Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-03-30
CHAPTER l.-continued.

of 1t. It's sort of queer and funny,
though naturally didn't think of it,
growing up with 1t as did, and always
having 1t. until suddenly one day It
occurred to me that none of the other
girls had two names, one for their
father and, one for their mother to
call them by. l. began to notice other
things then, too. Their fathers and
mothers didn't live in rooms at OPP
posite ends of the house, Their fathers
and mothers seemed to like each other,
and to talk together, and to have little
Jokes and laughs together, and twinkle
with their eyes. That is, most of them
did.
And If one wanted to go to walk,
or to party, or to play some game,
the other didn't always look tired and
bored, and say, ooh, very well, If you
like" And then both not do 1t, what
ever it was That is, / never saw the
other girls fathers and mothers do that
way; and I've seen quite lot of them,
too. for I've been at the other girls
houses a lot for a long time. You see ]
don't stay at home much, only when
have to. We don't have round table
with a red cloth and lamp on 1t, and
children round 1t playing games and
doing things, and fathers and mothers
reading and mending. And it's lots
jollier where they do have them.
Nurse says my father and mother
ought never to have been married.
That's what / heard her tell our
Bridget one day. So the first chance !
got / asked her why, and what she
meant.
"Oh, lal Did you hear that?" she
demanded, with the quick look over
her shoulder that she always gives
when she's talking about Father and
Mother. "Well, little pitchers do have
big ears, sure enough !"
Little pitchers" indeed! AS If !
didn't know what that meant! I'm no
child to be kept in the dark concern
ing things / ought to know. And
told her so, sweetly and pleasantly,
but with firmness and dignity. made
her tell me what she meant, and ]
made her tell me a lot Of other things
about them, too. You see, I'd just de-
cided to write the book, so / wanted
to know everything she could tell me.
/ didn't tell her about the book, of
course. / know too much TO tell Sc
crets to Nurse Sarah But showed
my excitement and interest plainly
and when she saw how glad / was to
hear everything she could tell, she
talked lot, and really seemed to en-
joysit, too.
You see, she was here when Mother
first came as a bride, so she knows
everything. She was Fathers nurse
when he was little boy; then she
stayed to take care of Fathers mother,
Grandma Anderson, who was an in
valid for great many years and who
didn't die till just after l was born.
Then she took care of me. SO she's
always been in the family ever since
she was young girl. She's awfully
old now-'most sixty.
First found out how they happened
to marry-Father and Mother, I'm
talking about now-only Nurse says
she can't see yet how they did happen
to marry, just the same, they're so tee
totally different
But this is the story.
Father went to Boston to attend a
big meeting Of astronomers from all
over the world, and they had banQuets
and receptions where beautiful ladies
went in their pretty evening dresses,
and my mother was one Of them. CHER
father was one of the astronomers,
Nurse said.)- The meetings lasted four
days, and Nurse said she guessed my
father saw a lot Of my mother during
that time. Anyhow, he was invited to
their home, and he stayed another four
days after the meetings were over.
The next thing they knew here at the
rouse, Grandma Anderson had a tele-
ram that he was going to be married