The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1907-11-20

A wood road, golden and glorious
October sapphire sky above, fairy
haze along the hill line, the swish of
drifted leaves underfoot, and two girls
who walked unseeing, because of the
things they were saying and thinking.
Lily was willowy and slim in the long
brown ulster swayed by the wind; her
bare blond head was set light and
straight as a flowers. But who could
tell Lily's thoughts?
Beside her, stocky and thick-set,
Theresa trudged, with heavily plant
ed steps. Her shoulders showed
square under the gray sweater. There
was that about even the back of Their
esa's black bullet head that suggested
power, and Theresa had made up her
mind to something that afternoon.
Now and then, as she spoke, she flung
out an impulsive hand and clutched
Lily's arm for emphasis; but Lily did
not move or turn, walking with light,
ahead at the wind shrdlao s etaoinn
1.-THE grace, and looking straight
scudded the blue above the hills. 1t
needed no pounding of Theresa's EN-
phatic little fist upon her arm to make
her understand Theresas meaning.
"You know all the girls think the
same thing, and have talked and talked
about it, but of course no one has
ever talked to you. You're rather dig
pified and distant, you know, my dear.
But when it came to a matter as
big as this election for senior presi-
dent, felt as If some one must speak.
1t wasn't fair to you not to speak. So
! undertook it, being a courageous soul.
All the girls know that I'm telling you
all about 1t today. I'm not exactly
delegated, you understand; still, they
all know that I'm telling you. They're
waiting to know what you'll say be-
fore -before-before they vote tonight.
/ must say, it's pretty delicate mat
Ger to speak to gill about her best
friend-but you don't mind my going
on?"
Lily turned her head with little
quick smile, non-committal, amused.
"Oh, no. you may go on" she said.
Frankly" continued Theresa, blunt
ly, you'd have been class president
long ago il 1t hadn't been for Millicent
Harlow"
A sharp little vince of pain touched
the self-control Of Lily's lips,
She's stood in your way from first
to last. At first, in freshman year, we
thought you couldn't be nice girl
II you had friend like that, however
fine you seemed. So we left you both
alone. Then afterward we saw that
you were just as lovely as you looked,
and we wanted to know you; but, my
dear, how could we? How could we?
We simply couldn't stand Millicent, and
there was no getting hold Of you with
out Millicent. Millicent is always with
you. She'd be here this minute IL |
hadn't carried you off bodily. So we
just haven't known you, gone with you,
been friends, all on account of MILL
cent.
Perhaps you haven't noticed, or
minded, but we've minded, my dear"
here Theresa's arm went about Lily's
shoulders in a sudden compelling af
lection that caught at Lily's heart
''and we want you now. VIII you?"
Not noticed! Not minded! Did any
Of them guess how proud Lily was?
And how friendly, and how exquisitely
fastidious, too? Under her bright self
sufficiency no one guessed with what
Intensity she had longed to know them
all, these girls who were really her
kind, who elected her to many an i'm
portant Office, complimented her thus
on her executive ability, looked at her,
too, with frankly congenial eyes, but
somehow never came any nearer, some
how elusively slipped away from any
real acquaintance, any genuine friend
ship. Was not Lily keen. witted
enough to know that for three years
she had missed the best thing in COL
1ege, and keen enough also to guess
the reason, without Theresas telling?
And here at last. for her last, best
brief year at college, the class was
offering her its highest honor, and
with that, she knew, its friendship
on only one condition.
So far Lily had not turned upon her
fiercely. as Theresa had half-feared
Lily had let her go on, and Theresa
felt her waver, SO she thought, ever
20 little. With her arm still about
Lly's neck, she went on:
You know we just must have the
fnest girl in the class for president.