The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-23
EVENING STORY
Curing Sylvia.
(By Elizabeth Shields. }

(By E1ZaDelh Sn1elQS.
WELL" 1 murmured, I'm always
glad the men at the club nks me well
enough to come to our house. Sylvia
| enjoys them so much" Sylvia was
just them climbing into a -ow racing
car with Robert Hewes, who had
called to see me, gripping The wheel
My DEAR" exclaimed my mother,
do stop criticising your sisters You
must realize they are so much young
Ter than you. Naturally Sylvia and Luz
ellie are companioaable on motor trips
and at Dances" There was a scared
look in mothers eyes, however, as she
said this. She is always afraid of the
/ day when I will revolt, as revolt will
some day.
| 81 don't mind in the least" L re-
turned serenely. But 1 did not feel
sere1. Robert had come to the
house for me, and he ended, as did all
my men friends who came, by taking
one of the younger girls out. oh,
didn't care usually, but Robert Hewes
was-well, he was different. And I
did care.
When his siren horn sounded 1 took
down my sweater and hat, threw them
on the bed and flew downstairs. We
hid planned, perhaps vaguely. to go
up to Slayback's woods before the
| trees were stark and bare. Sylvia,
however, was downstairs before me,
and an hour later she left he house
for a ride with him.
MY dear" from mother again.
"please don't flatten your nose against
the window pane in that undignified
way. Sylvia is very pretty and anus
ing. They'll have a perfectly lovely
| time together" However, / was sure
Robert Hewes would be bored. l
stayed at the window long enough to
see him look searchingly at the house,
land, discovering me to smile ana
raise his hat Sylvia blushed, Cimpled,
smiled and waved. t,
T. Mother was fairly raging. That 1,
Betty, with twenty-five years on my
| shoulders had no more maidenly mod
esty than to cling desperately for one
| look from Robert Hewes, or any man!
I'm perfectly willing to accept the po-
sition of eldest, to take all the drudg-
cry, the bitterness and thanklesSneSS
from the needless younger members,
but 1 want some of the sweetness too.
| Mother, in her secret soul, would have
| liked to have had her three daughters
all eighteen, like Sylvia, and all bellies
of our very insignificant town. Some
how the glory of it had never seemed
worth the effort to me till the Hewes
family moved to town.
Lucille, fresh and well groomed and
just twenty, rushed into the room with
an explosive shrek. did you see
Sylvia? Who was the MANI" 1 felt
like a screen heroine and that the only
proper thing for me to do was to pros
trate myself in utter abandon and
Betty met him at the Friday night
| Dance mother went into details
He's evidently taken much with Syl-
VIA"
'Oh!" cried Lucille sympathetically
as she and mother exchanged glances
L wished they would go. 1 wanted
to be alone
''Sylvia's a cat,'' said LuciNe flip
PANTY.
oh, shut up." I begged with the
privilege accorded family councils
Later in the kitchen 1 worked
steadily preparing supper for Robert
and Sylvia In the kitchen at least 1
could be alone Mother hated the
place and so did the girls. Never in
my life have spent such a miserable
hour as ! did when 1 baked the hot
biscuits, broiled ham and made the
coffee for their supper. 1 was dead
tired of being pushed aside thought
lessly. I was weary of sharing ali nv
possessions with my fraiI. lovely sis
tiers. 1 had reached that part of
cooking where the debris had to be
cared for when Lucille rushed in,
shifting her pretty nose at the aroma
of the coffee and biscuits 1 watched
thru the window for a sight of the
long, gray car. Mother peeped in the
kitchen and shot a worried glance at
me. Mother lived in terror of disa-
greements- For a moment could not
see clearly thru the window for a
mist had dimmed my eyes. 1t was all
so hopelessly muddled and tiresom,
this charming. do-nothing family OF
: ours. The next moment 1 screamed.
Robert Hewes had swung the car
out of the valley road and. taking the
turn at fifty miles an hour, the car
smashed into a monster tree, skidSel
across to the Standardized roa dside.
AS 1 looked, Sylvia and robert shot
into the air.
In a moment we were bending over
/ them both. Sylvia sat up stunned but
unhurt and blinking bewildered. Rob-
+ ert lay crushed and broken in the
roa dway. I looked lust once at his
still. white face The red blood
streamed down his coat.
, With assistance Sylvia got to kes
feet and staggered to the house. sat
in the roadway and held Roberts
head in my lap. He had tainted
; When his eyes opened he looked into
mine with utter amazement. He
: smiled wanly as he assured me he
{ wasn't hurt. and his lean. brown hand
! caught compellingly at mine. as if he
1 would never let me go.
Mother and the girls stood in the
5 hall. awed and weeping as we carried
; him in.
:. Next day when it was all over. Rob-
i ert bandaged and his broken ribs set
l sat beside him. I tried to forget
I that thru the delirium of the night
l he had continuously celled NV namf
: There was great excitement in tho
family circle. no one had slept. The,
r had crouched about listening as my
D name fell from his lips But as Sy.
: via said. of course he was de1irious
In his delirium he thought was sit