Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-22

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New York Tribune Farmer.l
West of the Mississippi the conven-
lions of railroad travel are different
from those which hold the passenger
on eastern trains. 1t Is a country OF
magnificent distances, and most jour-
neys are measured by days and nights
INSTEAD of hours. 1t is owing to this,
and to the natural freedom which is IN
Everything western, that the crowd on
the overland limited unstitfens. and sea-
neighbors talk to seat neighbors until
the spirit of friendliness sweeps the
train from end to end.
The boy a son OF the west, return
ling from his adopted east for a SNORT
Visit, knew this, for he had been cross
ling thec continent at intervals ever since
he could remember. 1t was the hrst
plorning out from Chicago. and, as was
his custom, he went slowly thru the
I,rain. sizing up his fellow passengers
land specializing on the sort of trip that
was to come. Not a girl" he oaned
"a his quick eye swept the last Pullman.
Hard lines! There's nothing leIt pu.
the compartment car with its old wom-
en- and invalids."
He had forgotten the
platform on the very end of the tram.
He found the girl" seated there, ana
Inc knew that he would be talking VIII
her before the train was an hour ives.
os Omaha. ;,
"sh looks pretty good to me, TOO.
lie said to himself, swinging n leg
over the polished railing OF the plat
form a.
For ten minutes he surveyed the
lpassing show of alternating corn anu
whea. fields and watched the poNsheu
rails unwind themselves rows
Inf Iowa sunaowers at a rate OF sixty
I'VE miles the hour. Their he VentuFeu
to look at her more closely.
The .girl, was wonderfully fresh and
claan.looking, considering the dusty
might on the train. He could not see
her face, for her back was toWaiu mn
lac noticed that her hair, brown, IKE
corn silk, was twisted tightly IN a way
that was hep own. Her trim WITTY
waist fitted perfectly under the panu
Of a blue skirt. These were vital poin.s
In his scoring of one Oh ne'
brown oxfords was perched in a railing
notch for steadying effect, and tnere
showed an ankle turned just SO ana
|t,rhtly covered with open work SIN.
Ga much he saw and so much pleasea
him. -
"Now for her facet" he Whispered
e4ny Gan I make her look around! ASK
her If I may smoke? No-thats too
evident TIL get a cinder in my eye;
that the business.
Forthwith he peered out into inc
cloud of smoke which rushed past, ms
t,ias vide open to welcome the clnaet
r.bich was to start things for them. Bus
~ coal. half-cool sparks and otne.
thinrs hlew into his ears and moutn anu
nose hut because they were wanted ~
~ iaast one eye none landed tners.
.Ill have to play the part,. ms
,honpht. and. with a smothered Oh:
10 san,s hack in his chair. He couio
hear her turning about, knew she was
iaai-;ng ~ him. but dared not look UP
ua gyoned for his handkerchief. Jap
bling one corner n the
member he WINGED in earnest. -,
rs it a cinder?" she asked ~ ~"
yoice with just euou6n
"Feels like a whole car load ne an,
swered, "but 1t will be out IN a iliiilu.e.
He made another jab with his Kerchlel
mot If you go at 1t that way sns
said. Let me help you.
She did not seem to notice the eager
mess with which he turned up nus .u.e
nor the half-concealed smile wnicn III
fried hard to suppress. The Dit OF ilnei
with which she operated was sceHtee
inst enough to remind him OF distan
.hay fields and flowers and things. ne
noticed. too, that her hands were SINAI
andsvery white.
Here 1t isl" she cried, joyfully, aftel
probing for a moment. "A horrla, pig
black cinder. 1t must have hurt dreao-
fully
The "boy" was surprised. for he mac
falt mn cinder at all. Then he looked W
81 her and forgot all about 1t. ana ev-
ervthing else, even himself. He saw 9
nair of brown eyes, the sadness OF theil
depths belied by the laughing pucker OF
her lips and the smiling dimple IN hel
over-white cheek. A loop of brown
hair crossd her brow just beneath the
roll of green stuff which helped MAKE
the brim of her jaunty straw hat.
He called her attention to a rmi
scene to the right of the track over the
sunflower fringe of the roadbed rms
was that he might glance al her PRONE
when she turned. 1t was as delicately
drawn as are the lines of those be-
witching creatures which pen and I'M
imnressionists turn out. She was small
of figure, but the proportions were per-
feet. and the hoy" remembered that ne
never had cared for big women
Then she asked him: What are they
doing to that hay"
And he had to laugh, for the a was
wheat, and they were thrashing. He
told her all he knew about 1T, and 9
little more, In a bright, breezy way ne
had.
BY the time the Limited pulled into
the lonely yards at Council Bluffs he
had looked at her enough to know thai
1T would take a most desperate effort tc
keen from loving her before the train
reached San Francisco. While the train
was loafing. trying to make up its mind
and-ias baggage-to cross into Ne
braska on the Struggling bridge when
spans the muddy divlder of the conti-
nent. he told her all about himself.
I'm going home," he said. First
time in five years"
did it take you that long to get
thru college," she asked quickly.
'How did you know it was college"
But / didn't get thru. They-the fac
q "a a~.-t 1tvyn hA...,