HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-12-21, Page 27THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1988. PAGE 27.
Marion wasn’t as pretty as she once was
Continued from page 26
to suck. It seemed to make Marion
mad because all they could think of
giving this one was milk that
happenedtobe left in one of the
other babies’ bottles and the milk
would make it fat and she wanted it
to die. She often talked of killing it
but that was just talk for she knew
as well as we did that the Eye of
God was on her the same as on
anybody else. You don’t need to kill
babies for you can generally easily
let them die. You can leave them
uncovered on very frosty nights.
Marion set fire to the hay in our
cow’s house but the kids put it out.
It was Christmas Eve. We were
having a party and there was a
Christmas Tree. Marjan was sitt
ing on the floor and all the kids were
sitting around him. He was telling
them a story out of a book about a
Baby that had a Star in the sky.
Marion was trying to make all the
noise she could. Then all at once
she picked her kid off the box where
it was asleep. She picked it by the
arm so it screamed and she went
outwithitand wecould hear her
swearing andcursing thebaby. We
thought she went to the other
shack.
Butthere wasacampone mile
away to the east. Marion went
there. It was only men and most of
them had gone away for Christmas
but there were mouth-organs
playing and the windows looked
very bright. It was night, very cold
and very clear.
Marion wanted those bright
windows but she had not had bright
clothes for many months now and
these men were not yet drunk and
they knew that she was a leper. She
knew that they knew and she knew
her dress was not pretty and that is
why she threw her baby over the
log pile. Shewas hating things. She
walked past the camp twice.
Then she went in. The men
reviled her and there was a young
girl there with a dress all silk.
Marion was only twenty-three but
she was not pretty like she used to
be. She looked old. They gave her a
drink and another drink and they
let her take food their words
seemed to sting her as they joked.
She wished to scratch the eyes of
the pretty girl who was young.
When she made to do it, the men
put her out and told her to go home.
Outside she swore and beat on the
door but it would not open to her.
She bit her hands and pulled at her
hair but the door would not open
and it was Christmas Eve.
She sat on that camp step and the
people inside thought she had
gone. But she was there and a
numbness crept up inside her. It
was clear and very frosty and
presently she leaned her head
against the wall and cried quietly
just like a very little girl and very
good girl would cry. She put her
hands to her mouth to stifle the
The origin
of the Advent
calendar
The advent calendar originated in
Germany and Scandinavia it can be
a picture of a house with windows, a
typical Christmas scene or a snow
scape.
Advent calendars have windows
that can be opened to reveal tiny
pictures behind them. More modern
ones have small toys or candies
behind those little windows.
There is one window for each day
leading up to Christmas. Everyday,
children are allowed to open one
window. Their anticipation grows
until the last and largest window is
opened on December 25. Its theme is
usually the Nativity.
sobs and all the stars seemed very,
very clear.
The numbness was going all
through her body and as she leaned
back the water in her eyes seemed
to make the thousand bright stars
dance in the sky. She says she could
hear them laughing but they were
not laughing at her. She says they
were laughing just like Eloise was
laughing a few minutes before she
had slammedour door and gone
out. She says one star grew larger
and larger and turned into a little
face as pretty as the angel in the
picture, and it reached out white
hands and said “Mamma”.
It was then that she screamed so
that the men in the camp heard and
came to the door but saw nothing.
Marion had gone to the log pile
but her babe was gone. Like a wild
thing she rolled on the logs and
clawed in the snow. Her hands
found the bundle. It had fallen from
the logs and had sunk deep in the
warmkindly snow. It did not cry
and in the night she did not feel any
life or warmth.
It was Christmas Eve. Marion
hugged the snow-wet little body to
hers and cried in frenzy. She
wrapped her torn coat around it. A
manofthecamp said he saw her
running down the track.
Marjan was showing us how to
dress a Christmas Tree. He was
finding up pictures of them in
catalogues and story books. The
two gramophones were going and
the children were making much
noise and Eloise’s little dog was
barking at the children as they
danced. We did not know Marion
paused at our door.
In the morning we found her.
She was lying in stupor in the box
thatfarmers call a manger. Her
thin little baby was staring fixedly
at our community cow. Marion’s
unconscious hands were holding
the baby tight to her breasts in our
warm cow house. She stirred as we
touched her and she held the baby
tighter. It was Christmas Day.
Marjan took them to his house.
Don W. Armstrong
for this holiday season
Thanks for the pleasure of your business
HURON FEEDING
SYSTEMS
BRUSSELS
JOE, DEBBIE & FAMILY
Let your nomes and
hearts be warm with the
spirit of Christmas.
Seasons Greetings
from the staff
TWIN COUNTY
GRAIN ELEVATORS
RR #3, Brussels, Ont.
Phone [519] 356-2292
A very merry
Christmas to our
clients and their families.
I
I s g g « ---——-.7-—g
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