The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-08-25
CHAPTER 1I-(Continued)

Don't be a fool, Tad" she ad
monished. You know perfectl,
we'll what 1 mean. Suppose 1 hat
a yearning for that little hous
you're talking about, and kids in TIN
back yard. Do you suppose I'd wan
to marry any of the booze hound
we know?
at sounds sort of funny, but II
ever did get married, I'd want tt
sort of settle down-oh, I don
:. mean I'd be a vegetable. But II
But out all these wild parties, anC
well. you know yourself how it is
old thing. Who wants to marry {
, girl that's run with my crowd fol
three years? You wouldn't yourself
not if you we're sober, mean.
Hey" Clumsily he clapped his
hand over her mouth. What are
you talking about, idiot? How dc
you get that way?"
ooh, we'll" Sybil shrugged he1
slim shoulders eloquently. Moth
ing matters very much now. It's
a crazy old world, Tad. Remember
how we used to talk about ideals
and glory after the war? Wasn't
it bunkum Everything seemed SC
\. sort of exalted then. Now nothing
counts but just money and good
times. There were some lines in
that poem you gave me:
They crowded all their youth in
an hour.
And for one f1eeting dream of right
they died.
II used to think that was glorious.
It thrilled me that John had died
for dream. 1t was so splendid.
So romantic. But pretty soon people
stopped caring.
1T didn't rake any difference
all the boys that died. Everybody
forgot. They laughed and joked,
and only remembered on holidays
when they waved flags, and made
speeches and got drunk"
Bright spots burned on SYPHILIS
cheeks.
1T makes me so damn mad!"
she. cried, and clenched her small
brown hands.
But, SiS"-Tad took her rebel
hous little flsts-"if human nature
wasn't like that the world would
have gone mad ages ago. Men
couldn't keep their sanity if they
couldn't forget"
Il know" Sybill sighed YEARLY.
I'm not bitter about it any more.
It's better, perhaps-the way it is.
I'm not rebellious now. Nor angry.
Nor even broken hearted. But I
see things as they are. War propa-
ganda and everything. Grand words
and beautiful phrases. But they
didn't mean anything. Poppycock |!
1t was all SO useless-John getting
killed.
Someone wrote a poem-It was
for visions that they fell Well.
we've lost the visions, and that
makes the sacrifice all worthless.
/ hope the dead don't know how
stupid it was-dying for nothing.
thought at first I was going to die
myself, Tad, but I guess it's only in
books that people die of broken
hearts.
II wanted grief to kill mel really
old. That was childish, wasn't it?
SAnd, instead, it only sort o. smoth-
cred all the good that was in me.
There wasn't much religion for
our generation, you know. 1 said
all my prayers during the war; and
when it was over and they hadn't
any OF them been answered,
hadn't any more prayers left.
I think the war killed faith
and faith was the loveliest thing on
earth. When it persisted we sub
stituted reason. And reason is so
unsatisfactory.
1t gets you awfully muddled.
Now think there isn't any absolute
wrong. No real signs. Only ever so
many wild, foolish things-'geStures
the psychoanalysts call them"
MYTH sudden change of spirit
w she giggled.
I'm not SHINING, Tad. I'm only
gesticulating."
But Tad was very sober and spoke
like a patriarch.
You're only making excuses, Sy-
bill, for what you know is wrong"
Eyes, know" she admitted. But
what difference does it all make?"
More like lover than a brother
he put his arm about her, and held
her for a second in a grip that made
her vince.
You're talking in circles" he told
her sagely. Poor, crazy little Sib. ,
That's the way I think" she re-
torted. It's hard, getting things
straight. I've tried harder than you
know"
Poor old kid" He patted her
hand. Upon my word, I feel like
a rotter-the news I've got for YOU
CHAPTER III
"CHoOT!"
~ Sybil regarded her brother with
| sisterly affection. Saw him flush
ooyishly and shift his own embar-
raised gaze.
Gosh Almighty Tad, what have
you done? Killed cop? Or done
a good girl wrong?"
mo kidding" he told her. And
standing, ground his heel in the
sand like a small boy torn between
impulses to talk and hold his tongue
1.-THE truth is, Sib-hang it all
I wish you didn't feel-well, any,
how, Sis, I'm engaged"
My Gawdl" Sybil threw herself
back on the sands. Everybody gets