The Holbrook news., 1922-04-14

was very little then, ana 1 don't remen- Der 1t at all But Nurse said Father didn't like it very well, and maybe l did remember that part without real ly knowing it. Anyhow, 1 never think of asking Father questions.
 I asked the doctor first. I thought maybe twas some kind of a disease, and if he knew It was coming, he could give them some sort of a medi- cine to keep it away-like being vac cinated sos not to have smallpox. you know. And I told him 50.
 He gave funny little laugh. that somehow didn't sound like a laugh at all. Then he grew very, very sober, and said:
 I'm sorry. little girl, but I'm afraid I haven't got any medicine that will prevent-a divorce Ii I did have, there'd be no eating or drinking or sleeping for me. I'm thinking-Id he so busy answering my calls"
 ''Then it is q disease.' I cried. And I can remember just how fright ened I felt But isn't there any doe tor anywhere that can stop it?"
 He shook his head and gave that queer little laugh again.
 I'm afraid not" he sighed. AS for it's being d diseasc--there are people that call it q disease, and there are others who call il cure; and there are still others who say it's a remedy worse than the disease il tries to cure. But. there. you baby. What am I saying? Come. come, my dear. just forget it. It's nothing you should bother your little head over now. Wait till you're older"
 Till I'm older. indeed. How 1 hate to have folks talk to me like that And they do-they do it all the time. As if I was child now. when I'm almost standing there where the brook and river meet
 Bur that was just the kind of talk I got. everywhere, nearly every time I asked any one what a divorce was Some laughed, and some sighed. Some looked real worried cause I'd asked it, and one got mad. (That was the dressmaker I found cut afterward that she'd had divorce already. so probably she thought 1 asked the ques- tion on purpose to plague her.) But nobody would answer me-really an- swer me sensibly. so I'd know what it meant; and most everybody said Run away, child,' or You shouldn't talk of such things or. Wait my dear, till you're older: and all that
 Oh, how l hate such talk when I really want to know something. How do they expect Us to get our education if they won't answer our questions?
 l don't know which made me angri- est-I mean angrier. Qm speaking of two things, so 1 must, I suppose. I hate grammar To have them talk like that-not answer me, you know or have them do as Nr. Jones. the storekeeper, did. and the men there with him.
 It was one day when I was in there buying some white thread for Nurse Sarah, and it was little while after I had asked the doctor if a divorce was q disease. Somebody had said could buy div0rceS. and I had suddenly determined to ask Mir. Jones if he had tEem for sale. (Of course all this sounds very silly to me now, for l know that a divorce is very simple and very common. It's just like marriage certificate, only it unmar- rieS you instead of marrying you; but l didn't know it then. And if I'm going to tell this story I've got to tell it just as it happened. of course.)
 Well l asked Mir. Jones ii you could buy diyOrces, and if he had them for