Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-11-20
/! PRAIRIE SUNDAY.
BY LILLIAN GREY, IN "ARTHUR's HOME
MAGAZINE"

eyes we're blue as flax blossoms, but
Just now there was such 9 troubled,
appealing look in them, and her hands
were nervously twisting themselves
together.
why. Milliel my dear little girll'
John said. coming up to her and
smoothing the brown hair back from
her forehead, but he did not attempt
to answer her question, he had done
that so many times.
Its so much worse Sundays, she
continued. Other days one can work
and partly forget how lonely it is, but
Sundays the silence and lonesomeness
Is perfectly dreadful. I don't know
how to endure it any longer
But, dear, it's such beautiful
day.
Yes, all still as death. I'd rather
hear the wind and rain, than not to
hear anything. 1t seems as if you
and l were the only two people in the
whole world, jack
Yes; but thought we promised to
be the whole world to each other, and
you we're my princess, you know, like
the one in the story:
And DER the hills and far away,
Beyond their utmost purple rim,
Beyond the night, across the day,
Through all the day she followed him.
Millie smiled little at this and
said:
Yes, came willingly enough, but
/ did not know how dreary it was out
here beyond the utmost RIM of the
hills
Poor child does your head ache
to-day?'
He would fain have found some
physical cause for her depression.
No, l dou't think it does much; but
my heart-thst feels like leaden
weight.
She turned again to the door and
looked of over the prairie simmer
ing under the hot July sunshine. How
dreary and barren it looked.
Come, dear, put up our lunch and
get your hat, and we'll 60 over to the
cotton woods for our Sunday outing
There's nothing new to see at the
cotton.woods.'
why, yes, Mlllie; you forget the
swing l put up for you last Sunday
'Ohl yes, you're dear good fellow
not to get out of patience with me,
after all, but I do get so discouraged
and homesick.'
'Yes, but never mind now, we won't
be homesick to-day. Let's start be-
fore the sun gets hotter
And in few minutes they started
off quite merily, swinging a pail be-
tween them like Jack and Jill in the
olden story, only the pail contained a
substantial lunch and can of coffee
for their picnic dinner, but unlike
their famous predecessors, they aad
no hill to climb. OIL if there was
only one--one, no matter how rocky
and steep, Mlllie thought; and ferny
hollows and almost incessible grot-
toes, such as she used to delight in
near her old eastern home.
But instead here was only the rol,
ling, blossom covered prairie seeming
ly limitless; not house in sight ex-
cept their own, no passing of wagons
save at long intervals, no fruitful or
chards and groves of naples, and no
human companionship - this last,
worst Of all.
To be sure she had Jack, and he
was the best company in the world,
but how it would stir and freshen
both Of them up if they only had near
neighbors, even if they did borrow
tea and molasses, baking powder and
matches, and forget to return them as
some neighbors do. But, on the
other hand, she could borrow of them
when she got out of things and Jack
was too busy to go to town, for there
was town consisting Of some thirty
houses dozen miles away to the
north, and at eleven o'clock on Sunday
there was always a meeting held in
the little school ol-house.
Jack and Millie had sometimes gone
over, and how good and restful, and
like the dear old times it seemed to be
againg in worshiping assembly, and
then after service was over to receive
the cordial greeting of the genial vii
layers But several weeks had gone
by and the young couple had not
been over. The horses had worked
hard, and one had been lame, and
then Jack had to 20 almost every
week for supplies and the mail which
was the one connecting link with the
eastern world.
But now when Jack saw how for
lorn his little wife was feeling, his
conscious upbraided him for not tax.
ing her over to church.
But never mind, my dearl' he said i,
twell go next Sunday. I'll try and
favor the horses on Saturday, so they
can endure the trip
'And, oh! do you think we'll get a
letter next week? or even a paper2 If
folks only knew how hungry we grow
for such thingsl'