The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-04-09

jeans getting married in France.
 Did they make out your mar riage paper in English, Polly? We got to wondering"
 "No. in French. Do you want Dick to translate 1t for you?" Polly was quivering with rage. Mrs. Pell had repeatedly shown herself skeptical of her marital standing but never before had she been so insistently prying. Here tofore she had contented herself with dropping yelled hints at sew ing circle and lifting her eyebrows whenever Polly spoke of my huS- band"
 Yet Amanda Pell's methods had been effective enough. Long be- fore little Richard Jeremiah was born his mother was being spoken of as poor Polly Chelsey." Some of the townsWomen became openly cool, some treated her with ill., concealed diSdain; few showed pity that was more maddening to Polly than were the snubs.
 She said to her father when she first noticed these attitudes, T know how it must look to these people And all this time no news from Jerry!"
 Well" said Trepid Chelsey in his slow deliberate way, Its i'll fortune for you, Polly, it happen ing this way. But you've no cause for shame. If you say you're wed to your young man, then you be. You never told me lie in all your life. As for young Whitfield, he's my distant kin through his mother, as you yourself traced. I saw the lad once when he was small child. His people are good sea- faring folk in northern Massachu- sets, not given to boasting. Fur thermore, this lads at sea doing his duty, which is what more of the men around here ought to be doing, stead of criticizin' the President.
 It was the longest speech Polly had ever heard her father make. It lent her courage Dick too gave Polly his trust and support. He pre- tended an indifference to village gossip that he was far from feeling and he tried to strengthen Polly in the beleif that it did not matter. He read aloud to her great deal-salty tales like Robinson Crusoe and translated from Virgils Iliad that told of ships and men at sea.
 But chiefly Dick helped by let ting her talk about Jerry to her hearts content and by agreeing with her that he might come knocking on their door any day now, and surprise them.
 As the months passed, Polly withdrew from village life en- tirely, holding her head in high, proud way when she walked abroad with her father or brother. Nuisance always followed her. The little dog seemed as attractive to her as he was ridiculous to the villagers. It distressed her that Dick had no money for his medical course, and that soon there would be another mouth to feed. Yet the babys coming gave her joy too, and a stout comfort against the seeping fear that some misfortune had overtaken Jerry.
 This had been Polly's life through the winter and spring. When she held her child in her arms today, Jerry's son, she had bravely said that nothing else mattered Yet she was seething with anger now at snug Mrs. PeI in her fine maroon dress - Mrs. Pell whose three daughters were neatly married and doing well (tWo of them in Boston,, each with husband at her side.
 She said, Mrs. Pell, I've learned there's one thing meaner and crueler than the British navy. It's a New England Village. One like this"
 When Mrs. Pell had departed in high dugeon, throwing back the observation that it hardly pays to be kind to some people" Polly burst into sobs. She could not stop sobbing.
 There now!" Mrs. Taylor said. "You've got a fever and you're tossing! You mustn't get yourself worked up.
 "Oh Jerry" Polly sobbed. "Other men write letters. Why can't you? It's because you're dead my darling! Dead!"
 The nurse finally had to sum- mon old Trepid Chelsey and the lame boy to soothe her.
 That cradle, now" Trepid ob- served loudly to his son, "has stood up well. planned and whit tied it myself the trip I made to the West Indies month or so be- fore you were born Light maple. I took the wood aboard ship with me for the purpose"
 You did a good job of it, It