Read the following and then answer the question.

the twins were born on may 4, 1932. mamma went down with childbed fever soon after. pa got her the preacher. the preacher said he intended to breathe the breath of the lord into her lungs because of the two little babies needin’ their mamma. that left me entirely out of the picture, but it wasn’t any use to say, "what about me? " mamma was too far gone for the breath of the lord.

i patted her hot hand, and i said over and over, "mamma, don’t leave me. don’t die. can you hear me? it’s your ownliest sugar-plum talking. it’s pearl. can you hear me? "

who is the narrator?

pa,
mamma,
pearl,
or an outside observer