The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-08-11
Leaving Sister

and as she regained the hall leading
to the front of the house, her face
lost the panied look it had worI
while she had been giving instruc
tioBs to the cook. For the last two
years Stella never went to the real
of the house if it were possible tc
avoid doing so.
From childhood days she had spent
long, happy hours in the spacious
yard of the Tolbert home and since
the encroachment of the city had
walled them in on one side and at
the rear, she had been heartbroken.
Then fine old mansions had been
razed to make room for long rows of
brick houses intolerable in the mo-
notony of their architecture. Each
had its tiny lawn in front, It's six
foot grass plot at one side and an
other plot in the rear, but the back
yards blossomed only with the Mon
day wash, and the great trees had
been cut down because the front
lawns were far too small to accom-
modate the sturdy oaks and the tall
elms.
Across the street from the Tolbert
house was public park and on the
other street side-it was corner lot
was another old-fashioned house,
part of the Balm estate in litigation,
ency of the landmark.
On the other sides the brick mon
strosities reared their ugly roofs.
Stella had shut up the rooms on that
side and in the rear or had screened
the view with stained glass windows.
From the windrws of the rooms
she used she could see the trees and
the sort of houses to which she was
accustomed, and only when necessity
demanded did she venture into those
rooms from which an unobstructed
view of the unlovely back yards could
be had
Stella's hatred of the march of the
city and its encroachment upon Cas-
tleton was fierce and unreasonins,
but she had the Tolbert stubborn
ness and neitler her brother Bert
nor Frank Fleming could move her
determination to hold out against
the new order of things.
The building up of Castleton had
vastly increased the value of all prop
erty and the taxes were growing
heavier each year, but this was an
added offense, not a reason for ac-
cepting her brothers suggestion that
she sell the old mansion and purchase
q home further out in the country,
beyond the limits of the city's prob
able expansion.
The home had been left to Stella
as her fathers business had been
left to Bert. He shared the home
with her and Stella lived in dread
of the day when he should marry and
move away, but she was stubborn
in her refusal to find another home.
II won't be driven out by these
horrible new people," she had de-
clared. THE home is still pleasant
enough If live on the open side,
and / won't let the real estate men
have the victory"
That had become her war cry and
even when Fleming had urged her to
share the new home he had purchased
some five miles further out in a care
fully restricted section she had de-
clared that when they were married
he must live in the old home. Only
Flemings tactful silence at this crisis
prevented broken engagement.
Stella, the kitchen safely behind
her, ensconsed herself in her favorite
corner of the parlor as far as pos
sible from the sight of the hated,
semi-detached rows. The soft closing
called to know who had entered.
At the sound of her brothers voice
she ran quickly into the hall. His
early appearance augured some evil.
'What has gone wrong, Bert?" she
asked breathlessly.
"Nothing's wrong" he declared,
trying to force his voice into natural
tones. "Everything's right, in fact.
i had chance to leave the Office
early and l came out; that's ALL"
ut isn't ALL" insisted Stella.
''What is it, Bert?"
Bert tried to laugh, but the effort
was not entirely successful. Stella
followed him into the library, with
her hand pressed against her heart
to still its rapid beating.
Once in the comfortable room
Bert sank into his favorite chair and
drew his sister down upon his knee.
II hate to give you pain, dear" he
began softly. 1T is only the knowl-
edge that l am wounding you which
puts me Ill at ease. The fact is that
Beth promised me last night that she
would marry me in June. Frank is
coming out this evening to dinner,
and ! wanted to slip home and tell
you so that you could get over 1t
before he came"
Stella sprang to her feet.
"You are going to be married?"
she cried- you are going 10 leave