Entangled Hearts

Chapter 30

By February, the nursery which had belonged to John Chatterton Jr., twenty-four years before, had been redecorated and equipped with modern furnishings. There were a bassinet and an adorable ivory colored crib, with downy covers. They had purchased fluffy blankets with playful little kittens and long-eared bunnies printed on them. A pink and blue rattle hung on the end of the crib waiting to amuse the tiny guest, that had not yet arrived. There was a chest of drawers filled with the daintiest little white things. Laura Mae took each little hand embroidered dress and petticoat, each little nightgown and pinner out of the drawers, time and time again only to look at them with satisfaction and longing. Then she would fold them all neatly again and put them back into their places. How the times seemed to drag for her since she had given up shopping tours and theaters! The last two weeks seemed as long as months to her.

Mrs. Chatterton had soon seen to it that Laura Mae drank plenty of good rich milk and ate fresh fruits and vegetables. Every day, the girl took a long walk in the fresh air, under the trees that lined the sidewalks for blocks. The branches of the trees were holding up a load of newly fallen snow that glistened in the sun like so many millions of tiny crystals. It made her think of the snow-capped fence posts around the farms back in Oakdale. How lonesome she was to see them again and see if they still looked like bakers, with their white caps on, standing in a row. The snow crunched noisily beneath her feet as she walked along. She had to realize that she was no longer a gay young girl; she was a woman ready to enter into the field of motherhood. What a responsibility would be upon her inexperienced shoulders. She came into the house one morning with her cheeks rosy from being out in the frosty winter air. Mrs. Chatterton came toward her, smiling. "My dear," she said, "I have interesting news for you, but please do not be disappointed."

"What is the news?" Laura Mae asked eagerly.

"Could you guess?" the woman asked, her eyes aglow.

"I am afraid I could not. I have not the least idea of what it could be."

"Edith Randall is at the 'Home'! She is the proud mother of an eight-pound son."

"You don't say!" the girl exclaimed. "Well, the race is over and she won it. When did he arrive?"

"At seven-thirty this morning. Her mother just called because she knew that we would be anxious to know about Edith's baby."

"How is she feeling?"

"She got along just fine and they said she was sleeping quietly," Mrs. Chatterton explained.

Laura Mae bit her lip; she could have cried to think that her friend already had her baby in her arms and she still had to wait for her ow. How much longer would she have to wait in misery? Perhaps, it would happen today. But it did not. The next morning came and another long dreary day passed. It had seemed like a week to Laura Mae, but she would have to be patient and keep a cheerful attitude. It made it easier to wait when she looked on the bright side of life.

The third day after they had heard the news about Edith, Laura Mae felt so restless and homesick for her mother, she could not stand it any longer. She felt that she must have a talk with her mother and know that she was well. It would make it easier to face the ordeal that she must go through. She went to the phone stand and took up the phone.

"Long distance, please," she said to the operator who asked for a number.

"Long distance," came the reply after a short pause.

"I should like to speak to Mrs. Eli Porter at her home in Oakdale."

"Just a moment." There was a pause during which every nerve in Laura Mae's body was tense with anxiety. She trembled and suddenly felt weak. She wondered why she had not thought of calling her mother earlier on the phone.