The Wilmington morning star., 1947-06-13

N0oat II. Ill s leIe.
pnoning round FOR. me. She sent
her love and she'll be in to see
you after a day or so She insists
that I stay there until 0 come
nome SO l went to the apartment,
put 1t in order ana locked id
Diane realized, now, the tired
ness in his voice. She glanced fully
at him. Bill, you look a lot worse
than feel! Was it terrible for
your"
He laughed. pretty. bad. But
its over. Doctor Everts saws
you'll be sitting up in ten davs.
home by the end of the second
week. Say, Di, mother suggests
we get Annie Hardness to take
care of the baby. She isn't a grad
uate nurse, but she's good. Moth
er had her for me And a woman
who's .older like that would take
a lot of responsibility OF your
shoulders"
eve don't have to decide it lust
now, do we?" Diane countered.
He thought she was exhausted
lie said quickly, a little contrite-
ly: mo, you're to rest, not think
o: anything"
She had expected to be bored by
her enforced stay in the hospital,
to hate the fussing over her. But
she found it exciting; the nurses,
rustling in, Doctor Everts on his
calls, the %internes, even the clean
ing women, only emphasized the
Importance of this miracle of the
baby. -.
Flowers came, box after box,
cards, gifts. Seemingly the whole
world wanted to pay tribute. One
afternoon Lois opened the door
wide enough to toss a tissue
wrapped package to the bed.
Scared to come closer, Di! I'm
aIergic to the stork!" Vanished.
Roses from Danny, two dozen
long-stemmed roses.
Mrs. Arden expressed her hap
piness that it was over and both
Diane and the baby SO well. Bin's
father held her hand, spoke proper
words of congratulation Paula
came, kissed her. "I'm glac
you're calling the baby for your
mother. It's pleased joe" Diane
saw tears in Paula's eyes as there
had been in her fathers.
Bill came in every evening, te1e.
phoned to her every morning. Blu
Diane's high moment was wher
the nurse laid the baby beside hel
to feed. Then the white-wallee
room became a cloister, shutting
them in together. The first time
she had felt some terror at being
left alone with so helpless a bit o:
humanity, but that was soon los
in her joy Of possessing it. Soor
she dared tighten her arm abou
it. hold the small hands in hers,
cuddle the pink feet, bury her lip!
against the sweet-smelling golden
fuzz of hair.
The warmth Of its body one with
hers, the baby would sleep anc
Diane would lose herself in bliss
full dreaming. No troubled
thoughts could touch her now;
they belonged to a world outside
this she held in the curve OF her
arm. They belonged to that Other
self she had been. This self, borr
with the baby, had nothing to dc
with them.
It was, she thought, one still
afternoon, the metamorphis she
had expected to happen to hel
when she married Bill. She smil
ed, remembering that Paula hae
said it was good for a girl to have
a baby because then she hae
something to think about besides
herself. She had Nellie, now. L
would be Nellie first, always.
/ She believed she was thinking
Of the baby when Bill AGAR
brought up the matter of engag
ing Annie Hardness and she op
posed it.
eff Nellie should be sick-we
ought to have a trained nurse, a.
least for a while, Bill"
"Annie'd know what to do, a.
well as any trained nurse"
With patience Diane marshallee
other arguments. "1t's very i'm
portant to keep up the hospita.
training Annie's old-fashioned
she'd want to rock Nellie!"
"You a tell her not to-" sale
Bill, as patient as she
bill, don't think I'm stubborn
or just want to have my way! ]
really feel very firm about this
Firm, because she was thinking Of
Nellie. II want TO take Miss Tier
ney home with US. She's that pref
IT, nurse who came in yesterday
when you. we're here. She adores
Nellie says Nellie's the best
behaved baby in the nursery. And
it's that training that is so i'm
portant-"
He yielded, but net without say
ing: eff you don't know anything
more about her than that she's
pretty-we know everything about
Annie!."
J. Emmett came again and