The Nevada County picayune., 1922-03-23
CHAPTER ,
l Am Born


 west. casting golden beams of light in- to the somber old room.
 That's the way 1t ought to begin, l know. and I'd like to do 1t. but can't I'm beginning with my being born, of course, and Nurse Sarah says the sun wasn't shining at all. It was night and 1 the stars were out. She remembers particularly about the stars. for Father was in the observatory. and couldn't 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 wac late to that. for he stopped to write down something he had found out about one of the transformations 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 l know 1t is constellation" aud not "consteruation." But l used to call them that when was little girl. and Mother said 1t was 6 good name for them. anyway, for they were con sternation to her all right Oh, she said right of afterward that she didn't mean that, and that 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 little daughter. eve never tell him disturbing, exciting things just before meals.) And then Nurse told him.
 asked what he said, and Nurse laughed and gave her funny little ehrug to her shoulders.
 "Yes. what did he say indeedf" she retvrted. "He drowned looked kind of dazed, then muttered: Well. well, up on my soul Yes, to be sure :! ]"
 Then he came in to see ne.
 don't know, of course, what he thought of me, but I guess he didn't think much of me, from what Nursa said. Of course was very, very small, and I never yet saw a little bit of baby that was pretty, or looked as # 1t was much account So maybe yoU couldn't really blame him.
 Nurse snid he looked at me, nut tered. Well, well, upon my soul l" again, and seemed really quite interest. ed till they started to put noe in his arms. Then he threw up both hands, backed oil, and cried, "Oh, no no, DO I" 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 10 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, think, that bothers Mother. 1 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 n fuss about. And 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 insignif- can't as If you were just little green worm crawling on the ground Did you ever feel like green worm crawl ing on the ground? Its not pleasant feeling at all.
 We'll, 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 1t. 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 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-never. Then Father would say in his cold stern way:
 "yery 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