Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-06-08

WHY, IdtHtIs - uoh hhcW,
stammered again.
"Come, come, of course you know ~
he cried. you know what you want
to do, don't your
/ shook my head ! was so aston
ished / couldn't even think. And when
you can't think you certainly can't
talk.
Nonsense, Mary" scowled Father.
"Of course you know what you want
to dol What are you In the habit Of
doing with your young friends-your
Carries and Charles, and all the
restT
guess just stood and stared and
didn't say anything; for after min
ute he cried: OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES I'm
waiting"
"Why, we've walk-and falkland
play games" / began; but right away
he interrupted.
Good Very well, then, wen walk.
I'm not Carrie or Charlie, but be-
lieve l can walk and talk-perhaps
even play games. Who knows? Come,
get your hat"
And / got my hat, and we went. NJ
But what funny, funny walk that
was He meant to make 1t good
one, know he did. And he tried.
He tried real hard. But he walked
so fast I couldn't half keep up with
him; then, when he saw how / was
hurrying, he'd slow down, way down,
and look so worried-till he'd forget
and 60 striding off again, way ahead
of me-
Z We went up on the hill through the
Benton woods, and it was perfectly
lovely up there. He didn't say much
at first. Then, all of sudden, he be-
gan to talk, about anything and every
thing. And / knew, by the way he
did it, that he'd just happened to
think he'd got to talk.
And how he talked! He asked me
was / warmly clad (and here it Is
August y, and did have good break
fast, and how old was l. and did en-
joy my studies-which, shows how lit
tie he was really thinking what he was
saying. He knows school closed ages
ago. Wasn't he teaching me himself
the last of it, too? sAll around US were
flowers and birds, Eand oh, so many,
many lovely things. But he never said
word'about them. He just talked
because he'd got to talk. knew it,
and it made me laugh inside, though
all the while it mace me sort of want
to cry too. Funny, wasn't 1t?
After a time he didn't talk any more.
but just walked on and on; and by and
by we came home.
OF course, it wasn't awfully jolly
that walk wasn't and ! guess Father
didn't think it was either. Anyhow,
he hasn't asked me to go again this
week. and he looked tired and worried
and sort of discouraged when he got
back from that one
The next evening he took me out to
the observatory to see the stars. That
was lovely Honestly / had perfect
ly beautiful time, and think Father
did, too. He wasn't stiff and polite
one bit Oh, don't mean that he was
impolite or rude. It's just that he
wasn't stiff as if I was company. And
he was so happy with his stars and
his telescope, and so glad to show
them to mech, / had a beautiful
time, and l told him so; and he looked
real pleased. But Aunt Jane came for
me before I'd had half enough, and I
had to go to bed.
The next morning thought he'd be
different, somehow, because we'd had
such lovely time together the night
before. But he wasn't. He just said,
Good morning, Mary" and began to
read his paper And he read his pa
per all through breakfast without say
ing another word to me. Then he got
up and went into the library, and
never saw him again all day except
at dinner-time and support time, and
then he didn't talk to me.
But after supper he took me out
again to see the stars, and he was
just as nice and friendly as could be.
Not bit like man that's only a
father by order of the court. But the
next day!
Well-and that's the way it's been
all the week. And that's why / say
he's been so queer. One minute he'll
be just as nice and folksy as you
could ask anybody to be, and the very
next he's looking right through you
as if he didn't see you at all, and you
wonder and wonder what's the mat
ter, and if you've done anything to
displease him.
Sometimes he seems almost glad and
happy, and then he'll look so sorry
and sad
just can't understand my father
at ALL
ANOTHER WEEK LATER.
I'm so excited don't know what to
do. The most wonderful thing has
happened. l can't hardly believe it