Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1919)

iForW orse B Dorothy Allison •efulneu aa a citizen hun< in the balance. ride. The hilarity was soon checked, however, for most of « guests knew that Dick was leavine his wife at the church oor to join his regiment on the transport which sailed that ignt for overseas. There vzs a hurried farewell in the vestr> room, a chorus » good wishes for the trip and Svl\ia was left, too bewildered >rt«r5. to go back to her fathers home while her soldier noegToom sailed on his voyage over treacherous seas. t T^•^ ^^^'^^ *"^ Sylvia brought from the church a mcm ry of Dick s farewell that was destined to play an important '" ^'^.^P*"' ''ves. As he leaned out of the taxi for one « look, Dicks hand impulsively caught that of the doctor and joined it with Sylvia s. "I'm leaving her with you. old h.nf:,, itf'f' '" * '■"'"'■ '"'^''^ '^''^'^'^ ■' ''"le. "Whatever nappt-ns, I II know you arc here to protect her " in the wear> days that followed his departure. Sylvias life dr;.Ksed on through the hollow e.x.slence of the war-bride whose f om nn.r"'. *" f "'"^ktry. The one thing that save.l her rom utter despondency wa.s her relief work among the childrtn whose athers were fighting in France. The frightful scourge of infantile paralysis which had swept New Vork like a visitation from Herod, had annihilated manv little families \hL''!l ? '■ ^'^^'""'her to protect them. ' Working with hese pc-ople opened a new worid of serNice and self-sacrifice hV, V'u"^ '"'■""•'•■ *^''' ^"'' ^^^y'^'^ ^^■^'s soon so absorbed in it that she had no time to brood over her chaotic private life She loved all the children, but one little Italian lad of eight soon wound his wistful personalitv about her heartstrings in a way that she would never have believed posMble .And the tragedy of his distoried little bodv as a result of the dread disease became to her a ver\' real sorrow. •But there must be something we can do." she told a nurse w-hen this was made known to her "Surelv an operation if performed in time, would straighten his 'poor little legs. •;Whos left to perform it?" asked the nurse crisply What doctors there are left on this side of the water have all they can do to save lives, not beauty There is only one man who could fix Tony up and that's Dr Edward Meade, head of the Children's Hospital. And hell soon be dead himself because he's watching over the children twenty-four hours a day with no stops for meaN they tell me." Back across Sylvia's bewildered mind flashed sentences from that fatal inter\iew with Dr. Meade. "Someone must stay at home"— "It's not as if I had any choice" and finally, "Its life and death for the children." "Ill see Dr. Meade myself ami beg him to do something she said, hardly realizing that she was speakine aloud. *^ ^ "It isn't probable that you can direct hi? scr\-ices " said the nurse primly. She was a tight-faced, stiffly starched e.xecutive who bitteriy resented the intrusion 'of 'these society dames" into her own province. "Just the same." said Sylvia to herself as the nurse left the room, "I'll try it." But when she found herself in the bare, sun-flooded office of the doctor, she felt her resolution ebbing. Her last word with Edward Meade had been in the church vestibule just after Dick had left her in his care. "Please go. ' she had stammered as he took her hand to help her toward the line of waiting automobiles. "I never want to see you again in all my life.'' So that now it was a half-frightened, half-defiant Svlvia that held out her tiny, gloved hand to the tall, kindly 'man who entered. He was grayer, she saw at once, aiid the lines about his mouth had deepened, but otherwise it was the same earnest, distinguished face that had been the center of all her girlhood dreams. Half-falteringly she told him of her new work and her hopes for Tony. He set her at her ease at once by adopting a matter-of-fact, professional manner which seemed to indicate that his only interest in the worid was in Tony's recovery. In a few minutes they were talking and laughing as naturally as in the old days and before she had left he had arranged to see Tony and to perform the operation which might save him. There was a week of suspense in which Tonv's future usefulness as a little citizen hung in the balance. Svlvia had almost given up hope and was waiting disconsolately one day in the doctor's office for news when he entered quietly with Tony in his arms. "W'e have a surprise for the belh donna, haven't we Tony?' he said to the boy as he tcnderiy placed him on the feeble little legs that had been so twisted only a week before. Tony's little brown face wore a brave grin but he clung for a moment to the doctor's strong, encirclinc arm. Then, with an Italian shrug of resolution, he gathered himself together and half-walked, half-tottcrcd, into Sylvias outstretched arms. "Not bad for the first time, monkey." the doctor's voice assured him. "But just wait. You'll be shinning up telegraph P'.les and breaking your nerk before the summer is over."