Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-08-20
The Unborn Visitant
Bv ". Snckujne West

all, I am your child, and though, of
we don't believe in the maternal
instinct and all that nonsense, I ex-
pect you still do. Ask any questions
you like; III answer
She waited eXpectantly and, taking
a cigaret case from the pocket Of her
pajama jacket, she lighted another
cigaret from the stub of the last one
Chain smoker, I'm afraid" she re-
marked, throwing the stub into the
fire. bad habit. Can't break myself
of it. Nerves. That's the worst Of my
generation-nerves. I'd give anything
for a cocktail, but I suppose you don't
deal in such things. Lord, what dull
lives you must lead! But I'm doing
all the talking. It's your turn now"
Miss Branksome, however, had MOTH
ing to say. If the truth must be told,
she was struggling against a feeling
of the most violent antipathy she had
ever experienced, and which, confused
Iy, she felt to be wrong, since this
creature vas after all apparently her
child, and according to Miss Drank
some's standards one ought to love
ones children, whatever they might be
like. She felt that she ought to gather
this child to her arms, suffused mean
while with an emotion Of pure heavenly
bliss. Far from any such impulse, she
remained appalled, by the complete
spectacle of the being for whose ex-
istence she was to be responsible. Hor-
rihle! She shuddered. The vulgarity,
the shamelessness of the creature! For
it must be remembered that Miss
Branksome, despite her social activities,
was a highly correct spinster in an age
which prided itself upon its good
breeding and valued manners far above
candor.
As though Daphne OWNED what was
passing in her mothers mind, she
broke the silence by saying, Il see you
don't like me. Well, I don't blame
you, though it's a pity. Perhaps by
the time I really am my age, If you
follow what I mean, I shall have edu-
Gated you up to looking at me with
rather less Of a shock. Perhaps I've
been too sudden for you, offering you,
so to speak, the finished article before
you'd seen it through its various stages.
There really is a big jump between
you and me, isn't there? Much bigger
than you'd. think from the mere years
that separate us. 1 wonder why? 1t
can't be entirely due to the war
("What is this war;" thought Elsa,
that she keeps talking about?"D TT
must be a difference In our tempo"
and this, again, was a term unfamiliar
to Elsa Branksome.
! That's It'll" cried Daphne, as though
she had made a discovery, you're slow
motion, you see. and I'm speeded up
I've got it now. You like things to be
slow and thorough; l like things to be
quick and shallow. I haven't time to
be ponderous. Love, now-I daresay
you think you'll stick to Evan all your
life?"
1t was on the tip OF Miss Drank
some's tongue to reprove Daphne for
abiding to her father by his Christian
name, but, realizing that she must
concentrate her forces upon coping
with this extraordinary situation anc
upon deciding what steps (preventa-
tive) she could take about the future
she remained silent. Daphne chat.
tered on.
II rather envy you, you know. There's
something left in me which rather
likes your old fashioned sentiment. d
course, that's a thing / could say only
to you-my own friends would simply
boot at me It's rather a luxury fol
me to tell you what l really think-wt
spend such a lot Of time in telling each
other what we think we ought to think
in my generation. And we're all 81
bright that we positively dazzle u
selves and each other with u OWL
brightness. It's a funny sort of re.
lief" said Daphne, swinging herself
round and leaning c~onf1dentially
against her mothers knee, ito prattlt
away to a dear prehistoric old thing
like yourself"
Miss Branksome looked down on thu
boyiSh head. She diSliked Daphne,
vocabulary, she disliked 1t intensely
but she discovered suddenly that sh,
did not dislike Daphne nearly SO much
as she had started by disliking her
She felt a queer and sudden interes
in this troubled, nervous, intelligen
freak. She went SO far as to lay he,
hand upon the head, and a curiou
thrill ran through her at the contac
Of her fingers with the soft, wavy hair
my dear child" she said, and wa
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