The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-16
CyH.a:.s2 SYLVIA
~ |-'~'' Sc n SHIELDS.

sssssssss~sX
Well l murmured, I'm .,u
glad the men at the club like ma nsM
enough to come to our house sr''
enjoys them SO much" Sylvia Iva
just then climbing into low va. way
car with Robert Hewes, who had oan
TO see me, gripping the wheel
4 MY dear" exclaimed nv mo.,
do stop criticizing your sister w.
must realize they are so much vonn.'
than you. Naturally Sylvia and 90
ellie are companionable on motor INV.
and at dances" @'ps
Il don't mind in the least"
turned serenely. But l did mt ~,
serene. Robert had come to tho hors'
for me. and he ended, as did al ms
men friends who came, by taking ~.
Of the younger girls out. Oh. S,S.s
care usually, but Robert Hewes v..
well. he was different. And I A.
care.
When his siren horn sounded +,
took down my sweater and hat, thre- !.
them on the bed and flew downsta,,.
We had planned, perhaps vapue,v :.
60 up to Slayback's woods before ~.
trees were stark and bare. Sylvia. hov.
ever, was downstairs before me ana
an hour later she left the house =.
ride with him.
MY DEAR" from mother AMIN
please don't flatten your nose aea,n,t
the window pane in that undicniA, N
way. Sylvia is very pretty and amus1
ing. They'll have perfectly lovely
time together"
Mother was fairly rag;.s. That
Betty, with twenty-five years on nv
shoulders, had no more maidenly mod.
esty than to cling desperately for ono
look from Robert Hewes, or any man!
I'm perfectly willing to accept the N.
sition of Oldest, to take all the
drudgery, the bitterness and thaakless-
ness from the needless younger mem.
bers, but want some of the sweetness
too.
Lucille, fresh and well groomed and
just twenty, rushed into the room with
an explosive shrek. did you see
Sylvia? Who was the manY felt
like a screen heroine and that the
only proper thing for me to do was
to PROSTATE myself in utter abandon
and shrek back, "Mine!"
Betty met him at the Friday night
Dance" said mother and went into de.
tails. Hes evidently much taken
with Sylvia"
ooh" cried Lucille sympathet.
ically as she and mother exchanged
glances.
Later in the kitchen I worked stead.
lily preparing supper for Robert and
Sylvia. In the kitchen, at least l
could be alone. Mother hated the
place, and so did the girls. Never In
my life have I spent such a miserable
hour as did when I baked the hot
biscuits, broiled ham and made the
coffee for their supper. / watched
through the window for q sight Of the |
long, gray car. For a moment I could
not see clearly through the window for
a mist had dimmed my eyes. It was
all so hOpelessly muddled and tire
some, this charming, dO-nothing fam
lily of ours. The next moment Il
broke panic-stricken for the door.
Robert Hewes had swung his car out
Of the valley road, and, taking the
turn at so miles an hour, the car
smashed into a monster tree, skidded
across to the Standardized roadside. As
I looked Sylvia and Robert shot into
the air.
In q moment we were bending over
them both. Sylvia sat up stunned
but unkurt and blinking tewildered.
Robert lay crushed and broken in the
roadway.
With assistance Sylvia got to her
feet and staggered to the house. l 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 II
he would never let me 60.
Mother and girls stood in the hall ]
awed and weeping as we carrie
him in.
Next day when it was all over, Rob
ert bandaged and his broken ribs set,
I sat beside him. I tried to forget
that through the deliripm Of the night,
be had continuously called my name.
There was great excitement in the
family circle. no one had slept. They
had crouched about listening as my
name fell from his lips. But as Sylvia
said, Of course he was delirious. In
his delirium he thought was sitting
next him when the crash came. When
the PAIN stirred him from his semi
stupor, he murmured broken words
md phrases and before he opened his
eyes in consciousness, the entire fam
ly was il possession Of his heart Sc
ret. During tie long night he strug-
lied to keep me near him. Ceaseless-
V he cried out against letting Sylvia
'un the car. She confessed shame
'acedly that she had leased him into
permitting her to take the wheel, just