morning, when I woke up, it rained.
And I didn't Nfeel pleased bit. Still
/ remembered what had happened the
night before, and real glow. came
over me at the beautiful idea I had
gone to sleep with.
I wanted to tell Mother, and ask
her if it couldn't be, and wouldn't she
! let it be, if Father would. So, without
waiting to dress me, hurried across
| the hall to her room and told her all
! about tiny idea, and everything.
| But she said, Nonsense and,
IL,