The Van Buren press., 1897-09-18
ON NO. 90.
BY PERCIVAL POLLARD.
,~eNe~s>es~e~s~s~,

#0tEH lOOhiHE OdA u LIZ 80 49,
hour or so past with good deal Of
veariness in her gaze.
She smiled. Not at ALL" she muir
INJURED.
Il didn't know. he said, 'but what
you'd not care to be disturbed"
He was little, spare sort of an an
ciont, was the conductor. But age never
seemed to have touched his JOY of life;
he was considered as "spry" an employe
as any on that road. His brisk little
eyes flashed sharply about his pretty
yis-a-yis.
Fine country, this" he said, slowly,
as if reaching about for something on
which to swing a conversation. Ever
been in Ioway before?'
"Oh, yes. I've visited here
"Ah; kinder sensed you wasn't from
Ioway yourself. Let me see; | misre
member where you are getting Off"
"Lincolnville."
.'Yes, that's it. Lincolnville. Going
tishing?"
Mild surprise showed in the young
woman's face. Her eyebrows lifted
little. "As | remember it, she said, II
don't think that county has any streams
or lakes at ALL
"Oh," and the little old conductor
gave roguish sort of smile, there's
other kinds o fishing"
Il dare say. But I'm married"
"You don't say Pears to me you
was mighty young when you made your
mind up But that's the way with them
these times. There was my son Tom
The engine whistled for station just
then, and the conductor got up and
made his way out TO the platform. A
little dingy depot building, once white;
sign that stated the number of miles
TO Chicago and the name of the place;
a Western Union sign over the window;
q solitary ramshackle omnibus and a
few Indifferent idlers constituted the
scenery that Mrs. George Lennox looked
out on from the comfort of Pullman
car that formed No. 93's trailer. To
the initiated she gave out at first glance
the air of the town. The something in
tangible and elusively perfect that is
entwined with the clothing of the New
York girl was part of Mrs. Lennox. 1t
was not, perhaps, so much what she
wore as the way she wore it. One can
buy the same materials in Lincolnville
that one can in New York; but the
something, the divine essence of beauti-
fug eXternals, refuses somehow to pass
beyond the portals of the metropolis.
A little of this reflection came to Mrs.
LcnnoX as she watched the two or three
women who alighted at this stopping
place and whose home it evidently was.
And then again feeling of shame came
over her at the harboring of such petit
ness; she blushed, and then smiled,
thinking of the utter femininity of her
reasoning. Clothes, clothes-what are
clothes? There are better things about
men and women than clothes; and these
better things were as frenqent, as active
out here as they were in town. Hearts
and feelings arc the broader humani-
ties.
Mrs. LennoN opened the window as
the train began to leayS the station.
The morning breeze came in, bringing
with it the faint smell of apple blooms
and the sound of birds chirping 1t
was a world of green and blue. Far
over to the horizon stretched the un-
dulating fields of green, dotted here
and there with the brown and black of
grazing beasts or the white, smoke
haloed farmhouses. And over it all
hung the blue curtain of the sky. Mrs
LennoX thought OF the south side of
Twenty-third street and gave a sigh
of relief The morning freshness came
10 her like tonic.
II was good TO be in land of green
fields after ALL
AS / was saying" came the con-
duetor's voice presently, my son Tom,
he married at what / sot down as so
ALFRED young's TO be plumb foolish.
an l guess / don't make any bones
about telling him as much. But l
reckon he knew; Treckon he knew"
They're happy?"
20, nappy's coons at circus time.
And what's more" he drawled his
words a little as il to add emphasis.
Il don't reckon any person ever lived
that could make corncakes like nv
son Toms wife. When l come off the
weeks run. there's nothing rests mes
much as a good iill of cerucakes."
He looked out over the swaying fields
meditatively, and Mrs. Lennox. divin-
ing that his memory was lingering over
the joys Of past eorncakes, forebore
disturbing him.
Vow l wonder" he began again
after a little while, where YOU were
hatched2"
The passenger suppressed smile
I'm from Pennsylvania" she said
You don't sayl7 Gladness shone all
over the old conductors face. I'm
from there myself l Just knew the
miECte l laid eyes on you that there
was something l sorier took to about
you. So you're from Pennsylvania ?
Think Of that! It's a great state.
I've uot been back there in 20 years"