The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1920-04-03
THE S o S.
By CRAWFORD LUTTRELL.

Army men on post welcome visit
ing girls as the glad old earth well
comes spring, but it was quite evil
dent, after the first week of her so
journ i'm the house of Captain An
struthers, that his sister Helen was
going to have a sorry time of ii. She
was pretty enough in her way, but that
elusive something that makes or mars
a girls success with men held no prom
Use for the captains uneasy wife.
Anne. What was she going to do with
her sister-in-law for a whole month?
Men came, perfunctorily, at her bid
ding. They ate her dinners, nibbled
her cakes and drank her tea, but~they
returned the courtesies with the air
of men paying just and honest debts
when they Gould make far happier use
of the money. None Of them on leav-
ing fingered little to grasp her hand
and whisper, ashes some little peach.
your visitor! Say good word for
me! How about dinner with me to-
morrow night, and could~you squeeze
in horseback ride for the next after
noonT'
Something had to be done and done
quickly.
Anne thought over the list of pos
>sibilities. Her heart gave little con-
vulsive gasp at thought of sending an
s. o. S. to the colonel, and yet she
looked forward happily to the oppOr-
tunities that it would offer to, exhibit
herself in all her Mature loneliness
to the man whom she had refused to
marry Tom Anstruthers. There was
always little glow of feminine salts
faction when she reflected that he
was a bachelor because of her. His
eyes were inscrutable, unfathomable
They looked at her as If they were
still seeing the,pretty. innocent young
girl she had been when, visiting the
post years before, she had chosen a
husband because he, was the best
looking officer there, the best dancer
and the most adept at making love.
Well, she had paid for her failure tC
discriminate, but nobody knew how
much she had paid. Outwardly she
was the toast of the officers mess,
beautiful as a star and just as cold,
men found who ventured to make up
for Anstruther's obvious lack of at
tention.
She had never asked a favor of Col
onel Kent, but the time had come when
she felt that the end justified the
means. She could not have Toms
quiet little sister go back home with
a tale of unhappiness TO tell. The girl
had looked forward to the visit foI
years. Anne knew. She remembered
how 1t had been when she was young
So Anne wrote little perfumed note
and asked the colonel to call at tea
time the next day. She planned tc
have few others in so that she could
take the colonel aside and explain just
what was wanted without having
Helen suspect anything.
She longed TO wear a blue georgettt
frock deliberately embroidered in stee
beads, but the colonel had often men
toned his fondness for her in that "ol
or in the never-to-be-forgotten days o.
youth, so she resolutely pushed aside
the alluring little garment and select
ed drab gray 10 which only her sap
phires gave color.
OF course they had met almost ev
cry day in the year, but he never wen
| to Anne's house unless he was invit
ed there, and Anne only asked hin
when there were many other guests
Lately she had seen little of him. HI
was beginning to plead that middle
aged officers ought to turn ever socia
affairs to the younger fellows and lie
! them have their fling.
When the few people whom she ha,
/ asked had all been served. Anne lef
the gay little tea table 'and CASUAL.
moved over to sit beside the colonel.
"Pm so glad that you came" sh
said. 81 want to ask big favor o
you"
"Granted." he answered, smiling In
scrutably, before you ask, as you mus
have known 1t would be-"
captain Anstruther's little sister
visiting me for a month. For som
reason, not known to me, she is no
proving very popular. My sixth sens
\ tells me that"
! 'Woman's intuition"
"She is young, as you can see. S
young that her heart and her eyes ar
still filled with dreams. want he
to be gay and happy while she is here
Already she Is beginning to feel tina
the men are not rushing her as sh
had hoped they would. Can you he'll
me? VIII you help me to make he
visit here all that want it to be?'
A little wistful smile played abou
his fun lips and etched with boil
stroke the fine lines that were alread
showing at the corners of his brow
eyes. TITS big task to put up TO
man whose own dreams have neve
come true. but I'll do my best. VIVA
ever you say goes, you know. toll
you that same thing, fifteen years ago.