Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-06-29
CHAPTER vI-Continued.

gan 10 walk again, up ana down, up
and down. Then, all of sudden, she
flung herself on the couch and began
to cry and sob as if her heart would
break. And when / tried to comfort
her, / only seemed to make it worse,
for she threw her arms around me
and cried:
"Oh, my darling, my darling, don't
you see how dreadful it is, how dread
full it is?"
And then is when she began to talk
some more about being married, and
unmarried as we were. She held me
close again and began to sob and cry.
"Oh, my darling, don't you see how
dreadful it all is--how unnatural it is
for us to live-this way? And for
you-you poor child what could be
worse for you? And here ! am, jeal-
ous-jealous of your own father, for
fear you'll love him better than you
do mel
"Oh, know / ought not to say all
this to you'll know I ought not to-
But can't-help it. / want you'll I
want you every minute; but / have
to give you up-six whole months of
every year I have to give you up to
him. And he's your father, Marie.
And he's a good man. / know he's a
good man. l know it all the better
now since I've seen-other men. And
I ought to tell you to love him. But
I'm so afraid-you'I love him better
than you do me, and want to leave
me. And l can't give you up / can't
give you up!"
Then I tried to tell her, of course,
that she wouldn't have to give me up,
and that | loved her a whole lot bet
ter than did Father But even that
didn't comfort her, cause she said l
ought to love him. That he was lone
some and needed me. He needed nae
just as much as she needed me, and
maybe more, And then she went on
again about how unnatural and awful
1t was to live the way we were living
And she called herself wicked wom-
an that she'd ever allowed things to
get to such pass. And she said if
she could only have her life to live
over again she'd do so differently-oh,
so differently.
Then she began to cry again, and
couldn't do a thing with her; and,
of course, that worked me all up and
began to cry.
She stopped then, right off short,
and wiped her eyes fiercely with her
wet ball of a handkerchief And she
asked what was she thinking of, and
didn't she know any better than to
talk like this to me. Then she said,
come, we'd go for ride.
And we did.
And all the rest Of that day Mother
was so gay and lively you'd think she
didn't know how to cry.
Now, wasn't that funny?
OF course, l shall answer Fathers
letter right away, but / haven't the
faintest idea what to say.
ONE WEEK LATER
1 answered it-Father's letter, /
mean-yesterday and it's gone now.
But / had an awful time over it. /
just didn't know what in the world
to say. I'd start out all right, and I'd
think was going to get along beauti-
fully. Then, all of sudden, it would
come over me, what / was doing
writing letter to my fatherl And
could imagine just how he'd look when
he got it, all stern and dignifed, sit
ting in his chair with his paper-cutter !;
and I'd imagine his eyes looking down
and reading what wrote. And when
thought of that, my pen just wouldn't
60. The idea Of my writing anything
my father would want to read!
And SO I'd try to think of things that
could write-big things-big things
that would interest big men: About
the President and our-country 'tis-of-
thee, and the state of the weather
and the crops. And so I'd begin:
Dear Father: take my pen in
hand to inform you that"
Then I'd stop and think and think,
and chew my pen-handle. Then I'd
put down something. But it was aw-
full, and / knew 1t was awful. So I'd
have to tear it up and begin again.
Three times l did that; then / began
to cry. 1t did seem as if never could
write that letter. Once / thought of
asking Mother what to say, and get
ting her to help me. Then / remem-
bered how she cried and took on and
said things when the letter came, and
talked about how dreadful and I'M
natural it all was, and how she was
Jealous for fear I'd love Father better
than did her. And was afraid she'd
do 1t again, and SO I didn't like to ask
her. And SO didn't do it.
Then, after time, got out his let
ter and read it again. And all Of a
sudden / felt all warm and happy,
Just - did when / first got it and
some way was back with him in the
observatory and he was telling me all
abHv, the stars. And ! forgot all