Fascinated, Ann walked to the shelter offered.
"Will you kiss me?" Betty asked. The kiss was given mutely.
"Will you tell Aunt Betty your name?"
"Ann."
"Ann what?"
"Jes' lil' Ann."
Then Betty raised her eyes to Lynda's face and smiled at its tragic
suffering.
"Poor, old Lyn!" she said, "run home to Con. You need him and God knows
he needs you. It will take the big love, Lyn, dear, the big love; but
you have it--you have it!"
Without a word Lynda turned and left Betty with the children.
CHAPTER XXI
Potential motherhood can endure throes of travail other than physical;
and for the next week Lynda passed through all the phases of spiritual
readjustment that enabled her, with blessed certainty of success, to
accept what she had undertaken.
She did not speak to Truedale at once, but she went daily to Betty's and
with amazement watched the miracle Betty was performing. She never
forgot the hour, when, going softly up the stairs, she heard little Ann
laugh gleefully and clap her hands.
Betty was playing with the baby and telling Ann a story at the same
time. Lynda paused to listen.
"And now come here, little Ann, and kiss Bobilink. Isn't he smelly-sweet
and wonderful?"
"Yes."
"That's right. Kiss him again. And you once said you just naturally
didn't like babies! Little Ann, you are a humbug.
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