The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-03-20
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~ 81 AIIene CorIiss Ann

IN awful fool, Val, not to have
thought Of Il. But You zee, W
decided about that at the very hrst
decided W wouldn't have . baby
I-well, not for . long time, any
way. And then-well, then, ! sup
pose ! just stopped thinking about
IT,
Valerie lifted her eyebrows . bit.
Zone does, I imagine until al Of
. sudden-it happens.s
'But Val, Il mustn't happen 70
me-not now" Suddenly. Stanley
was trembling al over. She thrust
the words at Valerie jerkily, her
lips sti6 and shaking. II can't have
. baby, now. ! haven't told you
before, but when John Harmon
comes back I'm not going to live
with him anymore. Our marriage
is over-Anished-as II It had never
been! You nee now, don't you, that
! can't possibly b going to have
. baby1"
Valerie sighed . bit, dung her
cigarette away abruptly. II dont
know what you're talking about
Stanley, al this nonsense about
leaving John Harmon. All I know
u that you did marry him, and
you did live with him-and b.
cause you did you arc going 70
have . baby. But at least, youu
have to do something about it.
eyes," said Stanley slowly, altar
, long tims, IN which she had sat
quite still and stared at Valerie
and did not sec her at Ill. y sup.
pose I shall"
She closed her eyes then and
waited for the swinging, red mist
to 60 away. Her heart was behav.
ing strangely and she was breath,
Ing rapidly, painfully. But gradu.
ally the mist went away and she
could breathe quite easily again
and certain things became clear T.
her-cruelly clear. She was going
70 have . baby. She knew quite
suddenly that this was %, thai
Valerie was right. She wondered .
little derisively Why she had moi
thought Of Il herself; realised tha)
nsver ones IN IN tho months che
had been married had shs thought
about II q III. She wondered Il
John Harmon had thought about
it-decided that 10 very probably
had-he was Hike that-he thought
about . great many things.
And now, for m interval, lying
very still with her eyes closed, she
thought about him; little incense.
quential things-the way his hair
grew thick and brown and rumpled
Ike . very little boys, the trick his
eyes had Of smiling suddenly and
erinIing 1t the corners. the habit
his tie had Of aiding around b.
meath his ear when he Was COM
pletely absorbed. She thought that
It seemed : long, long time ago
that she had lived with him In
this room; that Il seemed . long,
long time before abe would have
to zee him again 49, and tan him
things. Not about The baby 10
would never have 70 know about
that. She was glad b wouldn't,
because she felt, some way. that
he would care. And she didn't want
him to care any moro than he had
thought that Il she could
she would gladly save him from
caring at all-then she remembered
suddenly that people who had
babies sometimes died. Her hsart
stood still for : brief, celebrating
second - that would settle svery.
thing with . sort Of nice precision.
She would die and leave John Har.
mon biz baby and 10 would nsver
need % know-anything. Than she
breathed aeain-and dismissed The
idea o absurd. She might not dc
at all-most women didn't y
which case things would b much
worse than they were now. Besides,
she didn't want % dts-sven -
she didn't want - live abe wante9
20 de even less. No, she would
AMPLY 50 and go . doctor. And only
d that brisf moment Ia which shs
NV herself dying and making John
Uarmon ! rift Of their child did
- accept the possibility that there
might ever b > baby.
RE- r Csa4isssd)