New Britain herald., 1928-09-11
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COPYRIGHT e26 NMA HMu Inc

3Wkk In " ILL.,
there it is. DO you understand.
Tad?"
Tad ran his hand through his
rumpled hair.
TN be darned if ! do" he con-
fessed. and pulled strand,
bleached like moldsses candy. dow.
between his eyes. You're too darn
analytical. and you don't know
what it's all about. When you
start dissecting life and love, and
all that sort OF thing. you're getting
in over your head. And you know,
Sib, it's sort of cuckoo to talk
about love as if there was price
tag on it. ''rhorns and vinegar!
Suffering catfish"
"Oh, I'm not complaining, she
interrupted serenely. I'm glad
it's that way. 1t would be a mil
lion times worse if life could go
on just the same, with John out of
it all. I'm not posing as a TRACE
dienne, or anything like that. And
I'm not a martyr to love. I've had
a lot of good times since my poor
old heart broke. And I'll probably
have a lot more. l used to feel
treacherous whenever | was say.
AS if | was somehow betraying
John and the past. But ] don't feel
like that any more. That's why ]
can play around with Craig. you
see. And pet bit. And not feel
too badly about it,
Soberly Tad regarded his sister.
I'D like to STE you married. he
insisted. Some decent chap. Nice
little house in the country. Flock OF
kids. After all. that's the life. Take
Newhall noW-there's not better
fellow on earth. Listen. Sis
But she laughed at his serious
ness.
NO use being sentimental, Tad.
A girl can't eat her cake and have
it, too"
What in blazes," he growled,
ARE you talking about? Any
body'd think
Sybil regarded him contempla-
lively.
Don't be fool. Tad" she ad-
monished. You know perfectly
we'll what | mean. Suppose | had
a yearning for that little house
you're talking about, and kids in
the back yard. DO you suppose
I'd want to marry any of the booze
hounds we know?
1T sounds sort of funny, but If
| ever DID get married, Id want
to sort of settle down-oh. don't
mean I'd be a vegetable. But I'D
cut out all these wild parties. and
we'll you know yourself how 1t
is, old thing. Who wants to marry
a girl that's run with my crowd
tor three years? You wouldn't
yourself - not if you were sober. ]
mean"
Hey" Clumsily he clapped his
hand over her mouth. "Wha, are
you talking about. idiot? How do
you get that way"
ooh. we'll" Sybil shrugged her
slim shoulders eloquently. Moth
ing matters very much now. It's
crazy old world, Tad. Remember
how we used to talk about ideals
and glory after the war? Wash
il bunkum. Everything seemed SO
sort of exalted then. Now nothing
counts but just money and good
times. There were some lines III
that poem you gave me:
They crowded all their youth into
an hour.
And for one fleeting dream of right
they died. . used to think
that was glorious. 1t thrilled me
that John had died for a dream.
1t was so splendid. So romantic.
But pretty soon people stopped car
ing. 1t didn't make any difference
all tine boys that died. Every
body 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.
ut makes me so damn mad!'
she cried. and clenched her small
brown hands.
but, Sis'-Tad took her rebel
lious little fists ''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 Sybil sighed YEARLY
I'm not bitter about it any more
It's better. perhaps - the way i,
is. I'm not rebellous now. MOI
angry Nor even broken hearted
But | see things as they are. Wal
propaganda and everything. Grand
words and beautiful phrases. But
they didn't mean anything. Pop.
pycock. 1t was all so useless
John getting killed.
Someone wrote d poen1-lt wa:
for visions that thiy fell Well
we've lost the visions, and tina,
makes the sacrifice all worthless
| hope the dead don't know how
stupid it Was - dying for nothing
| thought at first ] was coins
to die myself. Tad. but ! guess it.:
only in books that people die o.
broken hearts. l wanted grief t.
kill me - really did. That va.
| childish. wasn't it? And, instead
it only sort of sInothered all tn.
I good that was in me.
There wasn't much religion fol
our generation. you know. | sait
all my prayers during the war
and when It was over and the,
hadn't any of them been answered
] hadn't any more prayers left.
Il think the war killed faith
and faith was he loveliest thing O!
earth. When il persisted we 81 b
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