The daily Alaskan., 1920-08-31
CELESTE
By AGNES G. BRoeAN.
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! I'm real glad you've come" said Mrs. Lawson, It'll be so nice to have 1 good visit once more. Folks don't get to our corner of the world too often, an you'll want to know what's happened to your old friends. Ireckon We an our houses look about the same as they used to before you went away. Amt much progress in Landsend. You asked about Celeste an those are the same words I says to her last time I got up us far as her place. You know it's awful incOnyenient to get there, but Sam said he'd take me when he drove over with supplies, so I went. Celeste's gran'ma had died then, an | Celeste was alone in the little house her gran'ma left her under conditions that Celeste would go on Twin In 1t, an keep the place like 1t was used to. l reckon 1t wasn't so much be- cause she cared about loSln' her leg acy that Celeste kept on Twin there alone but the girl has that kind of conscience. A dyin' wish to her Is an 1 oath-lt has to be kept.
 Course there was another condI- | tiOn to the will, which was that Celeste should go on Twin there only until she married and had home of her own; {; there wasn't nothing binding against that. But land the old lady felt pret- ty sure about having her place kept up. If ever sweetness was wasted on desert air it was Celeste's. There she Sat in her gran'mas faded parlOr, ! glOwIn' like a rose, cheeks all pink, her eyes bright an her hair soft and curly. Celeste Robins," says, ''how do you manage to keep cheerful in all this lonesome waSteT
 1 I'm not exactly lonesome" she says T read an sew an play, an drive my old horse Mollie. But will 1 admit. I often do wish for Compan- lOnship."
 "Wcll," says I. "NIr. Right will come along some day" AS I said 1t knew there was as much chance of anyone who would be Mir. Right to Celeste findin' her in that buried cOrner-as there would of the president to drop in for afternoon tea.
 "Oh, l didn't mean that particular kind of companionShip," Celeste says, laughln'. "I just meant that it would be nice to have some pleasant person about tu enjoy things with. There's so many things to enjoy" says Ce- leStc: "the flowers in summer, and right now. even with all the snow about. there's the birds, who come to ! be fed and sit in rows on the red berry tree, and there are cookies to be baked for the SchOolChildren,' she says How they love to find me in my cutter at the bend of the road when they come home from school. Sometimes 1 drive the smallest ones home"
 "I hope" I said us q parting joke, that Mr. Right will drop in soon an surprise you.'
 "Airyplancs don't fly this weather" Celeste had laughed back. An looked up to see a blizzard gathering around me. All night that blizzard ragged, while the thermometer went down be- low zero. No mail came in to Lands end that night, or went out. either for the trains had been blocked in big drifts miles out, where even snOwplOws | couldn't reach 'em."
 But as the train didn't draw in no whistle sounded. So, quicker than us careless wits, Celeste was at the tele- | phone asking the station agent why an when she learned of the plight of those stranded people the girl pulls on her fur coat, ties her red hood and goes out In the darkness to harness i MoIlic to her cutter An when MOllie was ready for her fight against the night and the roads Celeste runs back to the house to i'll up a hamper with everything catablc she could find. She found considerable Celeste always did keep cooked up. l can believe that she looked like an angel to those hungry folks in the car when she went smiliu' down the aisle, her red hood over her pretty hair, an her basket on her arm. Shed fell into several snow mounds as sine came, but she didn't mention that.
 An when one little frightened girl learned that Celeste had driven there she held on to her and begged to be taken home.
 'Marion's not very we'll" a man told Celeste. I'm afraid night in the car will be hard on her."
 The trains were held, you see, near. CT to Celeste's furaway home than to Landsend. An, with the child's arms around her. she suggested to the man whom she took to be the father, that she be allowed to carry Marion home with her for the night.
 After one look into Celeste's face he agreed willingly. That was the begin ming of the end. The man wasn't Marion's father as it turned out, but un uncle who'd gone to fetch the child to his own bachelor quarters after her father died. An when this uncle man.