The Hope pioneer., 1922-07-20
CHAPTER vllI-continued.

H.
The train came then, and he put
me on board, and he kissed me again
but was expecting it this time, of
course. Then whizzed off, and he
was left standing all alone on the
platform. And l felt so sorry for him;
and all the way down to Boston l kept
thinking of him-what he said, and
how he looked, and how fine and splen-
did and any-wOman-would-be-p -proud-of-
him he was as he stood on the plat
form waving good-by.
And SO I guess l was still thinking
Of him ara being sorry for him when
I got to Boston. That's why couldn't
be so crazy and hilariously glad when
the folks met me, suspect. Some
way, all of sudden, found myself
wishing he could be there, too.
OF course, l know that that was
bad and wicked and unkind to Mother,
and she'd feel so grieved not to have
me satisfied with her. And wouldn't
have told her of it for the world. So
Il tried just as hard as could to for
get him-on account of Mother, so as
(: to be loyal to her. And / did most
forget him by the time I'd got home.
But it all came back again little later
when we were unpacking my trunk.
:. You see, Mother found the two new
!: white dresses, and the dear little
shoes. knew then, of course, that
she'd have to know ALL mean, how
she hadn't pleased Father, even after
. all her pains trying to have me go as
Mary.
"Why, Marie, what in the world Is
this?" she demanded, holding up one
+. of the new dresses.
=: I could have cried.
l suppose she saw by my face how
awfully l felt cause she'd found it.
And, of course, she saw something
was the matter; and she thought it
was
Well, the first thing knew she was
looking at me in her very sternest,
sorriest way, and saying:
"Oh. Marie, how could you2 I'm
ashamed Of you! Couldn't you wear
the Mary dresses one little three
.AAAoAAAAo " PACGSC yOul AuIACA
did cry, then. After all I'd been
through, to have her accuse me of get
ting those dresses! Well, just
couldn't stand it. And l told her so
as well as l could, only was crying
so by now that could hardly speak.
/ told her how it was hard enough to
be Mary part of the time, and Marie
part of the time, when l knew what
they wanted me to be. But when she
tried to have me Mary while he wanted
me Marie, and he tried to have me
Marie while she wanted me Mary-I
did not know what they wanted; and
/ wished had never been born unless
! could have been born plain Susie
or Bessie, or Annabelle, and not a
Mary Marie that was all mixed up till
didn't know what was.
And then cried some more.
Mother dropped the dress then, and
took me in her arms over on the
couch, and she said, "There, there" !"
and that was tired and nervous, and
all wrought up, and to cry all wanted
to. And by and by, when was calm
er could tell Mother all about it.
And did.
told her how hard l tried to be
Mary all the way up to Andersonville
and after got there; and how then
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
fy 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 knew she
would feel bad to think, after all her
pains to make me Mary, Father didn't
want me Mary at all.
Il 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 l told her how he said he'd
remembered what I'd said to him in
the parlor that day-how tired got
being Mary, and how I'd put on Ma
rie's things just to get little vacation
from her; and he said he'd never for
gotten. And so when it came near
time for me to come again, he deter
mined to fix it SO l wouldn't have to
be Mary at all. And so that was why.
And l told Mother it was all right.
and of course 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 l began to cry again.
And she said there, there, once
more, and patted me on my shoulder,
and told me needn't worry any more.
And that she understood 1t. If I
didn't. In fact, she was beginning
to understand q lot Of things that