Bildungsromans; Communities -- Juvenile fiction; First loves -- Juvenile fiction; Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- History -- Juvenile fiction
"Anybody can do that. But it takes something extra good to make you
sing in your sleep."
She thought they were quite good enough, and wondered how it would
seem to sing in the night, and the dark, and if she could hear
herself.
Then her father came after her. Grandad wrung his hand and said, "Lad,
I wish you joy and the best of luck."
What did that mean?
"Daffodil, something wonderful has happened to us, and I hope--you
will like it. We are very happy over it. We have a little boy who came
in the night. A little brother for you. And we want you to be glad."
"Oh, was that what grandad meant?" she asked gravely.
"Yes. You see, girls marry and give up their name. But a boy carries
it on. And grandad hated to have the name die out. He will be very
proud of the boy, but I think no one will be quite as dear to him as
Daffodil."
The child was revolving various thoughts in her mind, and made no
comment. When they entered the house, Grandmother Bradin took off her
hat and cloak, and kissed her very fondly. Her father watched the
small serious face. Then he sat down in the big chair, and took her on
his knee.
"Dilly," he began in a pleading tone, "I hope you won't feel as if--as
if you would be crowded out. We have had you the longest, and you were
our first sweet joy. We can never love any other child quite like
that. And nothing can ever change our love for you. So you must not
feel jealous because we shall love him and be glad to have him----"
"Oh, that was what you said a long time ago, when you first came
home--that I was jealous. No, I didn't like mother to love you so
much. And you were strange, and you can't love any one all at once;"
incoherently.
"But you are not jealous now?"
"No. It didn't take her love from me, only a little while."
"It did not take it away at all. And there were two people to love
you, instead of one. Suppose I had felt hurt because you loved
grandfather so much?"
"Was it like that?" She raised her lovely eyes with an appealing light
in them. "And was I very bad?"
He stooped and kissed her. "It was very natural, and the only thing,
the best thing, is to wait until the other one understands. You love
me now?"
She reached up and twined her arms about his neck.
"I love you very much," she returned in an earnest tone. "And I am
gladder than ever to have you love me, now that grandfather has gone
away. But I don't want any one else to go."
He clasped her more tightly. No, any other break in the circle would
mean a more poignant grief. There was no one to spare.
"And you will not mind if we love the little boy a good deal?"
"No--since it is a little boy. I am glad it is not a girl, that you
chose a boy," she made answer simply.
"We all wanted the boy. Dilly, I am glad to have you love me, and I
hope it will grow stronger as you grow older, and understand how sweet
affection really is."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account