The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1944-04-06
CHAPTER XIII

The screen around the other
bed afforded at least the SEM
blance of privacy. Behind it two
girls were chattering to Stacy,
their every other sentence begin
ing with $50 I said to him."
Sarah put her square, capable
hand over the thin white one ly-
ing on the coverlet. give thought
it all out" Sarah said.
What she would like to do, she
asserted, was to take charge OF
the baby throughout the day.
There was no reason, she insisted,
why she shouldn't manage a plain,
practical day nursery for one.
For the first few weeks the baby
would require little of her, except
to be fed and changed. When
warmer weather set in, there
would be the garden. He could
sleep in his coach while she work
ed in the flower beds. Tenant
repairs and services could wait
until she was free - Candace
would be at home Saturdays and
Sundays. ''You see, there's moth
ing to argue about"
ooh, but Sarah, you have so
much to do. What about your
marketing? Suppose you had to
go downtown"
She would telephone, Sarah re-
piled, or take the boy in his
coach. We'll probably cover
miles on his wheels and my feet"
Candace protested. She could
not accept such sacrifice. cts
wonderful, I do appreciate it, Sa-
rah, but I couldn't begin to pay
you"
It's to be my patriotic gesture"
Sarah informed her gravely. 1--WE
decided that individual service is
my niche and that caring for a
baby is important work in war
time, or in peace"
It would be wonderful, Candace
admitted again, she couldn't i'm
agine anything more perfect from
her point of view and that of her
sons. She had been so discourage
ed, trying to devise a plan which
she could afford to carry out. An
dy had been worried, too
''Then let's call it settled now
and you tell Andy tomorrow"
Sarah urged. Mind you, it's not
upsetting my life in any way. I'm
alone so much it will be good for
me to have something human and
alive dependent upon me-"
Finally they left it that Can
dace should talk it over with Andy
and after Sarah had gone, in the
hour before the supper trays were
brought up, she thought intently,
trying to consider the plan from
all angles. Suppose Sarah found
the daily care of tiny baby too
heavy a burden? If that proved
to be the case, she could make
other arrangements, Candace
reminded herself and later she
would be stronger and better able
to make decisions. 1t would be
marvellous to feel that she could
leave Michael in such strong, ca
pable, tender hands-no mother
would worry one minute about a
child in Sarah's care. Hers was
the kind of common sense that
saw each new situation whole, in
stinctively separated essentials
from nonessentials, and made the
best of whatever was available.
Sarah would never be maudlin
about baby, Candace reflected,
stretching luxuriously-it was
lovely to see the peaks that were
her feet again - Sarah wouldn't
gurgle and COO, but neither would
she be so rigidly detached that she
would freeze her affection. Mich
ael would know as soon as he de-
veloped instincts, that someone
who loved him was keeping him
safe.
Either would come twice a
week to wash and iron and to
clean the apartment. Leila had
sounded her out and had discov-
cred that factory jobs did not
tempt the colored girl. Foremen
yelled at employees who made
mistakes, Either quavered. She
had no intention of putting her