The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-08-17
White Lilacs.
By GENEYIEVE NJ. BOICE.

The last stroke of midnight SOL
emnly doomed over the sleeping city
as Edward Brewster laid aside his
pen with infinite weariness. All the
world was at rest but him, he
thought, bitterly; and yet, he, too,
might have been at peace in his old
home tonight in Lindenlea had the
wanderlust never seized him.
He stirred uneasily; around his
desk seemed to cling the faint haunt
ing fragrance of the lilac bush, al
though no spray of the blossom could
he find in the room. 1t was forbid
den flower in the Brewster mansion.
Twenty years it was since he had
touched spray of white lilac, and
that was the night he had hidden Ev-
elyn Leicester and Lindenlea a long,
last farewell.
1t was spring time now in Linden
lea, he mused dreamily, and the lilac
bush by the fountain had donned her
bridal robe of misty, shimmering
white, and the dew was lying on the
gently waving branches like fairy
jewels.
Evelyn had come to him that night
down the shadow haunted path that
led to the fountain, her regret at his
going plainly visible in the sweet,
dark eyes. OF all his friends, she
alone. believed in him; the others
called him a dreamer. The wide,
wide world was not for such as him,
they said, he who had never known
labor. But Evelyn Leicester was not
one of these. II will believe in you
always, Ned, come what may" she
had. told him, her beautiful head
tilted back, and light in her eyes
that rivalled the starshine in the
heavens above.
Because l love you, Evelyn" he
had answered, "and desire your hap
piness above everything else in the
world, always during your life re-
member that somewhere 1 am near,
waiting to do something to prove my
love for you, and that a spray of this
flower, however small, sent to me at
any time or any place, will grant
whatever wish you may make, that
1t my be in my power to grant, even
at the cost of unhappiness to myself.
Years and oceans may divide us, but
the white lilac will always be to us
the emblem of our unity"
Bird-wing and bird-song were ST.
lent as they parted the wind sighed
softly through the weeping willows,
and the great, white moon shone full
upon the lilac bush.
He would return, he told her, when
he had become rich and famous; they
would be married in the little stone
church on the hill half buried in ivy
and together they would roam
| through the broad, beautiful world
like children on holiday.
He had fought his way in the city
step by step until he had secured a
foothold; the way was hard and
paved with many difficulties, and left
him. little time for the sweeter things
of life. His letters to Evelyn were
short, and as he now remembered,
must have been unsatisfactory, and
yet she was ever in his thoughts,
queen of his castles in Spain, the
bright particular star of his lonely
life.
The blow that had shattered his
every dream came with terrific sud-
denness. In a paper from his home
town he read. the notice of her mar
riage to John Brinslee, the rich man
of the village. He had uttered no
sound as he read it, the wound was
too deep. For Evelyn he had no
blame, but in his heart he registered
vow of vengeance against the man
who had taken her from him. Fate
had early taken hand in the game,
for Edward Brewster had risen to the
Office of president of an immense
corporation in which John Brinslee
held high and trusted position.
| The two men never made any pre-
tense of friendship; each one was
wary of the other.
Wearily the great financier rose
from his desk, at the same time open
ing an important looking envelope
that had escaped his attention.
AS he read its contents the shadows
dropped from his face as by magic
and light of almost insane triumph
dawned in his eyes. The moment for
which he had longed, prayed and
hoped for twenty years had come al
last.
/ During his absence abroad John
Brinslee's enemies had been busy
weaving a web around him from
which he had found 1t impossible tc