News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1922-04-19


about those old stars just when we
thing else. And, oh, forgot TO say
that | know it is constellation, and
not CONSERVATION" But | used to
call them that when l was a little girl
| and Mother said it was a good name
for them, anyway, for they were con-
sternation to her all right. Oh, she
said right off 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
a 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
shrIg to her shoulders.
Eyes, what did he say, indeed?" she
retvrted. "He frowned looked kind Of
dazed, then muttered: We'll. well, up
on my soul! Yes, to be sure!"
Then he came in to see me.
l don't know, of course, what he,
thought of me, but l guess he didn't
think much Of me, from what Nurse
said. OF course was very very small
and l never yet saw a little bit of p
baby that was pretty, or looked as If
1t was much account. SO maybe you
couldn't really blame him.
Nurse said he looked at me, NUT
tered. "Well, we'll upon my soul !"
again, and seemed really quite interest
ed till they started to put me in his
arms. Then he threw up both hands,
backed off, and cried, "Oh. no, no, no !"
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 to me was concerned for
quite a 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 | was.
But, then, that's Father all over. And
that's one of the things, l think, that
bOthers Mother l heard her say once
to Father that she didn't see why,
when there were so many, many stars,
paltry one or two more need to be
made such fuss about. And l 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 insignifi-
cant as If you were just a little green
worm crawling on the ground. Did
you ever feel like a green worm crawl
ing on the ground? It's not pleasant
feeling at all.
Well, 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 it. 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 |
and they wouldn't either one
give In to the other. Mother was sick |
md nervous, and cried a lot those |
days, and she used to sob out that II |
they thought they-were going to name |
her darling little baby that awful abb
gail Jane, they were very much mis-
aiken; that she would never give her
consent to it-never Then Father
would say in his cold, stern way:
very well, then, you needn't. But
neither shall | give my consent to my
daughters being named that absurd
Viola. The child is a human being
not fiddle In an orchestral"
And that's the way 1t went Nurse
laid, until everybody was just about
'razy. Then somebody suggested
Mary" And Father said. very well,
hey might call me Mary; and Mother
aid certainly, she would consent to
nary, only she should pronounce it
Marie. And so 1t was settled. Father
,alled me Mary, and Mother called
ne Marie. And right away every
,ody else began to call me Mary
iarie. And that's the way it's been
ver since. +
OF course, when you stop to think
# 1t, it's sort Of queer and funny,
hough naturally / didn't think Of It,
rowing up with 1t as | did and always
aving it, until suddenly one day it
occurred to me that none of the other
girls had two names, one for their
ather and, one for their mother to
all them by. l began to notice other
hings then, too. Their fathers and
Mothers didn't live in rooms at OPP
'osite ends of the house, Their fathers
md mothers seemed to like each other,
md to talk together, and to have little
okes and laughs together, and twinkle
nth their eyes. That is, most of them
i'd.