Ida a Novel by Gertrude Stein, Logan Esdale Read Free Book Online Page B

tall. Later she was walking up the road and she walked slowly.
    She was not so young any more. It almost happened that she would be not sad not tired not depressed but just not so young any more.
    She looked around her, she was not all alone because somebody passed by her and they said, it is a nicer evening than yesterday evening and she said, it was.
    Ida married again. He was Andrew Hamilton and he came from Boston.
    It is very usual of them when they come from Boston to be selfish, very usual, indeed. He and Ida sat together before they sat down.
    But not, said some one seeing him, and who had heard of Ida, not, he said.
    In Boston the earth is round. Believe it or not, in Boston the earth is round. But they were not in Boston, they were in Washington.
    In Boston they hear the ocean as well. Not in Washington. There they have the river, the Potomac.
    They were being married, it was not exciting, it was what they did. They did get married.
    Once upon a time all who had anywhere to go did not go. This is what they did.
    Ida was married again this time he came from Boston, she remembered his name. She was good friends with all her husbands.
    This one came from Boston. They said Massachusetts, and when they said Massachusetts they remembered how fresh and green they were there, all of it, yes that is what they said.
    In Washington it was different.
    There it was in Washington it was come carefully and believe what they said.
    Who is careful.
    Well in a way Ida is.
    She lives where she is not.
    Not what.
    Not careful.
    Oh yes that is what they say.
    Not careful.
    Of course not.
    Who is careful.
    That is what they said.
    And the answer was.
    Ida said.
    Oh yes, careful.
    Oh yes, I can almost cry.
    Ida never did.
    Oh yes.
    They all said oh yes.
    And for three days I have not seen her.
    That is what somebody did say somebody really somebody has said. For three days I have not seen her.
    Nobody said Ida went away.
    She was there Ida was.
    So was her husband. So was everybody.

 
     
     
     
Part Five
Politics
     
     
     
    They said, they do not want to buy from Ida. Why should they want to buy.
    Ida and he.
    He did not come from Louisiana, no. He was that kind. He did not only not come from Louisiana but he had had a carriage hound, a white and black spotted one and he the black and white spotted one was killed not killed but eaten by other dogs, they were all looking at a female dog and no one told him that the dog was nearly dead.
    No one told him.
    A young woman had silently had a way of giving the dog sugar and when she heard the dog was dead she ate the sugar.
    And the man who was not from Louisiana added that, Oh yes he added that.
    He and Ida.
    He would have bought from Ida bought and well not well yes well no well why why not bought from Ida.
    Ida was a friend.
    She stayed in Washington.
    She came to do what she knew each one of them wanted.
    Easy enough in Washington.
    She did not sell anything although they all wanted to buy.
    Not at Bay Shore.
    No not in Louisiana.
    But in Carolina.
    Not in North Carolina.
    But in South Carolina.
    Yes he would have bought from Ida in South Carolina but Ida was not there never there. She never was in either North or South Carolina. She was in Washington.
    And so well yes so he did he did not buy from Ida.
    Only Ida.
    Well what did Ida do.
    Ida knew just who was who.
    She did. She did know.
    They did not not an awful lot of them know Ida, just enough knew Ida to make Ida be just the one enough of them knew.
    There are so many men.
    What do you call them there.
    There are so many men.
    They did not all know Ida.
    Now then.
    In Washington, some one can do anything. Little by little it was Ida. She knew Charles and she smiled when she saw him. He wanted her to give him the rest of the morning. The rest of the morning. She was too busy too. She said, she never had anything to do but she did not give him the rest of the morning.
    Woodward would not die of chagrin when he did not get what he had