The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1922-05-11
CHAPTER
Am Born

I Am Born
The sun was slowly setting In the
west, casting golden beams Of light In
to the somber old room.
That's the way 1t ought to begin,
know, and I'd. like to do, 1t, but can't.
I'm beginning with my being born. Of
course, and Nurse Sarah says the sun
wasn't shining at all. II was night and
the stars were out She remembers
particularly about the stars. for Father
was In the observatory, and couldn't
be disturbed. 1--WE 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.
Well. as was saying, Father didn't
know until after breakfast that he had
little daughter. eve never 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
shrJg to her shoulders.
Eyes. what did he say, indeed7" she
retUrted. "He frowned, looked kind OF
dazed, then muttered: We'll, well, up
on my SOUL Yes, to be surer +"
Then he came In to see me.
/ don't know, Of course, what he
thought of me, but | guess he didn't
think much OF me, from what Nurse
said. OF course was very, very small,
and ! never yet saw little bit Of q
baby that was pretty, or looked as II
1t 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, moi"
He turned to Mother and hoped she
was feeling pretty well, then he got
i Out vi thG IOOlu just QulNh 10 ho
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 l was.
But. then. that's Father all over. And
that's one of the things. think, that
bOthers Mother. heard her say once
to Father that she didn't see why,
when there were so many, many stars.
paltry one or two more neea to be
made such fuss about. And don't,
either.
But Father Just groaned, and shook
his 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.
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 1t. 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 II
they thought they we're going to name
her darling little baby that awful Abb
gall 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 / give my consent to my
/. daughters being named that absurd
Viola. The child is a human being
not fiddle In an orchestral
And that's the way ii went, Nurse
, said. until everybody was Just about
crazy. Then somebody suggested
'Mary." And Father said. very well
they might call me Mary; and Mother
! said certainly. she would consent t.
} Mary. only she should pronounce 4
! Marie. And go II was settled. Faiths
I called me Mary. and Mother callet
me Marie. And right away every
) body else began to call me Mar!
Marie. And that's the way It's beel
ever since.