The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-05-04
Mary
Marie
Best story euer sertten By
ELEANOR II. PORTER
Author q
"Pouganna. % .Iasf Dasid. :"
''Daton. ets.

watching me; but / just couldn't turn
around. 1 stopped playing, though, at
the end of that piece, and then I
looked; but there wasn't anybody in
sight. But the wax cross was there,
and the coffin plate, and that awful
hair wreath; and suddenly felt as IL
the room was just full of folks with
great staring eyes. fairly shook with
shivers, but I managed to shut the
piano and get over to the door where
the light was. Then, minute later,
out In tine big silent hall, I crept on
tiptoe toward the stairs knew then,
all of sudden, why I'd felt somebody
was listening. There was. Across the
hall in the library in the big chair be-
fore the fire sat-Father! And for
most a whole half-hour / had been
banging away at that piano On
marches and dance musici Myi But
/ held my breath and stopped short, /
can tell you. But he didn't move nor
turn, and q minute later I was safely
by the door and halfway up the
stairs.
stayed In my room the rest Of that
evening; and for the second time since
I've been here l cried myself to sleep.
ANOTHER WEEK LATER
Well, I've got them-those brown
and blue serge dresses and the calf
skin boots. My, but / hope they're
stiff and homely enough-all Of them
And hot, too. Aunt Jane did say to-
day that she didn't know but what
she'd made a mistake not to get ging-
ham dresses. But, then, she'd have to
get the Bingham later, anyway, she
said; then I'd have both.
Well, they can't be worse than the
serge. That's sure. I hate the serge.
They're awfully homely. Still, don't
know but it's just as WELL Certainly
it's lots easier to be Mary in a brown
serge and clumpy boots than 1t Is in
the soft, fluffy things Marie used to
wear. You couldn't be Marie in these
things. Honestly, I'm feeling real
Maryish these days. ..
wonder if that's why the girls
seem so queer at school. They are
queer. Three times lately I've come
up to a crowd of girls and heard them
stop talking right off short. They col
ored up, too; and pretty quick they be-
gan to slip away, one by one, till there
wasn't anybody left but just me, just
as they used to do in Boston. But of
course 1t can't be for the same reason
here, for they've known all along
about the divorce and haven't minded
1t at all.
I heard this morning that Stella
Mayhem had a party last night. But
didn't get invited. OF course, you
can't always ask everybody to your
parties, but this was real big party,
and I haven't found girl in school,
yet, that wasn't invited-but me. But
I guess 1t wasn't anything, after all
Stella is a new girl that has come
here to live since I went away. Her
folks are rich, and she's very popular
and Of course she has loads of friends
she had to invite; and she doesn't
know me very well. Probably that was
1t. And maybe 1 just imagine 1t about
the other girls, too. Perhaps it's the
brown serge dress. Still, it can't be
that, for this Is the first day I've worn
it. But, as said, feel Maryish al
ready.
I haven't dared to touch the piano
since that night week ago, only once
when Aunt Jane was at missionary
meeting, and 1 knew Father was over
to the college. But didn't 1 have q
good time then? I just guess I did!
Aunt Jane doesn't care for music
Besides, it's noisy, she says, and would
be likely to disturb Father. So I'm no
to keep on with my music lessons. here
She's going to teach me to sew In
stead. She says sewing is much more
sensible and useful.
Sensible and useful l wonder how
many times I've heard those words
since I've been here. And durable
too. And nourishing. That's another
! word. Honestly, Marie is getting aw
fully tired Of Mary's sensible sewing
| and busting, and her durable clump!
shoes and stuffy dresses, and her nour
| fishing oatmeal and whole-wheat
DT6du. but IncF0, WHal eau you dO
| I'm trying to remember that it's differ
ent, anyway, and that I said I liked
something different.
I don't see much of Father. Still
there's something kind Of queer abou
1t, after all. He only speaks to M
about twice a day-just "Good-morn
ing, Mary" and Goodnight" Ant
so far as most Of his actions are con
cerned you wouldn't think by then
that he knew was in the house. Yet
over and over again at the table, ant
at times when I didn't even know h,
was round, I've found him watching
me, and with such a queer, funny lool
in his eyes. Then, very quickly al
ways, he looks. right away.
| But last night he didn't. And that
especially what I wanted TO writ
about today. And this is the way !
|