The Darling Dahlias and the Naked Ladies

Bessie turned around in the front seat as Mr. Clinton put the Ford in gear and they chugged off. “A baby!” she asked. “Why, Violet, wherever did you—”

“She’s my sister’s baby,” Violet said. Her delicate heartshaped face was pale and the freckles stood out on her nose. “Baby Dorothy.” She traced the baby’s cheek with the tip of her finger. “My sister died last week.”

“We know,” Lizzy said, and touched her arm gently. “Myra May told us. But she didn’t tell us you were bringing—”

“That’s because she doesn’t know,” Violet said, her voice breaking. “I couldn’t bring myself to tell her over the telephone—I was afraid she might say she didn’t want us. But I couldn’t just come home and leave Dorothy behind. Her father can’t take care of her, and there’s no family on either side. I’m all the family she has. And she’s all I have left of my sister.” The tears were streaming down her cheeks now, and she pulled the baby tighter against her, as if she were shielding her against harm. “Dorothy’s father wanted to give her to an orphanage.”

“An orphanage?” Bessie asked in a horrified tone. “That precious baby? How could he do such a terrible thing?”

“It’s terrible, yes, but I can’t blame him,” Violet replied. “He’s nearly desperate, you know—losing his wife and having to go to work every day, with no one to take care of the baby. So he had a talk with the social worker and told her to come and get her this morning. He said he never wanted to see her again.”

“Oh, dear,” Lizzy said.

“But I couldn’t let them have her!” Violet exclaimed almost wildly, clutching the baby. “I packed her diapers and the little things I’d bought for her and sneaked out of the apartment before dawn. I walked to the station and caught the first train heading south. That’s why I’m here today, instead of Thursday, which is what I told Myra May. Oh, I do hope she’ll let me keep her!” The words tumbled out almost incoherently, and Lizzy could see that Violet was nearly exhausted.

“Well, of course you couldn’t let them have her!” Lizzy exclaimed indignantly. “How could you? You’re Dorothy’s aunt, for pity’s sake. You had to take her!” Lizzy didn’t want to think about the possible legal problems that lay ahead. But surely a court would agree that Baby Dorothy was better off with her aunt than with a strange family. And these days, so many families had had to place their children in orphanages that they were full. Maybe there wouldn’t be any legal action.

“And you shouldn’t go second-guessing Myra May, either,” Bessie said in a practical tone. “You know as well as we do that she’s got a big heart, and she cares about you. Why, you’re her best friend! I’m sure that what’s best for you and Dorothy is going to be just fine with her.”

“I agree,” Lizzy said. She grinned. “And I hope she’s going to be so glad to see you—and so surprised and delighted to meet little Dorothy—that she doesn’t notice that Bessie and I came back without Big Bertha.”

Which is of course exactly what happened. Mr. Clinton dropped them all off in front of the diner. Bessie held the door for Violet, who was carrying the pink-wrapped bundle, and Lizzy brought up the rear, toting Violet’s suitcase and the bag of Dorothy’s diapers. Most of the dinner customers had finished and gone, and there were only a few to see Myra May give a loud whoop and rush to fling her arms around Violet, and then step back and give another whoop when she saw the baby. And if Violet had had any lingering worries about whether Myra May would welcome Baby Dorothy into their home, she must have been comforted when she saw Myra May’s face soften and a smile quiver on her lips.

“Oh, my goodness,” she breathed. “What a beautiful baby. What a beautiful little baby!”

It was a while before Lizzy could get Myra May’s attention long enough to hand her Big Bertha’s key and tell her that she’d have to send somebody from the filling station out to the cemetery with a battery, to see if they could get Bertha started and drive her home.

Myra May didn’t seem to mind at all.





TWENTY-THREE


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