The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-06-14
CELESTE
BY AGNES G. BRoGAN.
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Copyright. 1920. Western Newspaper Union)
I'm real glad you've come" said
MIS-. Lawson, it'll be so nice to have
a good visit once more. Folks don,t
set TO our corner of the world too
often, an you'll want to know what's
happened to your old friends. reckon
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 l says to her last time
got up as far as her place. You
know it's awful inconvenient to get
there' out Sam said he'd take me when
ne drove over with supplies, so l went.
Celeste's gran'ma had died then, an
celeste was alone in the little house
her granna left her under conditions
That Celeste would go on livin' in it.
an Keep the place like it was used
10. l reckon 1t wasn't so much be-
cause she cared about losin' her leg
acy that Celeste kept on livin' there
alone, but the girl has that kind of a
conscience. A dyin' wish to her is an
oath-it has to be kept.
Course there was another condi-
tlon 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 pref
" sure about having her place kept
up. III ever sweetness was wasted on
desert air it was Celeste's. There she
sat in her gran'ma's faded parlor,
CLOWN like rose, cheeks all pink,
her eyes bright an her hair soft and
curly. Celeste Robins" 1 says, show
90 you manage to keep cheerful in all
this lonesome waste?"
I'm not exactly lonesome" she
says Il read an sew an play, an
drive my old horse Mollie. But will
admit, l often do wish for compan-
ionship."
WELL" says 1. "Mr. Right will come
along some day." AS I said it I knew
there was as much chance of anyone
who would be Mr.. Right to Celeste
nndln' her in that buried corner-as
there would of the president to drop
m for afternoon tea.
"Oh, l didn't mean that particular
KIND of companionship," Celeste says,
iaughin'. Il just meant that it would
be nice to have some pleasant person
about to enjoy things with. There's
so many things to enjoy" says &C.
ieste; 1.-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 schoolchidren," she
says. "How they love to find me in
my cutter at the bend of the road
when they come home from school,.
Sometimes l dr@Ie the smallest ones
home"
Il hope" l said. as a parting joke.
that Mr.. Right will drop in soon an
surprise you"
"Airyplanes 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 EN-"
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
Mollie to her cutter. An when Mollie
was ready for her fight against the
night and the roads Celeste runs back
to the house to fill up hamper with
everything eatable she could find. She
found considerable. Celeste always
did keep cooked up. I can believe
that she looked like an angel to those
hungry folks In the car when she
went smilin' down the aisle, her red
hood over her pretty hair, an her
basket on her arm. She'd fell into
several snow mounds as she 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 WELL" man told
Celeste. I'm afraid night in the
car will be hard on her."
The trains were held, you see, near
er to Celeste's faraway 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 Ceieste's face he
agreed willingly. That was the begin
ming Of the end. The man wasn't
Mari0ns father, as it turned out, but