The Topeka state journal., 1922-08-01
EOening Story
The Wagon and the Star.
By H. IRVING KING,


The advice to ''Hitch your wagon to
star" is all yer. well, but the opera
ton presents many practical difficult
ties. AS in the celebrated directions
for cooking q hare, we must begin
with First catch your star" William
Compston had so far followed M.
Emerson's advice that he had fixed his
affections on Alice Crawford, younger
daughter of the head of the firm or
Crawford. Holmes & Co. by which
firm he was employed. He was IN
charge of one of the important de-
partments of the firm-a very respon-
sible position for so young man; but
to aspire to the hand of ''The old
mans" daughter-was looking just
triSle high for a mere clerk.
Crawford was q self-made man and
little too proud of the fact, but not
a bad sort of = fellow at that. 1t IS
true his voice was too loud and his
manner sadly lacked repose-which
was a bitter trial to Mrs. Crawford,
who had social aspirations in degree
as daring as tie matrimonial aspira-
tions of her husbands clerk. She, too.
had sought to hitch her wagon to u
star, and it must be owned that she
was meeting wit considerable success.
Compston was of an old and we'll
known New England family, had been
thru the preparatory school at Groton
and was a sophomore at Harvard when
the death of his father, a man who
had always lived just a little beyond
his means. forced him to leave college
and strike out for himself. His father,
lawyer, had done much legal busi-
ness for Crawford in connection with
the merchants Boston branch, and
tho utterly unlike in almost every par
ticular the merchant and his attorney
had become fast friends
So when William found he needed a
job It was to Crawford he applied and
CFa wf0rd him nnR-and he made
good at it. But, you see, Mrs Crawford
upon learning what family the youth
belonged to received him with a GER
tain federation. But this liberation
ceased abruptly when she awoke to
the fact that Alice and william were
playing the mandolin and singing to-
gether with a suspicious frequency
singing love songs, too. and looking in
to each others eyes as they sang. Will
liam Compston was distinctly of the
class of the ineligibles, and Mrs.
Crawford issued ukase banishing
him to the far Siberia of her social
world.
For William, after that, mot at
home" was written in flaming letters
over the portal of stately Crawford
mansion. Mrs. Crawford even COM
manded her husband to discharge the
audacious young man, and Crawford,
because of the awe in which he stood
OF his brilliant wife. and because of
his love for peace in the family, lied
shamelessly and said. 'I have done so.
my dear" AS a matter of fact he
increased Williams salary.
Alice wept her pretty blue eyes out,
confessed her love for William and
was dragged off to Europe for a dis
ciplinary tour. When she returned
she was thrown headIong into society
by her mother. A grinly resolute
woman with plenty of money, some
tact and two handsome daughters, can
go far in society If she sets her mind
m and Mre rau uyfnrd 70
Eventually it was runored that she
was about to marry her elder daugh-
ter, Maud. to a member of the no.
bility, who had crossed the water on
a diplomatic mission.
When William heard of this "earl
stuff" as he profanely called 1t. he
gave up hope, some slight frazzled
remnants OF which had heretofore re-
he felt, would now look with a less
indulgent eye upon the aspirations Of
a mere clerk.
Now in spite of rumor, and in spite
of the tacit admissions of Mrs. Craw-
ford, the earl was not securely hooked.
He really was a most estimable wild
over, well advanced in years and a
competent diplomat-only he was a
trifle weak in the upper story when
1T came to a pretty woman. For this
reason his three mature spinster
daughters took turns in standing
guard over the old gentleman lest he
should present them with an unde-
sirable stepmother. When the earl
was ordered to America it was the
Lady Anastasia's turn for duty. But
the Lady Anastasia was laid up with
the grip, and the Ladies Muriel and
Johanna were absent on leave. re-
cuperating in Algiers. AS soon as the
Lady Anastasia->wAs sufficiently re-
covered-in fact, before her physician
approved-she>took ship in pursuit of
her papa. But her recovery and her
voyage had consumed much time and
when she arrived in New York she
found her forebodings were in danger
of being realized.
However, her fathers diplomatic
business was ended and he had made
his congo at Washington. So Ana
stasia promptly placed him under ar
rest and ordered him home. She was