The Ocala evening star., 1922-05-10

row. Tomorrow
- This Is the way IL happened:
Mother wrote Aunt Jane and asked
II might not be allowed TO come
home for the opening Of school In
September She said she understood
quite well that she had no right TO
ask this, and, Of course. II they saw
fit, they were entirely within their
rights to refuse to allow me TO go un-
til the allotted time. But that she
could not help asking 1t for my sake,
on account Of the benefit TO be derived
from being there at the opening Of
the school year.
OF course, didn't know Mother was
going TO write this. But she kneT
all about the school here, and how /
came out, and everything. I've always
told Mother everything that has hap
pened. Oh, Of course, I haven't writ
ten "every few minutes" as she asked
me to. (That was a joke, anyway, of
course.) But have written every few
days, and, as 1 said before, I told her
everything.
Well. when the letter came took II
to Aunt Jane myself; and I was crazy
to know what was In 1t, for l recog-
niZed the writing, of course. But Aunt
Jane didn't tell me. She opened 1t,
read 1t, kind Of flushed up, and said,
"Humph The idea ~ under her breath,
and put the letter in her pocket
Marie wanted to make q scene and
insist on knowing what was In her
own mothers letter; but Mary con-
tented herself with looking superb and
naughty and disdainful, and marching
out Of the room without giving Aunt
Jane the satisfaction of even being
asked what was In that letter.
But at the table that noon Aunt
Jane read 1t TO Father out loud. SC
that's how / came to know just what
was In it, She started first to hand II
over to him to read but as he put cut
his hand to take ii I guess he saw
the handwriting, for he drew back
quickly, looking red and queer.
From Mrs. Anderson to you?" he
asked. And when Aunt Jane nodded
her head he sat still farther back IL
his chair and said,- with little wave
Of his hand. II never care to read
other peoples letters
Aunt Jane said, STUFF and nonsense
Charles, don't be silly" But she
pulled back the letter and read it
after giving q kind of an uneasy
glance in my direction.
Father never looked up once while
she was reading 1t. He kept his eye,
on his plate and the baked beans he
wasaeating I watched him. You see
I knew, by Aunt James reading tn,
letter to him, that 1t was something
he had got to decide; and when I
found out what it was, of course, /
was just crazy. / wanted to go so.
So / watched Fathers face to see If
he was going to let me go. But l
couldn't make out. l couldn't make
out at all. 1t changed-oh, yes, 1t
changed a great deal as she read; but
couldn't make out what kind of q
change 1t was at all.
Aunt Jane finished the letter and
began to fold it up. l could see she
was waiting for Father to speak; but
he never said a word. He kept right
on-eating beans.
Then Aunt Jane cleared her throat
and spoke.
you will not let her go, of course,
Charles; but naturally l had to read
the letter to you. l will write to Mrs.
Anderson tonight"
Father looked IN then
YES" he said quietly; land you
may tell her, please. that Mary will
Co."
"Charlesl"
Aunt Jane said that. But II al
most ran around the table and hugged
him. (Oh. how I wish he was the kind
Of a father you could do that toD
"Charles!" said Aunt Jane again.
surely you aren't going to give In 50
tamely as this to that child and her
motherw
I'm not giving In at all, Jane" said
Father, very quietly again. II am con-
sulting my own wishes In the matter.
/ prefer to have her Co."
most cried out then. Some way,
1t hurt to have him say it like that,
right out-that he wanted me to go.
You see, I'd begun to think he was
getting so he didn't mind 80 very much
having me here. All the last two
weeks he'd been different, really DIFF
ferent. But more Of that anon. I'll
60 on with what happened at the table.
And, as l said, did feel bad to have
him speak like that. And 1 can re-
member now Just how. the lump came
right up In my throat.
Then Aunt Jane spoke, stiff and dig
nified.
"Oh, very well, of course, II you put
Il that way. I can quite well under
stand that you would want her to go
for your sake. But / thought that.
under the circumstances, you would
manage somehow to put up with the
noise and"
"JaneT" Just like that he interrupt
ed, and he thundered, too. so that
Aunt Jane actually jumped. And l
guess l did. too. He had sprung to
his feet. "Jane, let US close this mat
ter once for all. am not letting~the
child 60 for my sake. I am letting
her go for her own. So far as l am
concerned, If consulted no ones
wishes but my own. I should-keep
her here always"
With that he turned ana strode from
the room, leaving Aunt Jane and me
inst staring after him