Page 36 - To Dragma October 1929

To DRAGMA

34

full of nails. Mrs. McCain had left him a baby boy and hadn't ever ]
come back. The shingles were oozing in the hot sunshine. Were I
they glued together? He was a sad looking man and never went anywhere J
without the little Monell held tightly by the hand. "You'd better get I
down, honey. You might slip." Silently she went down.

Father was just going upstairs. He seemed to stay up there. He I
hadn't used to. He looked old today and stooped and almost grey. I
"When"—It was a hard question. Frederika choked, "When is she I

coming back?"
"She isn't coming back, my soldier."
"Then please don't let any more doctors come to this house!"
" I hope not. Better one had come for me a long time ago."
She didn't question that. lone and Betty were peering at the I

bunnies. She stooped to watch them nibble. Mummy loved them so I
and once she'd had a wild, wee one i n bed with her.

"Freddy, I saw Mummy. And she was all dressed in white and she 1

was in the living-room and I runned away from Mammy and I kissed my 1

little dead mummy and the people cried and—"

"Betty. I ' m older'n you and I ' m responsibul for you and you have I

to do what I tell you. That's a horrid word, 'dead.' Don't ever say I

it again, most 'specially about our mother."

"But," insisted Betty, "Mammy said—"
"Well," drawled lone, " I saw Mummy, too. Anyway, I talked to I
her. And it wasn't in the front room, either. Grandmother told me J
that she had gone to heaven so I climbed way up in the attic to seel
if I could find her. She said she wanted to talk to you, Fred. And I
she said not to look for her any more, and—"
But Frederika was off. The five o'clock whistle had blown and she J
was in her favorite spot, the chinaberry tree by the gate. I t was fun to I
stick her head out from among the yellow balls and yell, "Hullo, Joe!"
" H i , Red." and "How's Freckles?" as the men filed past.
The flowers were gone from the office-building door. The sky wasj
growing redder from the burning pile of "planer-cuttings" behind t h e ;
mill. More than once had she waked up at night and screamed that the1
house was on fire but Mummy had always said—The supper bell!

Father wasn't hungry and Grandmother's eyes were Ted. Mammy
punched her in the side and said, "Sit up an' eat yo suppah." What
could Mummy want to say to her? Tomorrow—But tomorrow were!
play-houses in the sand-pile and baths and over to "Cousin's" and she:
couldn't go upstairs in the dark at night all by herself. Then the next)
day there was Sunday School, Auntie for chicken and ice cream, napSjj
and first thing you knew, bed again.

" I talked to Mummy again today," came from Ione's corner of t M

room. "She says she won't go way, Fred, till you come talk to her."

'"Who wants her to go away?"

"But she wants to."
So late the next afternoon she came up the gravelled walk. "SJj