The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1938-04-30

women came to chat with her.
They were kind, friendly, gener-
olIs, They thought Judith queer,
stiff, unsociable. .* r..
"Win you go down the Gulch to
| the plcaie-wbE US next week, Mrs.
OliVer?" another foreman's wife
invited her cordially. -o. id. ~
"Why-" Judith started to re-
fuse. -tl '''@
"Pll pack enough lunch for ynu,P
Mrs. Kraus offered, you won't
have TO bother about that"
"Pn go. of course"
The wooded hollow where the
picnic was held was shady. 1t
would have been pleasant had not
the smoke and smell of the mine
hung over it. The lunch was de-
licious -homecooked har pickles,
jellies, cakes and what not. The
women talked happily of their
homes, their husbands, their chill
dren, their future, their p..st-as
happy women win. They asked
Judith questions.
From the South, aren't your"
From Maryland"
"My that's a long way" Most
of them had been born within a
radius of 100 miles of the mine.
"Was it q pretty placer"
Pretty" If only she could have
told them of home as it was! But
they would have though she was
Dragging or lyingsTHod
At rare int rsy ais when she
stopped plying herself. J u d it h
thought Of Reuben and pitied him
too. Poor Notwithstanding long
hours in this fiendiSh heat. She re-
membered the cars he had driven,
the yacht he had sailed. the money
he had handled. the power. OF
sort, he had welded. Yes. it was
hard for Reuben too.
Mysterious Process
COON he would be coming home,
tired. dirty There wouldn't be
enough hot water She had left
one kettle filed On the back OF the
stow - There never was enough
hot water Never enough room, nor
air. Never enough of anything eX-
cept discomfort. dirt. work-end-
less work.
It was the dishes with streaks of
egg gummed to them that made
Judith wish she were dead Per-
haps she would die she hoped
she would when the Daby was
born. She looked forward to going
to the hospital with something
akin to delight There would be
plenty of hot water there. Smooth
nat beds No dirty dishes
She and ReuOtn never spoke of
the coming child. He longed to
speak of it, but the shee' miracle
OF it tied his tongue. His son! An
other Reuben Oliver! II was up to
him to make good nova little
lad had to be proud of his daddy
He made happy solitary plans.
Resentful, confused fearful -
Judith would sometimes think of
the child that would sooi. be hers
with a great, rending pity mot
Goodloe, an Oliver born to squat
OF. struggle, to everything that
was unlovely and tlien! Poor lit
tie tad Horrible 10 think of--im-
possible to speak of. When she
learned there were to be two chill
dren- WE'LL
Into a GREATNESS, humid July
night Judith's twins-a boy and a
girl-were born.
White. shiny, slippery walls.
Bright lights making circles upon
them White hurrying figures Low
babble of voices.
Confused. broken, Judith won
dered If all women felt as she did.
Was il all lie this rant about ma
ternal love being the greatest thing
in the world@ She looked at the
pink. scowling faces of her chill
dren: at their Wavering. tight
fisted little hands with distaste.
This Young lady is exactly like
her daddy the nurse said.
Judith closed hot eyes She knew
she should say something IN Reu-
ben's defense. Reuben didn't have
. puttyiSh lump for uoSe, wrin-
Killed. chm or SQuint eyes Most peo-
ole thought Reuben handsome. She
vas too tired 10 argue about 1T IL
this woman IN white wanted 10
saw the girl baby looked like Reu-
ben. let her go ahead She felt dis
appointed. cheated because she
could not love even aer own ba-
bles but the first time he heard
one of the pink mites sneeze Ju-
n,th. who had never known fear.
almost died Of 1t, "Nurse--she's
choking, dying.
"Talcum powder up her nose,
the nurse said easily. but it was .
halt hour before judith knew q
blessed, fearful peace while deep
within her. ," c mysterious proc
eSS. was born such 4 love for these
perfectly amazing. abSurdly ugly,
gorgeously beautiful bits of hui
manity that were flesh Of her fleshi
They must nave the finest and
best Of everything II she had loved
Goodloe's Choice before she want
Cd II now boxwood. land. house,
all that il stood for with a greed
that frightened her. Wanted il for
them How safely little girl
could play inside the hedge. What
gorgeous dream ships a little boy
could launch o. me meadow brook
A. homes H@y~es Tvs word had
taken or its full meaning.