The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1908-10-15

\ Copyrighted, 1908. by the Associated !.
I Literary Press. +
Myra came to the doorway of the
sod house and looked wistfully across
the fields. Far to the southeast faint
plume of smoke showed bit of rolling
ground, and presently she was able to
discern toy train making Its progress
toward the west Three puffs of white
steam sprang from in front of the cab,
and presently there were borne to her
ear three faint blasts of the whistle in
at proportion to the absurdly dlminu-
tive appearance Of the locomotive.
She slipped the big white apron from
her trim waist and waved 1t above her
head. Then a single short blast of the
whistle announced that her signal had
been seen.
Presently the train vanished into an
other cut In the rolling prairie, but
Myra did not return to her work. She
remained leaning against the rough
hewn doorpost. looking out across the
dreary waste of land.
When summer came and the waving
grain covered with Its velvet pile the
gentle undulations, Myra liked to pre-
tend that 1t was an ocean across which
her ship would presently come sailing
RI td mi U
against the southern horizon line OF
purple against the blue of the sky
marked the commencement of the foot
hills, but to the north, east and west
as far as the eye could see there was
only the rolling prairie.
Myra hated the low fiat surface even
In the summer, when the ocean Of
grain concealed its nakedness and gave
the suggestion Of mystic ocean, and
In the early spring with its broken
surface and the brown grass of the
fallow fields, her soul revolted at the
very sight of the ground Yet now she
leaned against the doorpost and looked
across the brown earth to where she
knew the single line Of the railroad
ran.
In the long summer days she had
two visits from Jim Purdy, for then
1t was still light enough when he came
past at to wave a signal aud to re-
celve the answering toot that was to
be heard only when the wind was
from the south. At other times only
the puff of steam from the whistle told
Of the signal.
These were about the only visits
Myra received. Robert Sackett was a
close grained. self contained egotist.
and young men were not made wei
come at the Sackett quarter section
Purdy had come In spite of the surly
reception he had received from the ia.
Their of the girl be loved There had
been long calls on pleasant summer
nights and plans for what they would
do when Jim should have completed
his probation as engineer and should
be given regular run.
Myra had promised to marry him
when all this should come to pass.
They would live at the end Of the
division, where they was town Of
10000 inhabitants and where the
dreary monotony Of the plains was
broken by the close proximity of the
mountains. Yet when Jim had come
to claim her hand, aglow with JOY over
his promotion, she had drawn back.
81 can't leave dad" she explained
simply Mother told me to take care
of him, and l promised her that, l
would. Promises to the dead can't be
broken, jim"
But she didn't mean that you must
spend your whole life and give up
your own happiness just to make Mr..
Sackett comfortable" the man denied,
"She didn't mean that, Myra. She
only meant you were to look after him