The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-05-13

break. And when ! tried TO comfort |
her, only seemed to make IL worse, |
for she threw her arms around me |
and cried:
''Oh, my darling, my darling, don't |
you see how dreadful 1t In, how dread |
full 1t is?"
And then Ia 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 Ii all is-hOw unnatural 1t Is
for us to nve-this way? And for
you-you poor child what could be
worse for you? And here I am, jeal-
ous-jeaIous of your own father, for
fear you'll love him better than you
do mel
"Oh, know 1 ought not to say all
this to you-I know I ought not to.
But can't-help it. 1 want you'll II
want you every minute; but I have
to give you up-six whole months of
every year / have to give you up to
him. And he's your father, Marie
And he's a good man. I know he's a
good man. / know 1t all the better
now since I've seen-other men. And
I ought to tell you to love him. But
I'm 30 afraid-you'n love him better
than you do me, and want to leave
me. And l can't give you upl can't
give you up"
Then I tried to tell her, of course,
that she wouldn't have to give me up,
and that 1 loved her a whole lot bet.
ter than I did Father. But even that
didn't comfort her, cause she said
ought to love him. That he was lone
some and needed me. He needed me
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 a wicked WON.
an that she'd ever allowed things to
get to such a 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
I began to cry.
| She stopped then, right off short,
and wiped her eyes fiereely 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 a 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?
i Of course, shall answer Fathers
| letter right away, but I haven't the
faintest idea what to say.
ONE WEEK LATER
I answered it-Father's letter, /
mean-yesterday, and it's gone now.
But had an awful time over 1t. l
just didn't know what in the world
to say. I'd start out all right, and I'd
think l was going to get along beauti-
! fully. Then, all of a sudden, it would
come over me, what l was doing
writing a letter to my father! And 1
could imagine just how he'd look when
he got it, all stern and dignified, 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
go. The idea of my writing anything
my father would want to read!
And so I'd try to think Of things that
I 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 1t was aw-
, full, and I knew 1t was awful. So I'd
have to tear 1t up and begin again.
! Three times I did that; then began
| to cry. 1t did seem as IL never could
write that letter. Once thought OF
asking Mother what to say, and get
ting her to help me. Then l remem-
bered how she cried and took on and
said things when the letter came, and
talked about how dreadful and un-
natural 1t all was, and how she was
Jealous for fear I'd love Father better
} than I did her And was afraid she'd
: do 1t again, and so didn't like to ask
her. And so didn't do it.
Then, after time, got out his let
? ter and read 1t again. And all OF q
sudden I felt all warm and happy
Just as I did when I first got it; and
3 some way I was back with him In the
t observatory and he was telling me al
a about the stars. And I forgot al
!, about being afraid Of him. And JUS
t remembered that he'd asked me t.
= tell him what did on Christmas day
and I knew right off that that would
7 be easy. Why, just the easiest thing
In the world! And so I got out {
fresh sheet of paper and dipped M
pen In the ink and began again.
l. And this time I didn't have bi
of trouble. I told him all about TIT
tree 1 had Christmas eve, and thu
presents, and the little colored lights
and the fun we had singing and play
ing games. And then how, on Christ
mas morning, there was a lovely new
,rA~