The Hope pioneer., 1922-04-13
CHAPTER llI-cont,nued.

didn't even think of asking Faith
er, Of course. l never ask Father
questions. Nurse says l did ask him
once why he didn't love me like other
papas loved their little girls. But I
was very little then, and don't remem-
ber it ut all. But Nurse said Father
didn't like it very well, and maybe
did remember that part, without real
" knowing it. Anyhow, I never think
Of asking Father questions.
asked the doctor first. I thought
maybe twas some kind Of disease,
and If he knew it was coming, he
could give them some sort of medi-
cine to, keep it away-like being vac
cinated SOS not to have smallpox,
you know. And I told him SO.
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
haven't got any medicine that will
prevent-a divorce. II did have,
there'd be no eating or drinking or
sleeping for me, I'm thinking-I'd be
SO busy answering my calls.''
"Then it is a disease!" I cried.
And l can remember just how fright
ened felt. "But isn't there any doc
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 dfsease-there are
people that call 1t disease, and there
are others who call 1t cure; and
there are still others who say it's a
remedy worse than the disease it 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 l hate
to have folks talk to me like that
And they do-they do it all the time.
AS if l was child now, when I'm
almost standing there where the brook
and river meet!
But that was just the kind of talk
/ got, everywhere, nearly every time
l asked any one what 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 out afterward
that she'd had a divorce already, so
probably she thought asked the ques-
ton 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 I hate such talk when
really want to know something! How
do they expect us to get our education
IL they won't answer our questions?
don't know which made me angri-
est-I mean angrier. I'm speaking
Of two things, SO I must, l suppose.
! hate grammarD To have them talk
like that-not answer me, you know
or have them do as Mr.. Jones, the
storekeeper, did, and the men there
with him.
1t was one day when was in there
buying some white thread for Nurse
Sarah, and it was little while after
] had asked the doctor If divorce
was disease. Somebody had said
something that made me think you
could buy divorces, and l had suddenly
determined to ask Mr.. Jones if he had
them for sale. (Of course all this
sounds very silly to me now, for
know that 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 IL I'm
going to tell this story I've got to
tell 1t just as 1t happened, Of course.)
Well, l asked Mr.. Jones II you could
Ouy divorces. and II he had them tor