The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-05-05
Mary
Marie
Best story eoer GeHften By
ELEANOR II. PORTER
Author ~
''Pollyanna, Just Dasid.
"Daten. etc.

he was. And so told him everything
all about how he came there to the
teas, and sent her flowers and candy,
and was getting divorce himself, and
what he said on the sofa that day, and
how Mother answered. As l said, /
told him everything, only was care
full not to call Mr.. Harlow prospec-
tive sutton. of course. l remembered
too well what Aunt Hattie had said.
Father didn't say anything when
got through. He just got up and left
the room, and pretty quick 1 saw him
crossing the lawn to the observatory.
I guess there aren't any prospective
suitors here. I mean, / guess Father
isn't a prospective suitor-anyhow,
not yet. (Of course, it's the man that
has to be suitor.) He doesn't go any
where, only over to the college and
out to the observatory. I've watched
so to see wanted specially to know,
for Of course If he was being a pro-
spective sutton to any one, she'd be
my new mother, maybe. And I'm 60
ing to be awfully particular about any
new mother coming into the house.
A whole lot more, even, depends on
mothers than on fathers, you know;
and If you're going to have one all
ready-made thrust upon you, you are
sort of anxious to know what kind
she is. Some way, / don't think I'd
like a new mother even as well as I'd
like a new father; and don't believe
I'd like him very well.
OF course, there are quite lot of
ladies here that Father could have.
There are several pretty teachers in
the schools, and some nice unmarried
ladies in the church. And there's
Miss Pamela Snow. She's Professor
Shows sister. She wears glasses and
Is terribly learned. Maybe he would
like her. But. Mercy shouldn't.
Then there's Miss Grace Ann San
born. She's fat, and awfully jolly.
She comes here a lot lately to see
Aunt Jane don't know why. They
don't belong to the same church, or
anything But she runs over" as
she calls it, almost every afternoon
Just a little before dinner-I mean
supper.
Mrs. Darling used to come then, too,
when l first came; but she comes
over evenings now more. Maybe it's
Ann. | don't think she does like her,
for every time she saw her, she'd say:
ooh, you? So you're here!" and
pretty quick she'd get up and go. And
now she comes evenings. She's fix
ing over her house, and she runs and
asks Aunt James advice about every
little thing. She asks Fathers, too,
every chance she gets, when she sees
him in the hall Or on the front steps
I heard her tell Aunt Jane she consid-
cred Professor Anderson a man of
most excellent taste and Judgment.
suppose Mrs Darling could be my
new mother. She's a widow. Her hus
band died last year. She is very we'll
off now that her husband is dead, ]
heard Aunt Jane say one day. She
meant well off in money-quite LOT
Of it, yOa know. l thought she meant
well off because he was dead and she
didn't have to live with him any
more, and I said so to Aunt Jane.
(He was cross man, and very stern,
as everybody knew But, dear SUI
me! Aunt Jane was awfully shocked,
and said certainly not; that she
meant Mr.. Darling had left his wife a
great deal OF money.
Then she talked very stern and sol
emn to me, and said that 1 must not
think just because my poor dear IA
theirs married life had ended In such
a wretched tragedy that every other
home had such a skeleton in the
closet
grew stern and dignified and SOL
emn then. / knew, of course, what
she meant I'm no child. She meant
Mother. She meant that Mother, my
dear blessed mother, was the skeleton
In their closet. And of course / wasn't
going to stand there and hear that,
and not say a word.
But I didn't say just a word. I
said a good many words. / won't try
to put them all down here: but l told
her quietly, in a firm voice, and with
no temper (showing), that l guessed
Father was just as much of a skele-
ton in Mothers closet as she was in
his; and that if she could see how
perfectly happy my mother was now
shed understand little of what my
fathers skeleton had done to her all
those years she'd had to live with 1t.
said lot more. but before I'd got
half finished with what l wanted to
say, got to crying, so just had to
run out Of the room.
That night l heard Aunt Jane tell
Mrs. Darling that the worst feature
Of the whole deplorable situation was
the effect ON the child's mind, and the
wretched conception it gave her Of the
saeredness Of the marriage tie, or
something like that And Mrs. Darling
@4phnd Goi6 nh nd oh md no