Smyrna times., 1900-04-18


played an accompaniment to varied
assortment of day dreams in which l.
as lanky, half developed boy. played
central part. So vividly did fancy
play that could actually taste those
batter cakes, and l want to digress
here long enough to remark that they
were the only part of the visit that was
not bitter and humilating disen-
chantment.
II you have ever gone around the
mead of Lake Michigan on the train.
you may have noticed that at a village
called Porter there is often quite n
perceptible change in climate. At that
point you swing from the west to the
east side of the lake. You may leave
ChlcagO in balmy spring and on the
same trip of an hour or two pass Por
ter in winter that would be no disgrace
10 Dakota. And that's Just what han
pened to me. Nothing finer in the way
OF weather could have been wished
than the brand that waited me from
chicago Saturday, but we hadn't been
around the point at Porter half an hour
DeIOre l was conscious of q disturbing
element to my dreams. At first | could
not account for it. Then | noticed II
was showing briskly. Ten miles far
ther on the train was running heavily
through drifts of considerable denth
we were not making schedule time
and as we plOwed along there was
more than a suspicion in my mind that
might spend the night in a snow bank
miles from any town or village.
When L reached my old town, the
Train was more than an hour late. the
mercury had fallen below zero. and |
stepped into the teeth of a blizzard that
almost carried me off my feet look
eu around for street car and then re-
membered l was not in Chicago. The
sole cab had been retired from service
at the beginning of the storm. so l set
out to walk the half mile between the
station and the old homestead. Let lis
pass over that tramp, merely remark
ing that the last trace Of my pleasant
dreams of anticipation had vanished
long before l pounded the old familiar
knocker on the front door of nv fa-
theirs house.
My welcome there was all l could
nave wished, and l soon forgot the
trials of the journey. There was the
big coal stove roaring like a blast fur
| mace, and in every room in the house
a wood fire was burning. The apples
and cider were promptly placed before
me, and we settled down to an old
time chat. AT 10 O'clock my good old
mother took small lamp and led the
way to the spare room, in which fire
mad been lighted after my arrival.
Here everything was cozy also and as
warm as toast. The bed, with it's big
feather ticks, looked like a giant snow
bank over against the wall. There was
plenty of wood in q box behind the
stove, and mother suggested that it
would be a good idea for me to get up
once in awhile through the night and
replenish the fire.
1T must have been after o'clock
in the morning when 1 awoke. The
room was colder than Greenland. De-
spite feather bed and a dozen blankets
and quilts. was chilly. l got up and
lighted the fire. which had been out for
hours At 6 o'clock mother came soft
! ly into my room and started that fire
again. She did not want to disturb
me; but, bless you, / had not been
asleep since got back to bed. Seeing
me awake. she said father had taken
one of his bad turns, and she had told
him he must stay in bed. She did not
say what she considered my duty in
the circumstances. but | saw it clearly
enough.
Must | go into all the details? Can
not you imagine what followed? In
fancy don't you see me all through
that long Sunday. with the wind howl
ing like a host of demons and the
snow blowing and banking up all
around the house, Juggling in a dozen
Scuttles of coal from the shed at the
foot of the garden; carrying in some
thing like four cords of wood to keep
half dozen fires going; shoveling
paths to the pump. the wood shed. the
barn. the front gate, the back gate. the
side gate and the cistern? Need | tell
you that for that day was a stoker,
hired man. a common labOrer, q
nurse, a chambermaid? Cannot you
see me carrying the shattered frag-
ments of my ideal out to the alley
through three feet of snow banks and
heaving them away over into the
neighbOrs back yard?
Pm going to cut the rest of this tale.
Smith. That night repeated the ex-
periences of the night before. except
that | sat up and watched the fire in
stead of going to bed. Next morning.
finding the old gentleman had recover
ed. packed my grip and took the first
train back to Chicago.
"And one word more, Smith. Do you
know, now that | calmly think it over,
that experience Sunday was no differ
ent from many another of my early
days at home. l had simply surround
ed the past with a halo of ideality
which made the present look mean by