FELISBERTO HERNANDEZ
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p rev io us editio ns-is spreading amo ng us. Here is a sample of a fli er
left a t o ne o f our main clubs: Are you ugly? Do n 't worry. Shy? Fo rget it.
No mo re quarrels, back ta lk , goss ipy rela ti ves. A Da isy Doll for a ll ,
o ffering her sil ent love."
Ma ry was shakin g a ll over :
"The nerve-to think he can use the name of our ... !"
Still g ras pin g fo r words, she ra ised fl as hing eyes, a imed them
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fur y, and sho uted :
" Look a t thi s! "
T he fa t cousin , sea ted nea rby, blinked and rummaged in her
sewing bas ket, looking for her g lasses. Mary sa id:
" Listen to thi s." And she read o ut the leafl et. ' 'I'm no t just go ing
to divorce him , but kick up the bi gges t row thi s country has ever seen ."
" Now you 're talkin g sense!" sho ut ed the fa t cousin , ta kin g her
hands-which were raw from scrubbing pans-bac k out o f the bas ket.
And , a t th e first chance she had, whil e Mary strode frantica ll y up and
down , trippin g o ver inn ocent pl ants and fl owerpo ts, she hid the book
of poem s from her.
T he next day the chauffeur came in wondering how to evade
Mary's ques ti ons about H orace; but she onl y as ked him for the mo ney
and then sent him bac k to the bl ac k house to fetch Mary, the tw in.
Mary-the twin-arrived in the a ft ern oon and told her a ll a bout the
spy and how they a ll had to ca ll her Miss Eul a lie. At first Mary–
Ho race's wife-was terrified, and as ked fa intl y:
"Does she look like me?"
" No, Madam-she's bl onde and dresses differentl y."
Ma ry-Ho race's wife-jumped up , but then dropped bac k into her
armcha ir, cry in g a t the top of her vo ice . The fa t cousin appea red and
the twin repea ted the story. The fa t cousin 's heaving breas t shook as
she burst into lo ud moans; and the pa rro t jo ined the racket screechin g:
"Hell o, milksops."
VIII
Wa lter was back from a holiday and Ho race was hav ing hi s
ni ghtl y showings aga in. The first ni ght , he' d ta ken Eul a li e into the
showroom with him, sa t her next to him o n the podium and kep t hi s
arms ar ound her whil e he wa tched the o ther do ll s. The boys had made
up scenes with mo re " persona liti es" than usua l. There were fi ve in the
first g lass case, representing the boa rd o f directo rs o f a soc iety [o r the
pro tecti on of unwed mo thers. One of them had just been elected
