Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-06-08
CHAPTER v-continued.

Are you sick, MaryT
shook my head.
did you hurt yoursefT
shook my head again.
1T isn't-your mother-you haven't
had bad news from herr
Airs then l blurted it out without
thinking-without thinking at all what
! was saying: mo, no-but wish l
had, l wish had; cause then could
50 to her, and go away from here !"
The minute I'd said it / knew what I'd
said, and how awful it sounded; and
clapped my fingers to my lips. But t
was too late. It's always too late,
when you've once said It, So / just
waited for him to thunder out his
anger; for, Of course, l thought he
would thunder in rage and righteous
Indignation.
But he didn't. Instead, very quietly
and gently he said:
Are you so unhappy, then, Mary
here?"
and his mouth and his whole face
weren't angry at all They were just
sorry, actually sorry. And somehow
before l knew it, / was crying again,
and Father, with his arm around me-
with his arm around me think of
that was leading me to the sofa.
And cried and cried there, with my
head on the arm of the sofa, till I'd
made a big tear spot on the linen
cover; and / wondered if it would dry
I'm before Aunt Jane saw it, or If 1t
would change color or leak through to
the red plush underneath, or some
other dreadful thing. And then, some
way, l found myself telling it all over
to Father-about Mary and Marie,
mean, just as if he was Mother, or
some one / loved-I mean, some one
loved and wasn't afraid of; for of
course love Father. OF course / do !!
Well, told him everything (when
got started there was no stopping)-
all about how hard it was to be Mary,
and how today / had tried to be Marie
for just little while, to rest me. He
interrupted here, and wanted to know
Il that was why l looked so different
tcdRy-more as / had when / first
came; and said yes, that these were
Marie things that Mary couldn't wear.
And when he asked, why, pray?" in
q voice almost cross, l told him, Of
course, that Aunt Jane wouldn't let
me; that Mary had to wear brown
4erge and calfskin boots that were
In md fhok
And when / told him how sorry
IVES about the music and such a noise
- I'd been making, he asked if that
was Maries fault, too and said yes,
II course-that Aunt Jane didn't like
to have Mary play at all, except
hymns and funeral marches, and Mary
didn't know any. And he grunted a
queer little grunt, and said, "Well,
well, upon my soul, upon my soul !"
Then he said, go on" And / did go
on.
/ told him how 1 was afraid it was
going to be just like DR.. Jekyll and
Mr.. Hyde. Il forgot to say I've read
It now. l found it in Fathers library,)
OF course not just like it, only one Of
me was going to be bad, and one good,
was afraid, If / didn't look out. /
told him how Marie always wanted to
kick up rugs, and move the chairs out
of their sockets in the carpet, and
leave books around handy, and such
things. And so today it seemed as If
I'D just got to have a vacation from
Mary's hot Bingham dresses and
clumsy shoes. And / told him how
lonesome / was without anybody, not
anybody; and told about Charlie
Smith and Paul Mayhem and Mr.
Claude Livingstone, and how Aunt
Jane wouldn't let me have them,
either, even If was standing where
the brook and river meet.
Father gave another funny little
grunt here, and got up suddenly and
walked over to the window. I thought
at first he was angry; but he wasn't
He was even more gentle when he
came back and sat down again, and
be seemed interested, very much inter
ested in everything / told him. But !
stopped just in time from saying again
hpW WlslcQ L COulu ~ UdEh u I1OS-
ton: but I'm not sure but he knew
was going to say 1t.
But he was very nice and kind and
told me not to worry about the music
THAT he didn't mind it at all. He'd
been in several times and heard 1t.
And | thought almost, by the way he
spoke, that he'd come in on purpose to
hear it; but l guess that was a mis-
take. He just put it that way so /
wouldn't worry over it-about Its
bothering him, mean.
He was going to say more, maybe
bat / don't know. I had to run. |
heard Aunt James voice on the piazza
saying good-by to the lady that had
brought her home; so, of course, had
to run and hang Marie In the closet
and get out Mary from the corner be-
tore she saW ne. And did.