The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-09-16
I! ON NO. 80.
4 BY PERCIVAL POLLARD. :.


THE conductor of No. 90 put his han
up to his cap in a vague, fumblin
way. II you've no objection" h
began. as he prepared to take his SET
opposite the young woman who ha
been looking out of the window for a
hour or so past with a good deal @
WEAKNESS in her gaze.
She smiled. Not at ALL" she mn,
INJURED.
u didn't know" he said. "but wha
you'd no ARE to be disturbed"
! He was a little, spare sort of an an
cicnt, was the conductor. Butage neve
seemed to have touched his JOY of life.
he was considered as "spry'' an emplovt
as any on that road. His brisk it'll,
eyes flashed sharply about his prett,
vis-a-yis.
Fine country, this he said, SLOWLY
as if reaching about for something on
which to swing a conversation. Ever
been in loway before?"
"Oh, yes. I've visited here"
"Ah; kinder sensed you wasn't from
loWay yourself. Let me see; | misre-
member where you are getting Off"
'Lincolnville."
"les, that's it. L~incolnville. Goinp
~fshing?"
Mild surprise showed in the Young
woman's face. Her eyebrows lifted a
nttle. AS remember it," she said. Il
don't think that county has any streams
or lakes at ALL"
Oh and the little old conductor
give a roguish sort of a 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 a station inst
then. and the conductor got M and
made his way out to the platform. A
httle dingy depot building, once white:
q sign that stated the number of miles
10 Chicago and the name of the place;
a Western Union sign over the window:
a solitary ramshackle omnibus and n
lew INDIFFERENT idlcrs constituted the
scenery that Mrs. George Lennon looked
our on from the comfort of a Pullman
car that formed No. 93's trailer, 70 {
the initiated she gave out at first glance I
Tie air of the town. The something in J
tangible and elusively perfect that is
with the clothing Of the New :
10TH girl was part of Mrs. Lennox. 1t '
not, perhaps, so much what she
wore as the way she wore it, One can il
,uy the same materials in Lincolnville I
lhit one can in New York; but the c
.onething, the divine essence of beallti- O.
~" 'Nternals, refuses somehow to pass .
the portals of the metropolis.
y nun of this reflection came to Mrs. q
lehhoXas she watched the two or three W
Nomen Who alighted at this stopping tc
''re ana whose home it evidently was. o
,"u ,i'eh again a feeling of shame come d,
ier AT tae harboring of such petit at
- she bihshed, and then smiled.
mixing of th- utter femininity of her S,
,anohlhg. Clothes, clothes-what are IN
'o'nes; There are better things about en
'.n ana INT than clothes; and these III
..'er 'nlhgs We're as frenqent, as active
y, nere as they were in town. Hearts
FEELINGS arc the broader humani- fe
es.
MIS- Lennon opened the window as Il
,e 'rain began TO leave the sta.on.
ne morning breeze came in, bringing du
III ~ The faint smell of apple blooms IT
u 'he sound of birds chirping. 1t
IS a world of green and blue. Far
er 10 the horizon stretched the I'M
iatihg fields of green, dotted here ois
d lhere with the brown and black of wa
a~'hg beasts or the white. smoke pol
4oed farmhouses. And over II NIL
ns the blue curtain Of the sky. Mrs. no.
nnoN thought of the south side of
'entF-'hird street and gave a sigh lat
,eiiei. The morning freshness came ant
her like a tonic. ira
! was good to be in a land of green )
DIS after all! "
AS l was saying" came the con- "
.or 5 voice presently, my son Tom, nan
married at what / sot down as so tieI
'feo young's to be plumb foolish, =
l guess ! don't make any bones -,
w telling him as much. But / seVt
roh ne knew; l reckon he knew" MAJ
lhey're happy?" -
happy's coons nj circps ,;me sody
l Wnut'R norn ~ l A
Us q little as il to add emphasis.
''h reckon any person ever lived III
could make corncakes like nv Is 81
IONS wife. When l come off the alta
rum there's nothing rests mes dooi
n as a good fill of co~rncakes." even
!. looked out over the swaying fields OF a
'.a'i'eiy. and Mrs. Lennox, divin- sea''
.a' ms memory was lingering over peer
JOYS OF past corncakes, foreborc waei
him. Upo,
/ wonder be hoo,, .u.,. light
a little while, where you were "r'
hed?' penn
e passenosr gona
from Pennsylvania" she said.
don't say!" Gladness shone all "Y,
.ne oio conductors face. I'm Bryal
mere myself. I just knew the peasa
.s ! laid eyes on you that there "they
suhething l sorter took to abont "Ar
90 You're from Pennsylvania ? ii wa
!. OF that! IT'S a great state. TO be
- oeen back there ~ 20 years" short