The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-05-05
when Stella Changed
Fer Mind.

Stella hurried through the errand
which had taken her to the kitchen,
and as she regained the hall leading
70 the front of the house, her face lost
the panied look which it had worn
while she had been giving instructions
to the cook. For the last two years
Stella never went to the rear of the
house If it were possible to avoid doing
30.
From childhood days she had spent
3ong, happy hours in the spacious yard
OF the Tolbert house, and since the en-
nroachment of the city had walled
them in on one side and at the rear,
she had been heart-broken.
She loved the old yard with its great
shade trees and its velvety turf. She
could remember when all the other
houses along the shaded streets had
been of osimilar sort. That was be-
fore the trolley brought the suburb
within quarter of an hour of the
city.
Then fine old mansions had been
3azed to make room for long rows of
Ariek houses intolerable in the monot-
9Ey OF their architecture. Each had
Ms tiny lawn in front, its six foot grass
plot at one side, and another plot in
the rear, but the back yards blossom
ed only with the Monday wash, and the
great trees had been cut down be-
aause the front lawns" were FAR too
small to accommodate the sturdy oaks
and the tall elms.
Across the street from the Tolbert
house was a public park and on the
other street side-was a corner lot
was another old fashioned house, part
of the Balm estate in litigation, which
seemed to Insure the permanency of
ahe landmark. On the other sides the
brick monstrosities reared their ugly
roofs. Stella had shut up the rooms on
that side and in the rear or mad
screened the view with stained glass
windows.
From the windows of the rooms she
used she could see the trees and the
sort of houses to which she was ac-
customed, and only when necessity de-
manded did she venture into those
Tooms from which an unobstructed
view OF the unlovely backyards could
he had
Stella's hatred of the march of the
eity and its encroachments upon Cas-
aieton was fierce and unreasoning, but
she had the Tolbert stubbornness and
Aer brother Bert nor Frank Flem-
1ng could hold out against the new Or
der of things.
The building up of Castleton had
vastly increased the value of all prop
Nrty, and the taxes were growing heav-
der each year, but this was an added
sffense, not reason for accepting her
Brothers suggestion that she sell the
pld mansion and purchase house fur
eher in the country, beyond the limits
Of the city's probable expansion.
The home had been left to Stella as
sheir fathers business had been left
40 Bert. He shared the home with
Aer, and Stella lived in dread of the
day when he would marry, and move
away, but she was stubborn in her
refusal to find another home.
II won't be driven out by these hor-
xid new people" she had declared
The home is still pleasant enough il
I live on the open side, and won't let
che real estate men have their vic.
tory.
That had become her war cry, and
sven when Fleming had urged her to
ohare the new home he had purchased
some five miles further out in a care
fully restricted section, she had de-
elared that when they were married
he must live in the old home Only
Teming's tactful silence at this crisis
Drevented broken engagement.
Stella, the kitchen safely behind her,
ensconsed herself in her favorite cor
Aer of the parlor, as far as possible
from the sight of the hated, semi-de-
cached rows The soft closing of the
1ront door reused her, and she called
10 know who had entered. At the
sound of her brothers voice she ran
quickly into the hall. His early ap-
Dearance augured some evil
what has gone wrong, Bert?' she
asked, breathlessly.
Nothing wrong" he declared, try
ing to force his voice into natural
zones, .Everything's right, in fact. |
had a chance to leave the Office early
and I came out. that's ALL
1T isn't ALL" insisted Stella. what
= 1t, Bert?'
Bert tried to laugh, but the effort
was not entirely successful. Stella
1ollnwed him into the library with hei
Iunnd pressed against her heart to still
- rapid beating.
onpe in the comfortable room. Bert