Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-11
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The breathless overland fiers stopped
and painted in each others face. One
had rushed out of the east and the other
out of the west, and they paused amid
sagcbrush and alkal wastes for a mo-
ment before the big water tanks. The
weary passengers got out of the coaches
and paced up and down the wide plat
| lorm with sense of indescribnbe relief
from the close. dusty coaches. They
had the sensations of those who walk
the deck on the Atlantic, when the world
for days has seemed water bound and
they are no nearer harbor than before.
The plains were as vast, as inscrutnble
and as unkindly as the sea. 1t seemed.
Neither had hospitality; neither was will
ing to offer anything but grave to those
who sought Its solitudes.
| Linda Custer, perched on the step Of
| Pullman coach. looked about her and
smiled. The prctensions Of the desert
irritated her. She felt like giving vent
to impertinences. She wanted to dance,
and laugh and cry out: you sullen, RI
diculous desert, what is the matter with
you? Why do you look so leprous
Why do you never grow anything but
sagebrush? And, above all, why do you
try to awe me? Puff! In a few minutes
l shall enter this Pullman coach and be
In the heart Of civilization, and you can
whirl your white dust and buster and
fume all you please. but you can't hurt
mel"
Her jaunty little dust covered cap
could not keep her wayward locks in
place, nor indeed did these locks even
perform the simple service of securing
! her hatpins. So u particularly nggres-
4 sive gust that came along carried the
| cup down the platform. Linda ran after
| II as hard rs she could. not having any
care to proprieties, and only being de-
sirous of making sure of her headgear,
which, 500 miles from millincr's. ac-
quircd distinct value.
| Arthur Denslow saw II. too. and he
gave chase as well. and the two reached
for It at the same moment yielded 1t ST.
multaneously, giving 1t chance to race
yet farther down the platform. and had
| to make another sprint before they re-
covered 1t.
"Oh. thank you!" cried Linda. grateful
and flushed. what IL 1t had got
away|
"The gray wolves would have worn 1t,
l suppose" responded the young man,
bowling with as much courtesy as II he
were in a drawing room instead of on a
railway platform In the desert.
Are there gray wolves here? Why
does not nppear?"
II suppose they don't cnre to come out
for exposition purposes" o.. .I..
Wouldn't 1t be amusing II the earth
should suddenly open and swallow the
trains md the tracks and all of us peo-
pie should be left here in the midst Of
| nat x.ttl a..Au ,p
clothes or food2 What do you suppose
we would do?"
ut would depend entirely on who hap
pens to be walking among these folks on
the platform IL one of them chances
, to be Edison. ! suppose we should soon
be out of our predicament. IL they are
all as stupid as l. am, no doubt we would
die. providing we ere too far from civ
iliaation to walk"
I'm afraid we aren't. I'm afraid a
| good, vigorous walk would bring US into
| the heart OF n civilized town. That's the
worst of living in this generation. Ev-
erything is too ensy." .4,.
"You like difiicultiesW
~ suppose ! would like difficulties.
have never had any. would like to get
on cayuse and ride away over this al
kali desert till came to wild hills. and
| would IKE TO nght lndlnns.
"Woud you, indeed? Well. I've done
H. I've lniu IN trenches three Gays with
the rain falling on me. I've been in sew
ernl skirmishes and one sea fight"
"You're coming home from the Philip
pinesF
"Yes. was going TO say to you that
when these things are happening they
seem perfectly commonplace
Impossible"
assure you its true.
DO You like tropical countriesf
NO Inc landscape does not seem any
more sane thhn TINS one does i Ike the
temperate zcne' like-well' IKE Jack
son park pretty wei, right near the pa.
DO you i've In Chicngof Is that Your
home!
| res. hon Know the Spot OF
speak"
hnow h' ! naVe oeen tnere GU NY
whcci every day al summer
ana now You nre leaving II ana am
coming back TO
I'm gong I" the coast to stay the rest
or my hre,
Mhy aunt you WAN oy the pavii-
Ion"
Ihe conductor OF the westward bound
train summoned ms passengers.
AN aboard! All aboard!
Linda bowed to the young man.
~ did not know you were coming 10
the pavilon! she cricd saucily. Il
thought you were gong TO stay IN Luz
zon,'
the conductor swung her on the plat