New Britain herald., 1928-01-23
Her head felt as big as tho room itself.

dcr Aeo0 1clt SS DIE 0S tnC rOOIn waffles with your hands. Come on. let's go!"
 She had forgotten all about the suitcases that she had been planning to pack and to spirit out of the house. She was ready for fun and plenty of it-and the wilder 1t was | the better she was going to like it, so she said, getting up to go. But Jack refused to budge. . .. What could be sweeter than this, he asked. To sit here in Staley's big. warm, comfortable house, sunk deep in a cushioned arm chair. with drinks at his elbow. and the three best pals a man ever had right here with him? What could be sweeter, couldn't tell him.
 Why, we're celebrating our big day in advance" he said to her, and for two hours Lily watched him eel ebrate it.
 For two hours he never moved from the depths of the big Sleepy hollow chair except when he leaned forward to take another glass of the l Bourbon that he had begun to drink with ginger ale. or to light a cigaret.
 'If he were anybody but Jack Eastman, I'd worry about him." Sue said when he finally swayed to lis feet and announced that he was ready to go home at half past nine. But Jack always says that the more he has had to drink the better he can drive his car-and that's the unholy fact"
 'I'll go with you" Lily told her, getting up from her chair, too.
 No, I'll take you" staley inter- rupted, firmly.
 But Lily was twice as firm as he was She simply was not going to be alone with Staley Drummond that night to talk things over serious ly." as he said.
 She was not ready to talk things over with him. First of all, she wanted to think them over herself. If she married staley, would all of her evenings be like this one? Either evenings that she spent alone with him, as she had spent the first part of it, or evenings spent drink ing and talking rubbish with Sue and Jack Eastman or some other couple or couples? 'I'm going with Sue and Jack" she said again, positively. If you drive me home you know we'll talk for two or three hours more-and I don't want to. I'm tired. l was up early this morning and I want to go to bed" She had risen at half past eight, but that was early for her these days, although it would have been disgracefully late down in the neigh borhood of tho Jettersons and the France family.
 And so--as usual-she had her own way about 1t. She started home with Sue and Jack
 How the accident happened Lily never knew.
 Even at the time she did not reai- ize how close the big car was that 1 turned into Montpelier road from a side street about two blocks from Staley's street.
 One moment it's headlights seem- ed to be far away. and the next mo- ~1n %N giant eyes. blinding her as the car behind them crashed into Jacks roadster.
 There was terrific thud, and Lily felt As if all her bones were twisted tight together. and that her head had been hit with a sledge hammer. There was a sound of splintering glass and the shrill. high i scream of Sue close beside her. "O-ooo-ooo! We're terrible hurt"
 She found herself laughing a lit- tle It seemed such a silly thing 10 say. somehow. Of course they were | hurt.
 Jack was bent ever the steering wheel and his head rested on it. He ! had not made sound.
 That was odd. she thought, SO tn- terested in him that she did not mo- tice the crowd that was collecting all around them.
 'Sue--Jack's badly hurt" she said, and tried to make him speak. But he didn't, and Sue did not seem 70 realize that he was badly injured She kept crying and laugh ing and wiping her eyes. Lily turned to look out Of the car and then she saw how many ma chimes had appeared as if by magic. The road was fast filling with peo- pie. and little group of men were standing around inc other car-or what was left of lt.
 Hurt. ladies? 2" asked mans voice, and the handle of the door Leside Lily was opened by a short, Stocky man whose eyeglasses twin kled in the light from the arch lamp abov" them.
 We aren't. but the man with us is,' Lily answered shakily. wonder- ing why she did not cry. T think we'd better have a doctor--or rush him to a hospital"
 Sue seemed to wake out of her 1aze at that. "Who?-Jack ?" she