Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1928-03-30
FLAPPER
GRANDMA AT
THE WHEEL
i.s.c ,..o...o-so."oS>~Soso~o~o"o.
10 by D. J. Walsh.l

X ! white hair, her slim, erect
w inquire and fashionable
clothes she is one of the
youngest In our crowd as to fun and
energy, and because she is eighty
years young und so full of pep" we
call her our ilappef.
Natalie and her grandmother are
real chums which Is a pretty good
thing for Natalie, who needs real
chum, Spoiled beyond all reason
when she was younger. as she neared
maturity her parents, realizing their
error, began to surround her with just
as unreasonable restrictions and In
hibitions. and Of course there was
war
Things would have been much
worse, but about two years ago her
grandmother broke up her home and
came to live with her sons family.
She acted as sort Of buffer between
the girl and her parents, pouring oil
on the troubled domestic waters, and
with her tact and sympathy winning
the rebelllous girls confidence.
They go about together great
deal, and though the older woman
must often long to stay quietly ar
home, she never says so. Natalie Is
tremendously proud Of her and loves
to take her around. "Why. grandma
she will exclaim, IF you would just
get your face lifted you would not
look day over fifty"
"And lose that face eighty years of
real living has given to me? I'm
afraid cannot do that, dear | am
used to this face; l have lived with
1t long time. Did you ever see a
lifted face that had any more ex-
preston than q wax dolli"
Natalie was twenty last summer,
when Travers Stanton came into her
life. lie was good looking and had
soft caressing way with women that
made the girls rave over him, and
caused the men to grind out muttered
curses.
Natalle's father disllked Stanton In.
stinctlvely and peremptorlly forbade
her having anything to do with him.
OF course Stanton Immediately be-
came very intriguing to the wlllful
girls fancy, though before that she
had scarcely noticed him.
For the first time her grandmother
demonstrated with Natalie. Hitherto
she had regarded her romantic esca.
pades with amused sympathy, but her
experience warned that Stanton was
different proposition from the young
sheiks who had swarmed around the
| girl.
This man was much older, subtle
and she felt, dangerous. She tried tO
warn Natalie, with the result that the
infatuated girl shut her, too, from her
confidence.
Grandma was In despair. She dis.
liked to betray Natalie to her parents
and she was convinced that her dar.
ling was In danger. She was per.
suaded that she was meeting Stanton
clandestinely, and she had not lived
eighty years for nothing.
One evening she sat In her room,
trying to decide on some plan of ac
ton that would open the girls eyes.
NatalIe's parents had gone for a mo.
tor ride and she and her granddaugl-
ter were alone I'm the houae 40 sba
sat musing she heard an automobile
stop In front Of the house and heard
Natalie run downstairs. She reached
n window In tlme"to see her getting
into closed car and I'm the faint light
she recognized Stanton.
For an instant she stood rigid over.
come nv nm overwbeImin0 sensa ot
danger. then with n swlft nrovor for
help she hurried down the stoirs In
the garage stood n small runobout
which she and Natalie used treatment.
ly, and which Natalie had coaxed her
into learning to drive.
Just think" she urged "of ieorn.
ing to drive at eighty, and besides
who knows but something might han.
pen that you would have 10 drive p
II was happening now. grandma
thought grimly, as she backed the lit
tie car out and started II I'm the dIrec.
iIon taken by the other one. The
closed car was out Of sight, but she
took the direction, knowing It was the
only paved road leading to the coun.
try.
she was not nervous. The thought
Of danger to Natalie swallowed up all
sense Of personal danger or even DOS.
sibllity Of failure. OF course, she
would catch them. She must
Finally, her stralning eyes caught a
red beam far ahead, and that preset
ence on which she had always relied.