The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-05-08


June, and July; and that leaves Au,
gust. September. and October yet &c
come And when I think Of Mother
and Boston and Marie, and the darling
good times down there where you're
really wanted. am simply crazy.
II Father wanted me, really wanted
me. wouldn't care bit. I'd be Will
ing to be Mary six whole months. Yes
I'd be glad to. But he doesn't Tn
just here bs order Of the court And
what can you do when you're moth
ing but q daughter by order Of the
court?
Since the lessons have stopped,
Fathers gone back to his "Good-morn-
ing, Mary" and Goodnight" and
nothing else, day In and Z day out.
Lately he's got so he hangs around
the house an awful lot, too, so l can't
even do the things / did the first of
the month. mean that I'd been play
ing some on the piano. along at the
first, after school closed. Aunt Jane
was out In the garden a lot. and
Father out to the observatory, so !
j
found almost every time / did it that
he had come back, and was in the
library with the door open. SO
don't dare to play now.
And there isn't a blessed thing to
do. Oh, have TO sew an hour, and
now / have to weed an hour, too
and Aunt Jane trieu to have me learn
fn hint fn he hi M
fatty refused to have me messing
around" SO Aunt Jane had to give
that up. Susie's the one person Aunt
James afraid of, you see. She always
threatens to leave If anything goes
across her wishes. SO Aunt Jane has
to be careful. 1 heard her tell Mrs.
Small next door that good hired girls
were awfully scarce in Andersonville
AS l said before, If only there was
somebody here that wanted me. But
there isn't Of course Father doesn't.
That goes without saying. And Aunt
Jane doesn't That goes, too, without
saying Carrie Haywood has gone
away for all summer, so l can't have
even her, and of course, I wouldn't
associate with any of the other girls,
even If they would associate with me
which they won't.
That leaves only Mothers letters.
They are dear, and / love them. ]
don't know what I'd do without them.
And yet, sometimes I think maybe
they're worse than If I didn't have
them. They make me SO homesick,
and I always cry so after get them.
Still, know / just couldn't live a
minute II t wasn't for Mothers let
tiers.
Besides being so lonesome there's
another thing that worries me, too
and that is, this-what I'm writing, ]
mean. The novel. It's getting awful.
~ stupid. Nothing happens. Moth
ingl OF course, If twas just story
/ could make up things-lots Of them
exciting. interesting things, like
having Mother elope with the violin
list, and Father shoot him and fall in
love with Mother all over again, or
else with somebody else, and shoot
that ones lover. Or maybe somebody'd
try to shoot Father, and I'd get there
just in time to save him. Oh, I'd love
that
But this is a real story. SO. Of course,
l can't put In anything only just what
happens; and nothing happens.
And that's another thing. About
the love story-rm afraid there isn't
going to be one. Anyway, there isn't
a bit Of a sign of one, yet, unless it's
Mother. And of course, haven't seen
her for three months, 20 can't say
anything about that.
Father doesn't like ladies. l know
he doesn't. He always runs away from
them But they don't run away from
him Listen.
Quite lot Of them call here to see
Aunt Jane, and they come lots of
times evenings and late afternoons
and know now why they do 1t. They
come then because they think Father'n
be at home at that time ;and they
want to see him.
I know it now, but never thought
Of it till the other day when I heard
our hired girl, Susie, talking about II
with Bridget, the Smalls' hired girl
over the fence when was wedding she
garden one day. Then knew. 1t was
like this:
Mrs. Darling had been over the
night before as usual, and had stayed
an awfully long time talking to Aunt
Jane on the front piazza. Father had
been there, too, awhile. She stopped
him on his way into the house. wal
there and I heard her. She said:
ooh, Mr.. Anderson, I'm so glad
saw you'll I wanted to ask your ad
vice about selling poor dear Mr.
Darling's law library"
And then she went on to tell hin
how she'd had an offer. but she wasn''
sure whether it was a good one OF
not. And she told him how highly she
priced his opinion. and he was a mar
Of such splendid Judgment, and she
| felt SO alone now with no strong nan.
shoulder to lean upon, and she would
be so much obliged II he only would
| tell her whether he considered thai
offer a good one or not.
Father hitched and ahsmmed ant
| NOV ed nearer the door all the time sh,
was talking, and he didn't seem Il
| hear her when she pushed a chail
| toward him and asked him to pleas.
| sit down and tell her what to do; tina
/ she was so alone in the world sine
poor dear Mr.. Darling had gone. (Sh'
| al aoIlc him n0nr dcar Mr. nar