Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-09-10
Swampy Corners.

The depot at Swampv Corners was ney
er picturesque spot even in the blue glo,
OF the sunniest June day but on this chi
october night, with the first snowflake
OF the season eddyng in the slow, unde
clded way that first snowflakcs hay
through the gray air and the tall hemlock
swaying this way and that in the raw
wind, 1t looked especially dIeary.
Emily Elkton shudderet as She stoot
looking out of one of the panes of glas
clumslly inserted in the log framework b,
way of window.
mo, Miriam, said she, you can't 90
But I've got to go - said Miriam Nudge
sympathetically COMPRISING her lips a.
she tightened the straps of the parcel sh,
was fastening one notch at time.
And leave me here alone;"
Nobody won't hurt you, reckon. sale
Miriam, strong featured woman of 40
with bristling upper lip like a mans.
IF you GO said Emily, I'm 20 too =
Not much" composedly spoke Miriam
Thar amt room in Peter Muer's buck.
! board for so much a. n sheet o paper artt
ne and hims in. Besides whatll vour
Uncle Ahealpm say when be comes back
apd finds nobody ST hum: IF the fire goes
out, eNerythineIl freeze stuff and-yes
Ie'e, M comm; thar amt no need tu
stand there bellerin' like a Texas steer
6ood-hy Emily, on, | forgot" coming
back, and mechanically lowering her voice
although there was no one but the gray
/ cat by the stove 10 oyerhear the words.
- ne ticket money and two rolls o. gold
eagles As the pay masters call for to NOR
/ fer in the noon train i in the REQ chest uu-
der your uncle's bed. | Ieckoned it nd be
safer thar than in the money-draw'. Don't
forget TO give II 10 him fust thing he gets
I back"
Forget. echoed Emily, wringing her
hands In frantic desperation. But won't
/ be left IN charge of IL. I'll assume no such
responsibility. insist upon your taking it
with YOU"
The remon>trance however, came too
late. Miriam bawled ont some indi>tinct
reply. and the next sound Miss E!ktun
heard was the cresking Of the blackboard
wagon as 1t turned the sharp curve below
the cleaning line OF the railway switches.
shes gone, cried Emily. clasping her
hands like the tragic muse and left me
alone with all that money. And the navy
camp only three miles up the mountains
full of Italians and Chinese and the miners
at Lake Lodi, and the whole neighborhood
infested with despcradoes And Uncic
Abealom not expected home until O'Clock
IN the morning. and the bolt broken of the
door, and the keys misfli, and nothing
but hook and staple between me and de-
>uucllon. OH why didn't stav in Rhode
Island: What evil spirit possessed me to
come out here to Dakota, where one might
a. well be buried alive and done with III"
Emily ElktOn sal down aud cried heart
ily, rocking herself forward and back, and
>obbug out loud. Ike a child " hose Slice
Of bread and m1la->cs has been taken
away from II. And not until the candle
nared Up. with an extra sized "windiug-
sheet wrapped around it, wick, and the
cat rubbed it>ef per-i-tently against her
knee, did >he srou>e to the quadruple fact
that pu>- wanted her supper, the fire was
low, the candle needed snufilng, and there
was no sort of use in tears
Emily had come out West, partly be-
cause lAegg aetgnse Uncle Absalom had
written that one of his nine nieces would
come very handy for housekeeper at
Swampy Corners in the State of Dakota,
if she could De spared
The latter sentence was intended on his
part for sarcasm. but the Elkton family
had received it in all good faith. and many
a deliberation before they consented TO let
one Of the nine young birds flutter out Of
the home nest.
And more especially She had come be-
cause she had incidentally learned that
Andrew Markham was one Of the engineers
in charge Of the new line Of railway on the
other slope of the mountain, which under
taking involved the navy camp and TIE
great derriCAs and steam drills, and the
gangs of slit-eyed Chinese and the dark
browed Italians.
Not that that signifies. Emily had
pausIply told herself; but of course its
pleasant 10 be somewhere within 4 hun
dred miles Of an Old acquaintance -
Andrew Markham had been To see her
twice, and both times she had made up her
mind tha; the far West was the only place
! to live in.
.'He expects to settle here - she thought
with soft pink color suiiu>ing her face.
/ He says he has already bought sunny
/ slope Of land, where he means TO build a
/ house and bring a wife, when he can afford
what ii does in the pfiete civilization OF
the East"
/ But tonight, with darkness wrapping
the little depot like blanket, and the
wind bowling down the mountain gorge,
Miss Elkton would not at all have objected
to some of that same 'etcte civilization.
Alone in the house During the whole
Of her sojourn at S.ampy Corners such a
thing mad never happened to her before
Uncle Absalom had occasionally been
absent, it was true, but Miriam Nudge was
always there to bear her company until hi.
return.
Now that a sudden summons from h2i
father, hurt in an accident in the sawmill
ON Ragged river. six miles below, haC
called Miriam away, poor Emily was all il
iutter.
True the one train day which stepped
at the "daypot" WAS not due until I in tn,
morning; the telegraph office was closed
and there was absolutely no care for he
to assume except to put another log o
wood in the air-tight stove and 90 quietly
to bed. But the very sense of solitude ap
palled her. She shivered at the very clicl
of the snowfiakes against the window, tn
creak of the boards in the floor, the slov
drip of the water into the kitchen sink
where Uncle Absalom had recently intro
duced the modern improvement of waite
faucet connected by pipes with the sprin!
in the spruce glen above.
why couldn't Miriam have stopped a
one of the neighbor's houses and sent som
one to keep me company" she repined
"Andrew says there are some nice girls a
Almondsley down the mountain, and b
said he'd like to introduce me to Mariett
Mix, who teaches Sunday school in tn
South Clearing and does typewriting fo
the company on week days. I'm sorr
now that l tossed my head and put 0
airs, and said didn't care to mingle in th
society hereabouts Oh, dear! swhat
hateful, insolent mink | must have al
peared Good gracious me! what wa
that?"
1t was the clock striking nine. and the
Emily remembered that she had had n
supper
Nervously glancing around her, she til
toed to the cupboard poured out glas
of milk ami ate little bread and chees'
As she replaced the coarse nt-elas
tumbler on the shelf, she heard somethin
like cautious footstep on the hard froze
path outside.
sits nv imagination" she thought, a
ter listening for a second. 1T must bt
Rnt I won't be frightened so. I'll
brave"
She took the Ratchet boldly in her ham
and salying forth. opened the cellar do'
wide, thus exposing yawning pit OF dari
ness.
"If anv one comes, they'll sail down the
before they can get to the door" said Ell
lily. ,
And with one or two prodigious slash'
of the batchet she cut away the broad pat
which led across a series Of ragged boul
ers to the railway platform.