The Dolores star., 1922-03-17
The STAR
BY AGNES G. eRocAN
GgSeSe9eSe eSeseseaps,

eu the little school bousa "
"i,ii 'he dark sky above II Law nj,
o'ot On The snow, and ins,d. tho
"ooi mouse, placing the last avau
aoie DIT of wood In tho hov -.
hhea still hopefully waitad Shs
NOT gone home after school with her
e'e3'sea pupils, for there was to have
peeh u meeting of the school ho.rd
tiiat evening, here in the tiny ASSEMBLY
| room. "''eiiio'!
hhea's presence was desired o. .,,
nau brought her supper, folded in one
VI Mrs. Browning's neat napkins and
eaten II, meditatively, seated before
her teachers desk. Mrs. BROWNING
was the village mother, with whom
hhea found board, and Mrs Brown.
ing $ Two growing sons were the girls
comfort and protection
1t was to Jacks thoughtfulness that
she was indebted for the orderly nile
| of logs out in the auto shed lin
had himself filed the oil Iomn he.
tore departing. But as Rhea waited
aiohe the snow which had been fall.
ing softly all day changed suddenly
lhto fierce blowing blizzard. so that
'ra'ei Tor the time would be danger
Gus. Jack had intended to drive the
nlvVer over for her after board meet.
Ing, but Rhea, peering through th.
snow blurred window, wondered
troubled if he might be able to make
| It.
Twilight descended into darkness.
The members of the school hoard
doubtless discouraged by the weather
failed to arrive.
The last bit of wood In the stove
burned cheerily, gratefully. But II
was the last that Jack had brought
In. She put her cloak around her,
and made her way with difficulty,
even that short distance-to the shed
Then Rhea paused in dismay, for there
was not one log among the many piled
there. that she could possibly carry.
In her frailness. Jack had been so
sure that the men would be there to
assist her by the time the log would
be needed
Breathless, a little frightened, Rhea
| fought her way back through the
cutting winds.
Sitting before the rapidly freezing
| window, Rhea looked back over the
| years Of her own saddened girlhood.
| The mother, tender, unselfsh and
adOring always; yet mother In
valided, needing constantly her own
| youthful care. Youth? Rhca sighed
| over the word. Youth had passed her
Dy, leaving none of Its pleasures.
Then as she looked through the win.
dow Rhea saw tie star; unearthed
bright It cleaned through the clear of
the glass, alone 1t semed, a sign of
promise In the lull of storm The girl
smiled, and now It was not a wan
smile, but one of warm courage
"My star Of PROMISE" she said.
She went over to the creaky organ,
and turned Its rickety stool. Then in
the empty room Rhea played happy
song. At the lonely crossroad, an OBJ
jecting automobile abruptly gave up
its struggle with the snow. While the
driver, muttering invectives against
roads and weather in general, climbed
shiveringly from the cars seat-and
heard the gay notes of an organ. He
did not fully realize that 1t was an
organ, his first realization being
merely that shelter was near. The
snow had banked itself against the
schoolhouse windows, doing its best
to conceal the feeble light within.
But Paul Danvers found his way to
the schoolhouse door, and pounded
loud enough to be heard above Rhea's
music.
When she opened the door, with her
scarlet shawl still about her shoulders,
the girls eyes widened In delight at
the prospect of companionshIp and
deliverance, while the mans frown
vanished at sight of her.
at was any port in storm he
explained briefly. And when Rhea
pointed to the dead embers and told
him her predicament, the attorney
FASTENED to relieve the situation.
1t had been many years since he
had split logs for firewood and car
ried them to his country boyhood
home. and he felt now strange new
exhilaration in this task. Later, as
he and Rhea sat before the cheering
blaze, they looked into each others
eyes and smiled in sympathetic un-
derstanding. II was thinking" she
said. show wonderful 1t is, that you
happened away out here, to come to
my aid"
"And l was thinking" the man re-
turned laughingly, show l grumbled all
day over the law errand, which,
forced me into the country. Why
he stretched out his hands enjoyably,
.I would not have missed this exper-
ience for great deal. Its-happy
youth back again; the rows OF re-
membered desks, the great white
world of adventure waiting just out
side"
"I hope" Rhea said matter-of-factly,
utbot lack. or Jim Browning Will