us. I hope nothing ever will, but I don’t know. In my dark moments I seem to see the country sliding toward conflict. God knows, I hope not.
Oh, why do I bother you with all this? It’s only my middle-of-the-night mood, and missing you.
Besides, I’d better get to the books. It seems there’s no end to what you have to memorize to become a doctor. But I still love what I’m doing and can’t see myself being anything but a doctor.
Write and tell me everything about yourself, about school and the holidays and even your new dresses, everything.
Your loving brother,
David
“And Rosa got a letter the same day from Gabriel telling how he had met David. Rosa is very proud of her brother. ‘He is the spiritual one in the family,’ she says, ‘not like me.’
“And then she said, ‘Do you know he would make a fine husband for you?’ Which was very embarrassing because of the way she looked at me, as if she were measuring me like yard goods. After all, I am only thirteen—well, almost fourteen. Papa, I’m sure, would be very pleased if I were to tell him. The Sephardim set the standard with their culture, he says, in spite of being a trifle haughty. But Rosa is not haughty. And Gabriel wasn’t, either. I liked him. He wasn’t fun to talk to, the way David is, though. He was too quiet, Ithought. Papa said he will be a handsome man when he’s grown up. Anyway, I think it was very silly of Rosa to talk like that.”
“We are all going up the river by sidewheeler to stay at Plaisance for the christening of Pelagie’s new baby, her first boy. Just think, she had no children when I first saw her, and now she has four!
“Aunt Emma says it is the duty of a wife to have a large family, as many children as she can. Rosa says Aunt Emma is the typical Creole. ‘Make no mistake,’ Rosa says, ‘these women may not appear to, but they really run things. They are the matriarchs. It is the secret power of women.’ Rosa tells me interesting things about the world, but I do not always agree with them. I think, from what I see, having all those babies cannot mean you run things. What secret power is that?
“So many of them die! What can be the joy of that? One of Aunt Emma’s children died when it was just a week old, three of them died in the fever epidemic, one was bitten by a rattlesnake. How horrible! And some others died of second-summer sickness. It is such a dangerous time, the second summer. Oh, I should feel terrible if any of Pelagie’s babies died! I don’t know how Pelagie would bear it, she is so tender. She cries so easily. Over nothing, sometimes.”
“The house at Plaisance looks like that engraving of the Parthenon that hangs in the upstairs hall outside Papa’s room. It belongs to Pelagie’s father-in-law, Mr. Lambert Labouisse.
“Pelagie has to live there even though she doesn’t want to. Sylvain’s father scares me, he is so formal, with such cold eyes. You feel as if he’d have your head off if you were to laugh too loud or spill something. Heis all starched, without a wrinkle; he kisses your hand and bows his head like a king with such a charming smile that does not go with the rest of his face. Pelagie says he can be charming, but when he has rages, then everyone, even his son Sylvain, is afraid of him.
“David and Sylvain didn’t like each other. David has such strong opinions about people, the way he liked Gabriel and still writes about him. Yet I must say Sylvain is very kind to me. He gave me the most thoughtful present for my birthday, a basket for Gretel, who is growing old. But everyone here is very kind to me except perhaps Eulalie. I think she doesn’t like Jews, but I wouldn’t tell anyone I think so. She sometimes makes remarks that have a certain meaning, I’m sure. ‘Oh, it’s your holiday,’ she’ll say with a queer expression, as if she didn’t think much of it. Rosa says people nurture hatreds when they are miserable,
Oh, why do I bother you with all this? It’s only my middle-of-the-night mood, and missing you.
Besides, I’d better get to the books. It seems there’s no end to what you have to memorize to become a doctor. But I still love what I’m doing and can’t see myself being anything but a doctor.
Write and tell me everything about yourself, about school and the holidays and even your new dresses, everything.
Your loving brother,
David
“And Rosa got a letter the same day from Gabriel telling how he had met David. Rosa is very proud of her brother. ‘He is the spiritual one in the family,’ she says, ‘not like me.’
“And then she said, ‘Do you know he would make a fine husband for you?’ Which was very embarrassing because of the way she looked at me, as if she were measuring me like yard goods. After all, I am only thirteen—well, almost fourteen. Papa, I’m sure, would be very pleased if I were to tell him. The Sephardim set the standard with their culture, he says, in spite of being a trifle haughty. But Rosa is not haughty. And Gabriel wasn’t, either. I liked him. He wasn’t fun to talk to, the way David is, though. He was too quiet, Ithought. Papa said he will be a handsome man when he’s grown up. Anyway, I think it was very silly of Rosa to talk like that.”
“We are all going up the river by sidewheeler to stay at Plaisance for the christening of Pelagie’s new baby, her first boy. Just think, she had no children when I first saw her, and now she has four!
“Aunt Emma says it is the duty of a wife to have a large family, as many children as she can. Rosa says Aunt Emma is the typical Creole. ‘Make no mistake,’ Rosa says, ‘these women may not appear to, but they really run things. They are the matriarchs. It is the secret power of women.’ Rosa tells me interesting things about the world, but I do not always agree with them. I think, from what I see, having all those babies cannot mean you run things. What secret power is that?
“So many of them die! What can be the joy of that? One of Aunt Emma’s children died when it was just a week old, three of them died in the fever epidemic, one was bitten by a rattlesnake. How horrible! And some others died of second-summer sickness. It is such a dangerous time, the second summer. Oh, I should feel terrible if any of Pelagie’s babies died! I don’t know how Pelagie would bear it, she is so tender. She cries so easily. Over nothing, sometimes.”
“The house at Plaisance looks like that engraving of the Parthenon that hangs in the upstairs hall outside Papa’s room. It belongs to Pelagie’s father-in-law, Mr. Lambert Labouisse.
“Pelagie has to live there even though she doesn’t want to. Sylvain’s father scares me, he is so formal, with such cold eyes. You feel as if he’d have your head off if you were to laugh too loud or spill something. Heis all starched, without a wrinkle; he kisses your hand and bows his head like a king with such a charming smile that does not go with the rest of his face. Pelagie says he can be charming, but when he has rages, then everyone, even his son Sylvain, is afraid of him.
“David and Sylvain didn’t like each other. David has such strong opinions about people, the way he liked Gabriel and still writes about him. Yet I must say Sylvain is very kind to me. He gave me the most thoughtful present for my birthday, a basket for Gretel, who is growing old. But everyone here is very kind to me except perhaps Eulalie. I think she doesn’t like Jews, but I wouldn’t tell anyone I think so. She sometimes makes remarks that have a certain meaning, I’m sure. ‘Oh, it’s your holiday,’ she’ll say with a queer expression, as if she didn’t think much of it. Rosa says people nurture hatreds when they are miserable,
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