Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1922-12-29
THE SOB SISTERS
by GRACE cANFIELp

with difhculty Kept himself awake,
thus far In anticipation of just such
silence, looked up suspiciously. He
rustled the evening paper nervously
as lie put 1t down; the old morris chair
groaned loudly as he quilted Its CIV
ernous depths.
Half way to the door of his daugh-
ter's room, Mr.. Carver paused. for the
silence was suddenly broken by dis
turblng sound, q deep, rocking sob. II
was followed by another, and many
more. and the unhappy father, himself
grooming this time. sank back into
the morris chair, hopping his brow
with something akin to desperation.
For two years now he had been en-
gagged in the task of bringing up Molly,
and during that period he had found
life rather difficult, succession of
problems which called for immediate
attention. But no previous clash of
arms between father and daughter had
been at all comparable with this one.
A week ago Molly had announced
her engagement to Richard Field. Her
father had at once advanced strenu-
Gus objections to the young man, and
war was on. Molly's attitude had been
one of open defiance. which had been
unaffected by any of the measures
which her father chose to employ.
He had overlooked the fact that
Twentieth century daughters are not
to be governed by Eighteenth century
methods. II did not suffice in these
days to put ones foot down. Molly
had remained unmoved by threats and
promises. And yet Mr.. Carver admit
ted to himself sheepishly that perhaps
II had been q bit unnecessary to shut
her up In her room on diet Of bread
and waterl
But Richard Fieldi The shadow
in the room deepened. and the tortured
father forgot for a moment even those
terrible sobs as he tried vainly to fight
off the specter which peered at him
from the dim, ghostly corners. 1t was
another Richard Field that he saw
elder and grayer and sadder.
But, dad" he could hear his daugh-
ter's voice again pleading, what II
Dick is poori He won't be very long"
He heard his own impatient answer.
Poor Who mentioned poverty7
tell you, l knew his father, and
would rather see you in your grave
than married to his soni"
He looked up suddenly from his rev.
erie. The specter In the shadows was
holding its sides with silent laughter.
"Of course you would" It sputtered.
"Who would want his conscience for
sOn-in-law" Mr.. Carver started an.
erily. A hard, dry sob from the next
room made him vince. The specter
laughed again. and went on:
poor old Dick Field" II said. "He
was rich man till you met him.
Skinned him clean, you did. Every
cent. Committed suicide, poor fellow.
What else could he DOR
That's lie." cried Mr. Carver.
leaping to his feet.
us itY Knocked the ghostly voice.
'Then let your daughter marry his
son."
~ can't" groaned the man. Then, as
the horrld weeping broke forth In the
next room with renewed vlgor, he
bowed his face in his hands. II WILL"
ne cried. "She can marry anyone she
likes, IL she will only stop that. never
heard her cry like that before. I tell
you she can!" He leaped to his feet
and sprang toward the door.
"It's too late" said the specter voice
l.. ~.
sprang to turn the electric light switch.
but paused in the act. His step sound.
ed harshly In the sudden silence, for
the sobblng in the next room had alb
ruptly ceased. He stood as IL trans.
fixed, gazing at the closed door. What
cauld be happening there?
Poor little kid" he muttered to him.
self. 'Pve been brute" He heard
whirring, buzzlng sound, then a
crash. as Of broken. fragile stuff Then
silence again-complete.
II was uncomfortable. The shaken
father strobe to tine door, his resolu-
tons cast TO the four winds. Turning
the key in the lock. he threw wide the
door, The room was empty. Did he
imagine 1t, or was there hollow,
satirical laugh behind him?
"Gone" For moment he felt only
an OverpOwerlng sense of loss. Then
he rushed to the open window. There
was no sign OF Molly except few tell
tale scratches on the window sill. But
the sobs? Had he not just heard ter
rible, Notwithstanding cries which had
broken down his resistance as nothing
else had done? Duly he glanced about
the room once more.
From the table near the window
came dull whirrlng note. as a pho
nograph whirled to a lazy. lncon-
sequential stop. Mr.. Carver's gaze be-
came fixed. Not her own voice?
Could those wretcbed cries, which
haunted him still. have been merely
mechanical? A broken record on the
iloor answered him. AS he bent closer
to read It's title the low chuckle again
sounded behind him. II was The
Sob Sisters"
Mr.. Carver aughed-laughed as one
who is determined To he game to the
end, whatever IL costs.
- 4. a.. 4