The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-01-03

My wife and I crawled out we didn't know we were SO cut up then and we saw there wasn't much to be done for the guy on the highway. We helped get the girl out of the coupe - she kept screaming about her car = and then some other people stopped, and made Us come over here"
 That's what all the tracks show, Doc" Harry put in. T checked them myself. It sure wasn't your boys fault"
 The injured man looked at Dr. Connolly in awe. "Is that your boy, Doc? What you doing here, working on us? That boys bad hurt"
 Hugh nodded as he applied a final strip of tape. There's a sur geon at the hospital to look after Jerry. I wanted to be sure you two were all right. I'm going in now. You and your wife better come along. Give you a complete check, just to make sure we haven't missed any broken bones" "
 
 Martha Connolly stared at the blue-gray walls of the hospital wait ing room, trying to keep from screaming. "Oh, Hugh. Why aren't you here? Why didn't you come with him?"
 Beside her on the wicker divan, Sheila and Kathleen, still in party formals, clung to her hands. Mary Warde stood beside the door, twisting handkerchief into a f1imsy rag.
 Upstairs nurses hurried in and out of he operating room; the surgeon, Johnson, damned all maniac drivers as he scrubbed his hands.
 It seemed like hours before Martha heard Hugh's car stop outside, heard his footsteps in the hall. His arms enfolded all of them.
 Tt may not be as bad as you think" he said, but his words lacked conviction. T was able to give him only a quick examination out there. Don't jump to conclu- sions. He's got a few broken bones, but he'll come out of this all right. He's got a stout heart, and that's half the battle.
 "Ill be upstairs while Johnson operates. Let you know how he is just as soon as I can. Don't worry now, Jerry's going to make this"
 He hurried up the stairs.
 
 Martha glanced at the clock - 3 a. m. A new year only three hours old. And so much had been cram med into that three hours.
 It seemed like three years since Kathleen had turned from the phone, told her that Valerie's car was wrecked. Somehow she knew, by some intuition every mother possesses, that Jerry was hurt, even before the superintendent of the hospital called. But how seri- ously was he hurt? Even now she did not know.
 [, She recalled now the bumps and falls Jerry had suffered learning to walk "Hardhead," Hugh had called his son then, because a bump never seemed to bother him. Would he still be "Hardhead" to- night?
 Her thoughts raced on, far out distancing the crawling minute hand of the office clock.
 Finally, as if from g. great dis tance, she heard a nurse saying:
 will you come upstairs now, Mrs. Connolly. Doctor wants you and the girls to come up"
 CHAPTER XII
 The principal injury Valerie Parks had suffered in the accident was to her feelings, the house physician who examined her decided. Even the cut on her scalp was not large enough to demand dressing. She did, however, seem on the verge of mysteries, so he ordered a Sedative and sent her to bed.
 The medicine quieted her nerves to some extent, but nothing could calm her rage. Her car = her beautiful new car-was wrecked. And it was Jerry Connelly's fault. She went to sleep at last, still blaming Jerry.
 MT. and Mrs. Parks reached the hospital at 4:3O, demanded that Valerie be awakened, SO they could hear from her the full ex- Jent of her injuries. The house physician protested. weakly, and was secretly glad when MT. and Mrs. Parks announced that they were taking Valerie home in an ambulance.
 MT. Parks tried to quiet his pampered daughter by promising a new car. Mrs. Parks added a South American cruise, but Va lerie was not to be put off. She was going to tell Jerry Connolly = and his mother and father - what she thought of all of them before she left the hospital.
 Mary Warde saw Aer come down the hall, saw her start up the stairs toward Jerry's room.
 Where are you going, Val?" Mary demanded. Come in here" She pulled Valerie toward the office.
 Valerie hung back. I'm in hurry. I'm going up and tell those Connellys - all of them = what I think of that precious son of theirs. He wrecked my car, de- liberately wrecked it."
 "He did?" Mary simulated in-. terest. How did it happen? I'd like to know all the details" That broke Valerie's resistance and she allowed herself to be led into the waiting room. Mary managed to stand between Valerie and the door.