Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-03-30

wasn't shining at ALL 1t was night and
the stars were out. She remembers
particularly about the stars, for Father
was in the observatory, and couldn't
be disturbed. eve never disturb
Father when he's there, you know. }
And so he didn't even know he had a
daughter until the next morning when
he came out to breakfast. And he was
late to that, for he stopped to write
down something he had found out
about one of the considerations in the
night.
He's always finding out something
about those old stars just when we
want him to pay attention to some
thing else. And, oh, forgot to say
that / know it is constellation" and
not Consideration" But / used to
call them that when was little girl,
and Mother said it was good name
for them, anyway, for they were a con-
| sternation to her all right. Oh, she
said right off afterward that she didn't
mean that, and that I must forget she
said it. Mothers always saying that
ABOUT Things Sne says.
Well, as / was saying, Father didn't
know until after breakfast that he had
little daughter. Eve meyer tell him
disturbing, exciting things just before
meals.) And then Nurse told him.
asked what he said, and Nurse
laughed and gave her funny little
shrlg to her shoulders.
YES, what did he say, indeedT she
retorted. "He frowned, looked kind Of
dazed, then muttered: Well, well, up
on my soul! Yes, to be surer"
Then he came in 20 see me.
don't know, eof course, what he
thought Of me, but l guess he didn't
think much of me, from what Nurse
said. OF course / was very, very small,
and l never yet saw little bit of q
baby that was pretty, or looked as If
it was much account. So maybe you
couldn't really blame him.
Nurse said he looked at me, NUT
tered. well, well, upon my soul !"
again, and seemed really quite interest
ed till they started to put me in his
arms. Then he threw up both hands,
backed off. and cried, "Oh no, no, no !"
He turned to Mother and hoped she
was feeling pretty well, then he got
out of the room just as quick as he
could. And Nurse said that was the
end of it, so far as paying any more
attention to me was concerned for
quite while.
He was much more interested in his
new star than he was in his new
daughter. We were both born the
same night, you see, and that star was
lots more consequence than 1 was.
But, then, that's Father all over. And
that's one Of the things, l think, that
bothers Mother. / heard her say once
to Father that she didn't see why,
when there were so many, many stars,
a paltry one or two more need to be
made such fuss about. And don't,
either.
But Father just groaned, and shook
mis- head, and threw up his hands, and
looked so tired. And that's all he said
That's all he says lots of times. But
it's enough. It's enough to make you
feel so small and mean and insignifi-
cant as if you were just little green
worm crawling on the ground. Did
you ever feel like green worm crawl
ing on the ground? It's not pleasant
feeling at ALL
Well, now, about the name. OF
course they had to begin to talk about
naming me pretty soon; and Nurse
said they did talk a lot. But they
couldn't settle it. Nurse said that that
was about the first thing that showed
how teetotally utterly they were going
to disagree about things.
Mother wanted to call me Viola.
after her mother, and Father wanted
to call me Abigail Jane after his
mother; and they wouldn't either one
give in to the other. Mother was sick
and nervous, and cried a lot those
days, and she used to sob out that IL
they thought they were going to name
her darling little baby that awful abb
gail Jane, they were very much. mis-
taken; that she would never give her
consent to it-never. Then Father
would say in his cold, stern way:
Every well, then, you needn't. But
neither shall l give my consent to my
daughters being named that absurd
Viola. The child is human being
not fiddle in an orchestra y
And that's the way 1t went, Nurse
said, until everybody was Just about
crazy. Then somebody suggested
MARY" And Father said, very we'll,
they might call me Mary; and Mother
said certainly, she would consent to
Mary, only she should pronounce it
Marie. And so it was settled. Father
called me Mary, and Mother called
me Marie. And right away every
body else began to call me Mary
Marie. And that's the way it's been
ever since.