Middletown transcript., 1922-03-25
TIE STAR
Ey AGNES G. BROGAN
r9k1t,A c oon1e, pol1,oo GOO ool

with The dark sky above it Law lik,
blot on the snow, and inside tn,
school house, placing the last avail
able bit of wood in the box stove
Rhea still hopefully waited. She ha 4
not gore home after school with he,
Z released pupils, for there was to hav,
been Il meeting of the school boar!
| that evening, here In the tiny assembly \
rucm
Rhca's presence was desired. so she
had brought her supper, folded In one
Of Mrs. HroWning's neat napkins. nn,'
| eaten it, me1itutively. seated before
| her teachers desk. Mrs. Browning
vas the village mother. with whom
la.ea found board, and Mrs. Brown
| h@S two growing sons were the girl'si
comfort and protection.
1t was to jacks thoughtfulress that
she was indebted for the orderly pile
If logs out in the auto shed. Jim
mad himself filled the oil lamp be-
| fore departing. But as Rhea waited
alone the STOW which had been fall
| ing softly all day changed suddenly
| into n fierce blowing blizzard. so that
| travel for the time would be danger
| Gus. Jack had intended to drive the
Nivver over for her after board meet
Ing, but Rhea, peering through the.
snow blurred window, wondered
troubled If he might be able to make.
| It.
Twilight descended into darkness.
| The members of the school board
doubtless discouraged by the weather,
| failed to arrive.
The last hit of wood in the stow
burned cheerily, gratefully. But It
was the last that Jack had brough
! 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
he needed.
Breati,less a little frightened Rhea
fought her way back through thu.
'utting winds.
Sitting before the rapidly freezing
window, Rhea looked back over the
rears of her own saddened girlhood.
The mother, tender, unselfiSh and
adoring always; yet mother in
valided, needing constantly her OWL.
youthful care. Youth? Rhea sighed
oyer the word. Youth had passed her
~, leaving none of its pleasures.
Then as she looked through the WIN
dow Rhea saw the star; upearthed
bright II cleaned through the clear Of
the glass, alone it semed, q sign of
promise in the lull of storm. The girl
smiled. and now it was not wan
emile, 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
lie empty room Rhea played happy
song. At the lonely crossroad, an oh
jeciing automobile abruptly gave up
| its struggle with the snow. While the
driver, mutterng invectives against
roads and weather in general, climbed
"hivcringly from the cars scat-and
neard the gay notes Of an organ. He
did not fully realize that ii was an
organ, his first realization being
merely that shelter was near. The
snow had banked itself against the
'choolhouse 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 I'm delight at
the prospect of companionshp and
deliverance, while the mans frown
vanished at sight of her.
ut was any port In storm" he
explained briefly. And when Rhea
pointed to the dead embers and told
him her predicament, the attorney
hastened to relieve the situation.
1t had been many years since he
had split logs for firewood and car
ried them to his country boyhood
Hoiile, anu lie lelt HOW StrNnSe new
exhilaratlon 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, "how wonderful 1t is, that you
happened away out here, to come to
my aid"
"And ! was thinking" the man re
turned laughingly, how grumbled all
day over the law errand, which
forced me into the country. Why"
he sire, ched out his hands enjoyably.
Il would not have missed this exper-
ience for n great deal. Its-happy
youth back again; the rows of re-
membered desks, the great white
! world of adventure waiting just out
side"
Il hope" Rhea said matter-of- factly,
that Jack, or Jim Browning will
drive over soon In sleigh to rescue
u.s."
"But ] don't want to be rescued"
Paul Danvers insisted. II am going
to say something very old-but in my
case, true. ] feel rs If had known
you always. AS if, all my life have
been trying to find my way to-just
you"
From k.r place before the window,
Rhea gave no answer. "Are YOU" the
/ man asked her. "looEing for the
| sleigh?' Then she turned to him and
| smiled: her face was radiant "No"