“Mrs. Nome, repudiated mother” was “Mrs. Nome, the repudiated mother”
“in an amazed agony” was “in agony” and “in amazement”
“her the conceptual” was “her conceptual”
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“Mop seemed to be discreetly” was “Mop seemed always to dis- creetly”
“bed-pan” was “bed”
“she might carry” was “she might be carrying”
After “offertory” reads “?”—ed.
“biological gods” was “sly gods”
“hilariously angry; each, although obviously at odds, fully” reads “hi- lariously angry, each, although obviously, at odds, fully”—ed.
“Nome wondered, was this” reads “Nome wondered ‘was this”—ed.
After “affection” a long line is drawn across the page—ed.
After “ideological” reads “?”—ed.
“gloriously all pernicious” was “gloriously pernicious”
After “embroilment” reads “?”—ed.
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“ ‘The Most Beautiful’ ” was “ ‘the most beautiful’ ”
After “ ‘brought about’ ” reads, on the next line, “Wraith of Love” —ed.
Another draft fragment reads:
If only I could get rid of my mother
[long line across page]
But however melted in sorrow, it would seem the parti- tion still remained, it must still resist.
Iva Cooper had not had her say, because “All that was low enough — but this disgraceful affair with Martha this is too much. She’s crazy to get rid of you — so that com- mon girl with her stub neck, her spotty face can come and live here. I’m [her] Cassy’s room-mate aren’t I? I wouldn’t stay a minute with the [ridiculous] filthy creature. Cassy finds great qualities in her — hidden quali- ties, to you or me they would not be evident — qualities so rare she has to spend [the] her nights with her to enjoy them.
You’ve seen the disgusting way they lie all over each other on the divan, from 8.oc in the evening until 3 in the morning — and then when we have left for home, how Cassy suddenly runs back—
[along margin of same page] But — moaned the partition I’d taken a room by myself — and Cassie implored me to forgo the deposit — she wanted me here with her — she [wanted] longed for the chance to make up to me for her former unkindness— A staccato “yes”—pinged upon that partition — she wanted your fifty dollars—
The next page includes:
“Oh I’m sure there’s nothing lesbian in it” — — interfered the partition, faintly serene — — “Naturally, you have to pretend, being her mother, I quite understand that — losing the man you love” mused the partition [faintly serene] “is a queer death, you die away with him — yet [you] continue to be torn by the pain that has slain you — your life, which was his he has taken with him — the only illusion [for recovering] of resuming it, is to cling to those oth- ers who knew him also, talking about him reconstructs him, retrieves a little of his, your, living breath — — when Martha and Cassandra whisper together for to us so long long hours on that conferential sofa — they are only cooperating with Time in their protracted healing — — that sofa is [the] a salvage rock of reminiscence for [their] their love’s ship-wreck. .” [However] All the same Mop insists that Martha had begun to get over Gurney — but her confidences with Cassandra have, awfully, revived it — — –
THE CROCODILE WITHOUT ANY TAIL
(6:154)
Burke claims that “The Crocodile without any Tail” was written in 1926, when Loy’s youngest child, Jemima Fabienne Cravan Lloyd, was seven. Loy devised narratives to teach her daughter languages; stories were first told in French, and then repeated in English (BM 372–73).
“The Crocodile without any Tail” is a typed manuscript with numbered pages; pages one and three have two identical copies. Some corrections are made throughout, but most are indecipherable, as they are blacked out with type. Variations in spelling have been edited by relying on the most prominent usage; for instance, “Mamma” is “mamma” at the outset, while “the crocodile” is “the Crocodile” by the end of the text. “School master” and “singing master” are both hyphenated and not; the hyphens have been dropped here.
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“grass” was likely “flowers”
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“ ‘to attach a Christmas tree’ ” reads “ ‘to attach a Xmas tree’ ”—ed.
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“eat its porridge” was “eat hi”
“Mr. and Mrs.” reads “Mr and Mrs”—ed.
“Happy Go Lucky” was “Happy go Lucky”
“which to live, and a large” reads “which to live. and”—ed.
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“began to rain. The” reads “began to rain, the”—ed.
“come and live were” reads “come and live there were”—ed.
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“see a singing master. They” reads “see a singing master they”—ed.
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“up his head and opening his mouth” reads “up his and opening his mouth”—ed.
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“looked exceedingly” reads “looked as exceedingly”—ed.
GLORIA GAMMAGE
(6:164)
This short story is a sketch based on the American writer and wealthy socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan, here named Gloria Gammage. Dodge was one of Loy’s closest friends and influences in Florence, where Loy moved in 1907 (BM 119–22). Loy writes “Mabel” in large hand near the top of the last page, which also yields an instance in which the name of Mabel’s first husband, the architect Edwin Dodge, can be discerned beneath “Antony,” Loy’s male protagonist. Most sheets of this handwritten manuscript conclude with a total word count for the page in question. While reading as a complete narrative, the piece begins mid-sentence, suggesting that a portion may be missing at the outset.
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Prior to the first paragraph, the manuscript reads: “ermine of her cloaks, — and feathers soft as her lashes — isolated her from the prevailing light—”
“Gammage” reads “Gammadge” in the first instance only—ed.
“hurry” reads “[torn page]urry”—ed.
“weeded in” was “weeded by”
“accesses of surfeit it was” reads “accesses of surfeit was”—ed.
“surfeit was” was “surfeit were”
After “personality” reads, partly crossed out: “(she picked up Esau and a couple of his sunset glows and stuffing them beside her in the car — off home with him.)”—ed.
All honorifics—“Mr. and Mrs. Gammage”—read “Mr and Mrs”—ed.
“out at official” reads “out official”—ed.
“Mr. Gammage advising” reads “Mr. Gammage — advising”—ed.
“who’s whos ruminated” reads “who who’s ruminated” and was “who who’s stare”—ed.
“glass ambush” was “the impregnable glass ambush”
“biology” was “anatomy”
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“emptiness” was “intuition”
“that her instincts” was “those instincts”
“marriage and the social prestige” was “marriage at Palms”
“budge” was “move”
“conscious of the men than most women who are” reads “conscious than of the men most women = who are”—ed.