The Dolores star., 1920-12-31
SPRING MAGIC
BY CRAWFORD LUTTRELL


| lie poem, yet there WAS something so
| Intimately friendly about the lines that
| Tim Reynolds felt no great surprise
| hen he glanced down nj the writer's
came and found II 10 be Mary Nc.
| thee Mary McGhee'
What troop Of ghostly little mem
| 'ries those words coujured up for the
Isau as lie sat by window in the
| EreN huukslined room! Glauclne out.
! he was conscious for the tirst time
nat Sprng. with age old magic had
| touched the earth again and that bur
| coming houghs, and buttercups tiauut.
NJ scuiIoped yellow pettiCosts gave
| 'yid=uce ot the revivityiug power OF
| lie fragrant wand
LinCS that his mother had planted
u her own vopthfuI days tossed pur-
! lie and white plbmes iu the Light
preez- WhIte-throats We're tusiiy
| building 10 The hlossoming pear tree
| hy the driveway \ pot OF tulips Oh
'hs window sill caught and held the
~uulight and glowed goldenly,
Strange that those lines Of a girl he
! md known back there 10 the unfor'
| trtahlr days Of irumsturity should
! make him conscious OF bird and leaf
| and blossom that had been there, un.
| nutlc-d before But that had been
| Nury's way. She was not content TO
ani"y beauty alone She had always
| pointed II out for less discriminating
less nppreclatiye ewes.
Jim looked al the silver-framed pic
| rure ~ his wife that stood on the huge
| Dart ur-d mahogany desk before him
| M IIttla r1Iffied dress she had worn
| when The picture was taken was n"
| less ughr and airy than the pretty
| smiling girl herself.
II was Indicative OF her attitude 10
| ife For the ten years OF their mar
| ried Ne she had laughed and danced
| and played. and when at times. in mo-
| 'uenr- Of real need he had turned to
| her she had been able 10 offer him
rnly the srar dust on her brightly
huet butterfly wings.
He read once more the lines Of the
| poem EXPIRE vSsing the romantic ideas
! hat the thought Of youths first love
| forever fingers IN the heart. All al
| Jnce there registered in the recess of
| his memory the look In Mary Nc
ihee'S face when he had told her that
Claire Inman had promised to marry
| him
He recalled dimly how awkwardly
tender be had felt toward the little
| ,irl 10 whom he had often made love
| lightly before the great and binding
| passiou for Claire had caused him to
| eel himself suddenly grown man
| with the desire to possess and cherish
her filling his whole life.
If Clairc's fortune had had any
| hing to do with his choice. he had
| .rled desperately to put the thought
rehnd him. But sitting there by the
| window. years after. he WINGED lit
lie al the memory of Mary McGhee'-
ACE with her heroically suppressed
hearts secret blazing like scarlet
| 'ann"r across her cheeks.
| For one terrifying second Jim had
Enown and Mary McGhee knew he
| understood Then she had rallied and
warmly congratulated him. hoping
with all her heart. she had said. he
would be as happy as he deserved
| She had gone away before the wed
ting. and Jim remembered how
| funr morning. OF how she would have
owed the madonna lilies and grea,
banks of daisies that filed the house
He had missed her, and then the
oy OF possessing the pretty. spoiled
yirl he had asked to be his wife had
dotted everything else from his mind
inti the day came when he realized
hat Claire had never loved him that
she could not perhaps. love anybody
but herself
Once In awhile he had seen stories
written by Mary 10 the current maga
lines had wondered for few min
ties where she vas and what life had
rrTer-d her felt briefly conscious o'
he pain that bis careless youth had
lven her and then considered grimly
hat the healing touch Of years had
icubtlessly erased him even from her
memory.
Yet the thought Of her strangel,
persisted He reflected that he had
been a very sick man lately and thai
! ne might attribute to his present
Weakness Of body the reading Of po
try. in which he never by any chance
nhuleed, and his sentimental thoughrs
If youth, of unattained ideals and Ui
shattered dreams. Life did that Il
everybody.
1t took you young and vigorous and
tiealistic as Galahad. and broke ",
IN u turn Of the wheel. Here he wa
With nothing to satisfy him except th'
knowledge OF his business success
and he was not yet forty.
The junior member Of his firm came
10 noisily, bringing bottle Of aDcien
vintage and a basket Of strawber1e:
from his own hothouses. Everything
is going fine down at the omce. We