The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1914-11-12

life For similar reasons she wore silk |
and woolen gloves-with loathing.
The harder. more trying belief, q |
theory. the more ardently Sylvia es-
poused it. Loving peace above all |
things. she fought daily for her prin-
,iples.
These things being so. it was natu-
raj. almost inevitable. that she should
attract and reciprocate the love of
Robert Billings. big. hearty. as firm
and confirmed simple liver" as she
was transcendental, able, physically
and mentally. to hold Sylvia in the hol
low of his hand.
Though she struggled long and hard
against thes conviction, Sylvia knew
him for her master ut sight.
To do her justice. however. she bat
tied bravely against the growing desire
TO capitulate to Billings.
Every time the latter. loving, loud
voiced. confident, returned from one
Of the engineering Jobs" from which
he drew satisfaction and sustenance.
Sylvia, feeling her fate little nearer.
endeavored to chill him to an icicle. to
send him quite out of her orbit.
But Billings was made Of stuff too
stern even for her martyr material
asceticism. He hated the strange
tenets and cults in which Sylvia rev
| eled: but. paradoxically. he loved her
| for embracing them. And he always
| knew not only what he wanted. but
also how to get it.
Sylvia. at first condescending to ar
que with him in behalf of the furred
and feathered little brothers he shot
with such ruthless enjoyment. present
Iy found herself reluctantly enjoying
his society. BY and by it seemed as If
| she might do 1.-The cause" good service
by changing his opinions. And by the
time she knew Roberts principles-or
lack Of them-as ineradicably ingrained
as her own--she couldn't live without
him. So they became engaged.
Everybody. including Sylvia. won
dered how the affair would turn out
everybody. that is. but Syivia's calmly
joyous fiance Robert knew no tremors.
no fears.
Leave her alone, bless her heart!'
be adjured Sylvia's parents when the
latter. glad in the betrothal but fearful
lis to its future. all things considered
gently suggested that Sylvia was not
quite like less commonplace maidens.
Leave her alone. l don't want hel
to let 20 Il single fact or fancy she
likes for my sake-until she's ready te
do So If her queer principles make
her happy. why shouldn't she enjoy
them? | don't care how much she
'loves all the rest of the world. so Ions
as she loves me more"
Privately. the young man was of tht
opinion that marriage. eliminating IL
the motherhood she SO highly revered
would change Sylvia make her not les.
good. but more normal But he sait
nothing. naturally. of this theory.
He only went on loving Sylvia huge
ly. spending every available momen
with her. obeying such of her com
mands and wishes as were possible t
him. sharing her beliefs and practice
whenever he could. evading issues tha
promised to prove argumentative o
/ stormy. This was most difficult whel
il it came to questions of physical prov
ess and war
j Like most large men. Robert wa
Il reaceabe by nature. but he believed /
| the timely and judleious laying on Q
hands and that in order to enjoy peac
| it frequently was necessary to figh
| for it.
/ Sylvia as noncombatant extremis
| earnestly desired to convict him of el
ror in this direction Sometimes
| seemed to her us if she simply mus
succeed since she found herself equa
| Iy unable to face the prospect of lid
j crowned by or bereft of her des
| tighter
The climax came ON the Sunday af
ernoon when Sylvia. who. scared {
her life in the dark and of all nasc1
line strangers, worked several eve
ings a week with the larger lads of
slum settlement. broke off the recordt
conversation to conduct boys pea
meeting" in the club hall.
. Robert had consented to accompaI
u her, though he hated slums and pea
meetings. because it was his on
| chance of spending, the occupied tin
=! with Sylvia. whom since on the NC
N row he must away for another lol
lob he would not see again for Sc
eral weeks.
They went through neishborho
be mentally characterized as 'rotteI
resolving that once Sylvia was
wife. he'd stop her going to su
places If they had to move to t
Rocky mountains.
= Sylvia. born aristocrat. sedulous
persuaded herself that she loved
= soiled. unkempt men and women W
shared the stuffy street car with the
in Billings. born democrat. not in
m least obiecting to work or even !
.u with his social and educational III
riors. found the prevailing atmosph'
Ter of beer. whisky. fried onions. stale
,as baeco and unclean clothing particul
Ike ~ distressing
lily Sylvia. divining his state of mi
u tried to talk ON sweetly. but was sor
aly hindered by the crowded condition
lso the car. the perpetual change OF oc
er- pants. the general discomfort Of
situation
RS Robert. standing straight and $
ess before her. Tending her as well
nd might be from the unpleasant thro
Ids preserved for the most part a sie
l. fr,r Or