The Hope pioneer., 1922-08-31
MARY
MARIE
BY Eleanor Fl. Porter
-
illustration, BY
r Fl. Livingstone
Copsrishs ~ RIssDss q. psstss
CHAPTER lx-Continued.


can when you are close to them!
She broke down and cried when she
spoke of the divorce, and of the influ-
ence it had upon me, and of the false
idea Of marriage 1t gave ME. She said
1t was the worst kind Of thing for me
the sort of life had to live. She said 1
grew pert and precocious and worldly
wise, and full of servants talk and
ideas. She even spoke of that night
at the little cafe table when 1 gloried
in the sparkle and spangles and told
her that now we were seeing life-real
life. And of how shocked she was,
and of how she saw then what this
thing was doing to me. But it was too
late.
She told more, much more, about the
later years, and the reconciliation;
then, some way, she brought things
around to Jerry and me. Her face
flushed up then, and she didn't meet
my eyes. She looked down at her sew
ing. She was very busy turning hem
Just 80.
She said there had been time,
once, when she had worried little
about Jerry and me, for fear we would
separate. She said that she believed
that, for her, that would have been .he
very blacklist moment of her life; for
it would be her fault, all her fault.
tried to break in here, and say,
"No, no." and that it wasn't her fault {;
but she shook her head and wouldn't
listen, and she lifted her hand, and
had to keep still and let her go on talk
ing. She was looking straight into my
eyes then, and there was such deep,
deep hurt in them that / just had to
listen.
She said again that it would be her
fault; that If had done that she
would have known that it was all be-
cause of the example she herself had
set me Of childish willfulness and self
ish seeking of personal happiness at
the expense of everything and every
body else. And she said that that
would have been the last straw to
break her heart.
But she declared that she was sure
now that she need not worry. Such a
thing would never be.
guess gasped little at this. Any
how, know I tried to break in and
tell her that we were going to sepa-
rate, and that that was exactly what l
had come into the room in the first
place to say.
But again she kept right on talking.
on1 c{1nr0o6 hofnro 7
begun.
She said how she knew it could
never be-on account Of Eunice. That
I would never subject my little girl to
the sort of wretchedly divided life that
| l had to live when was a child.
CAS- sshe spoke was suddenly back
in the cobwebby attic with little Mary's
diary, and thought-what If it were
Eunice-writing thatD
She said 1 was the most devoted
mother she had ever known; that l
was too devoted, she feared sometimes,
for made Eunice all my world, to the
| exclusion of Jerry and everything and
everybody else. But that she was very
sure, because was so devoted, and
t10ed Eunice so dearly, that l would
| never deprive her of fathers love
and care.
| I shivered little, and looked quick
ly into Mothers face. But she was not
looking at me. I was thinking of how
Jerry had kissed and kissed Eunice a
month ago, when we came away, as If
he just couldn't let her co. Jerry is
fond of Eunice, now that she's old
enough to know something, and Eunice
adores her father. knew that part
was going to be hard. And now to
have Mother put it like that
began to talk then Of Jerry. just
felt that I'd got to say something. That
Mother must listen. That she didn't
understand. I told her how Jerry
loved lights and music and dancing,
and crowds bowling down and worship
Ing him all the time. And she said yes,
she remembered; that he'd been that
way when I married him.
She spoke so sort Of queerly that
again glanced at her; but she still
was looking down ut the hem she was
turning.
1 went on then to explain that !
didn't like such things; that l be-
lieved that there were deeper and
higher things. and things more worth
while. And she said yes, she was glad.
and that that was going to be my saw
ing grace; for. Of course, realized
that there couldn't be anything deeper
or higher or more worth while than
keeping the home together. and put
ting up with annoyances. for the ulti-
mate good Of all. especially Of Eunice.
She went right on then quickly. be-
fore l could say anything. She said
| that, of course, understood that ]
vas still Mary and Marie, even II Jerry
lid cnli me Mollie; and If Marie had
hurried man that wasn't always con-