The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-08-03

ISHOR S TORY
'The Wagon and the Star.
BY Il. IRVING KING.

rHE advice to Hitch your wag-
on to star Is all very well,
S. but 1.-THE operation presents
many practical difficulties. As in
the celebrated directions for cook;
ing q hare, we must begin With
First catch your star William
Compton had SO far followed MIR.
Emerson's advice that he had fixed
9hts affections on Alice Crawford,
younger daughter OF the head OF
the firm OF Crawford, Holmes q
Co, by which firm he was employ
ssssed: g8 HeEwas in charge of one OF tbs
imp rtant departments OF the firm
livery responsible position for SO
.youngsa man; butte aspire to the
hand of THE old mans" daughter
looking Just trffle high for
asmeres clerk.
Crawford was self-made man
and little too proud OF the fact,
but not a bad sort of a fellow at
thai. 1t is true his voice was too
loud and his manner sadly lacked
ssrepose-whfch was a bitter trial 10
MRS. Crawford. who had social as
pirations in degree as daring as the
sAmatIfmo nial aspirations OF her hus-
band, clerk She, too, had sought
tod hitch her wagon to star, and
I:ttsmust beowned that she was meet
Ing with considerable success
Compston was of an old and
New England family,
had been through the preparatory
:Sschoolf eGroton and was a Sopho-
SMnore at Harvard when the death
of&hlsS father, a man who had al
ways lived Just a little beyond his
means. forced him to leave college
and strike out for himself His
sAlather, a lawyer. had done much
ssASlegalS business for Crawford In
connectfon with the merchants
iil5Ikes IN almost every particular
Iii merchant and his attorney had
ometfast friends.
So when William found ha
Nneeded a job it was to Crawford
sAhesapplied and Crawford gave him
lpneand he made good at it. But
y You see, Mrs. Crawford. upon
54earnin what family the youth
Belonged to received him with u
Authorization. But this toler-
at1on ceased abruptly when she
ssawoke# to the fact that Alice and
aNNNtlltam were playing the mando-
lin and singing together with a
,gsuspiciouss frequency-singins
love songs, too. and looking into
each others eyes as they SANG
i5WiIliam Compston was distinctly
ggofs the class of the ineliSibles, and
Il banishing him to the far Siberia
ssof her social world.
sFor&Wflliam. after that. Not at
shome".was written in flaming let
tiers over the portal of stately
Crawford mansion. Mrs. CRAWFORD
aeyen commanded her husband IL
SdiS charge the audacious young
man, $and Crawford. because Of
the awe in which he stood OF his
;Ebrflliant wife and because OF his
love for peace in the family. lied
sshameless1y and said ." Ihave done
So my dear. AS a matter OF
sfactshe increased Williams salary.
4 KAliee wept her pretty blue eyes
g6ht, confessed her love for William IAN
and was dragged off to Europe for
4 a. disciplinary tour, When she
sreturned she was thrown head
slong into society by her mother
grimly reso1ute woman With
plenty. of money, some tact ana
stwo handsome daughters can 80
@farSinf society If she sets her mind
TO lit. and Mrs. Crawford went faf.
SEventually it was rumored that
ssheSwas about to marry her elder
sdaughter, Maud, to a member Of
sthe nobility, who had crossed the
sfwater on diplomatic mission
When William heard of this
s..easrl stuff & as he profanely call
ed he gave up hope, some slight
ssfrazzeled remnants of which had
sheretofore remained with him.
Even the old man. he felt, would
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