Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-06-28
CHAPTER XIII

today. Right now. Wouldn't you
like to have me be your mother?"
you're not my mother" Mar
garet answered hopelessly. my
mother is dead"
I'm not your mother, but I'd like
to be. love you, don't you know
that? And I've wanted another little
girl. My daughter is so big now,
she's nearly grown, and I've wished
so often I had little girl to play
with. Don't you want to come with
me, and let me be your mother?"
Margaret considered She scrubbed
her eyes with the back of her hand.
"You mean," she asked incredulous-
ly, "you want me to come live with
your"
eyes, that's what mean"
"For how long?"
"For always"
"And be just like yours? Like 9TH
er girls and their mothers?"
"Just like that"
"What will Mr.. Herlong do?"
Hell be your father"
Margaret began to smile little
bit. docs he like little girls?"
"Oh yes. And he likes you espe-
cially."
"And I'll live with youth that
big house with the swimming pool?"
Elizabeth nodded.
Twill Brian let me 60 SWIM
ming?"
why of course. Whenever you
please"
"Would he show me his bugs and
things, do you Think"
"I'm sure he would"
Margaret smiled again, shyly but
more happily this time. "That would
be nice, living at your house, Mrs.
Herlong."
"You needn't call me Mrs. Her
long any more, if I'm going to be
your mother"
"What do I call you, them"
eff I'm your mother, don't you
want to call me that?"
But Margaret shook her head,
with frightened look. "Oh no, do
have to? My mother died, and
my father died, and I called Mr..
Kessler father, and he died. If I
called you mother, you" She
stopped, appalled, by the enormity
of it.
Elizabeth did not insist. "All right,
you don't have to. My name is
Elizabeth, would you like to call me
that?"
Elizabeth" Margaret repeated.
ut seems funny" She paused
moment to think, and asked when
do I 60 over to your house?"
Fright now. III drive you there,
and l can come back to get your
things. Unless you'd rather show
me now where they are"
"I'll show you" Margaret scram-
bled down from the chair. She stood
in the middle of the floor, still con-
fused by this second re-orientation
of her world. "It's funny" she said
slowly. "It's all funny. Yesterday
he was here, and now he's dead.
And now I'm going to live with you.
Can I bring the microscope?"
"You can bring anything you
want" Elizabeth took her hand and
they started for Margaret's room.
"I'm going to like having you with
me-" Elizabeth assured her.
"I'll like it too" said Margaret.
She stopped and looked up serious
ly. Mrs. Herlong-Elizabeth," she
said, "I'll be good"
"Come here with me, Margaret"
Elizabeth led her back to the big
chair. She sat down, and took Mar
garet to sit on her lap. Darling,
I told you wanted you for my little
girl. No matter what you want to
call us, I'm going to be your mother
and my husband is going to be
your father. We're Americans, and
we're going to take you into an
American court and get some pa
pers that will make you just as
American as we are, and just as
much our daughter as Cherry is.
Then nobody can ever, ever send
you back to Germany"
"You can do that?" Margaret ex-
claimed.
"You bet we can. Refugees can
be as American as anybody else.
Why Margaret, my people we're ref
ugees."
Margaret was afraid. Fear went
through her whole personality and
gave her foster-parents a problem
for which their experience had not
prepared them. Elizabeth and Spratt
knew how to cope with childish
faults, but their children had not
known the meaning of insecurity.
Margaret knew that better than she
knew anything else.
Living in their home, she made
very little trouble for anybody, for
she was good-tempered child and
very bright one. She picked up
her playthings, studied her lessons