The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1922-08-24

II isn't a dream. It's oil really,
truly true-everything: Father com.
ing to meet me. the lovely automobile.
and the pretty lady In the light-blue
dress, WHO kissed me. And when I
went downstairs the next morning I
found out 1t was real, specially the
pretty lady; for she kissed me again,
and said she hoped I'd be happy there.
And she told me to amuse myself any
way | liked. and said, If | wanted to,
! might run over to see some of the
girls, but not to make any plans for
the afternoon, for she was going to
take me to ride.
Nov, what do you think of that7
Go to see the girls in the morning,
and take a ride-an automobile ride
in the afternoon. In Andersonville
Why, l couldn't believe my ears. or
course, | was wild and crazy with de-
light-but 1t was all so different. why.
began to think almost that | was Ma
rie, and not Mary at all.
And it's been that way the whole
week through. I've had q beautiful
time. l. q been so excited And Moth
er is excited, too. OF course, | wrote
her and told her all about 1t right
away. And she wrote right back and
wanted to know everything-every-
thing | could tell her; all the little
things. And she was SO interested in
Cousin Grace, and wanted to know all
about her; said she never heard of her
before, and was she Fathers own cou-
sin, and how old she was, and was she
pretty, and was Father around the
house more now, and did | see a lot
of him7 She thought from something
! said that / did.
I've just been writing her again, and
l could tell her more now, of course,
than l could in that first letter. I've
been here a whole week, and, Of
course, 1 know more about things, and
have done more.
l told her that Cousin Grace wasn't
really Fathers cousin at all, so 1t
wasn't any wonder she hadn't ever
heard of her. She was the wife of
Fathers third cousin who went to
South America six years ago and
caught the fever and died there. So
this Mrs. Whitney isn't really any rela-
ton of his at all
| don't know why Aunt Jane went
away, but she's been gone most four
months now, they say here. Nellie
told me. Nellie is the mald--I mean
hired glrl-here now. Il will keep for
getting that I'm Mary now and must
use the Mary words here.)
H.
Grace) was quite old, but not so old
as Aunt Jane. And she is pretty, and
everybody loves her. l think even
Father likes to have her around better
than he did his own sister Jane, for he
sometimes stays around quite lot
now-after meals, and in the evening,
| mean. And that's what told Moth
er.
| forgot to say that Father is going
to let me go back to school again this
year ahead Of his time, just as he did
last year. So you see, really, I'm here
only a little bit of a while, as 1t is
now, and it's no wonder | keep forget
ting | am Mary.
TWO WEEKS LATER
IL al uON-SNNAS NAAb5
why the house is different. and Fa'
Their, and everything. And it is Cousin
Grace, and 1t is a love story.
Father is in love with her.
Now / guess l shall have something
for this book
1t seems funny now that l didn't
think of Z at first. But didn't-not
until | heard Nellie and her beau talk
ing about it. Nellie said she wasn't
the only one In the house that was
going to get married. And when he
asked her what she meant, she said 1t
was DIR. Anderson and Mrs. Whitney.
My, but wasn't l excIted7 l just
guess l was. And, of course, saw
that | had been blind as a bat. But
l began to open my eyes after that,
and watch-hot dlsagreeably, you
know, but just glad and interested,
and on account OF the book.
And cav:
That Father stayed In the house a
lot more than he used to.
That he smiled more.
That he actually asked Cousin Grace |
and me to play for him several times. |
That he went with us to the Sunday |
school picnic. Il never saw Father at |
a picnic before. and don't believe he |
ever saw himself at one.)
That-oh, / don't know, but a whole |
lot of little things that l can't remem.
Der; hut they were all unmistakable,
very unmistakable.
When wrote Mother l told her
oil about 1.-THE signs and symptoms, |
| mean, and how different and thawed-
out Fathar was; and / asked If shs
didn't think 1t was so, too. But she
didn't answer that part. She dldn't |