The Washington times., 1936-02-04
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ALL AO O WVANV4 &40O 0V y E
She looked. Her eyes closed
tightly and a tear or two squeezed
through. She was so disappointed.
She had expected-well-Some-
thing a little different. Not q
beautiful, big baby like the one her
neighbor, Mrs. Wood, wheeled out
in his buggy every day. Of course
she knew that new babies weren't
supposed to be very beautiful. But
nobody had warned her that her
baby might look like THIS.
So she wept secretly. Wild
horses wouldn't have dragged the
truth from her. Not for worlds
would she let Donald know that
she was afraid there was some
thing terribly wrong with his son.
Afterwards, when Donald teaSed
her about it, she denied it Stoutly.
It was the one time her sense Of
humor failed her. She was never
able to see anything funny in the
fact that the baby she had yearned
and dreamed about was q cruel
disappointment until well into his
second week.
He was such a beautiful baby
now. So fat and good and
healthy. So everything that q
baby should be. How could she,
even just at first, have found him
ugly.
She was, DR.. Jennings said, q
natural mother. InStinctively she
knew how to meet every situation.
When Ina French, the girl she
liked best Of the graduate students,
came to call and said, But Mrs.
Latham, doesn't he scare you to
death? I mean aren't you afraid
to dress him and give him his bath
and everything? Aren't you afraid
you'll break him?" she smiled COM
placently.
"Of course not! He looks frag-
tle, but I know he's really hard as
nails. I mean, their bones are so
soft, there's really nothing to
break"
Janet Wood, her neighbor, called
with her 4-monthS-old daughter,
prepared for an afternoon Of swap
ping hospital horrors, but Christie
would have none Of it.
People make too much fuss
about having babies. I don't
think it's anything at all. And I
don't think that taking care Of
one is any trouble at all, either.
OF course, If a baby Is sick, or
spoiled, that's different. But
little Donny is absolutely healthy,
and Of course I don't intend to
spoil him!"
Her unnatural attitude made
her very unpopular with the
Woods and the one or two other
young mothers in her community.
It was true that she'd never
felt better in her life, and that
young Donald was little bother.
He ate, slept and woke to eat
and sleep again. With Big Don
aid rushing home from the labor
atory evenings, to help her get
dinner and wash the dishes, life
was never easier.
AL She, lacked was a proper
audience. There were so few to
whom she could show the won
ders of her baby'S wide blue eyes,
his dimpleS and his creaSeS, his
Silken fuzz Of pale gold hair.
Have you written your moth
err" she asked Donald one eve
ming as they stood side by side,
admiring the worlds best baby,
as Donald called him, in his crib.
mo. And she hasn't written
me, either"
"I know. But Donald, she
doesn't know! Think Of it. She's
a grandmother, and she doesn't
know it!"
"I never knew her to express
any desire to be a grandmother.
In fact, honey, I'm compelled to
admit she dislikes the idea. Be-
sides she's got two grandchildren
already, Editha, you know"
"Oh, the idea! That doesn't
count. The idea of being a
father didn't thrill you very
much either, and now look at
you! Donald, she's your mother,
and you know she loves you in
spite of everything. Shed love
your baby. Anyway, how could
anybody help loving this baby?
Don't you want to write her, and
send her that picture we took
Sunday?"
7 "No, I don't believe I do. She
must know about it. Someone
would have told her. Pasadena
isn't the South Pole, you know.
Editha always knows everything.
They know all right"
But he wasn't very emphatic
Ahnl1t IL