The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-04-28
BY LULU JOHNSON.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


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
flt proportion to the absurdly diminu-
tive appearance of the locomotive.
She slipped the big white apron from
her trim waist and waved it above her
head. Then 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 it was an ocean across which
her ship would presently come sailing
to its haven Of good hope. Dimly
against the southern horizon a 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, fat 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
failow 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 6 to wave a signal and to re-
ceive 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
close grained, self contained egottst,
and young men were not made well
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 he 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 a 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.
II can't leave dad" she explained
simply. "Motaer told me to take care
Of him, and I 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
in way. Your pa would be just as
well satisfied with hired cook"
Myra shook her head in negation
even while she knew that what Jim
said was true. In the summer when
the crops were In there were half a
dozen men to cook for, and from morn
ing until late in the night she toiled In
the hot kitchen. In the winter Sackett
spent much of his time In the nearest
town. some eighteen miles away, leav-
ing Myra alone In the homestead.
It was Of these things she thought
as she looked out across the pillows OF
unIovely earth and wondered, If per-
haps the sacrifice was not in vain. 1t
was much as Jim had said-Robert
Eackett would be as happy and as
comfortable under the ministrations OF
a hired housewife.
Day after day she had stood in the
e+or T;r,asc IN had m SSQ6
wondering If perhaps she had not
made more than the sacrifice that her
mother had demanded and seeking
some sign by which she might be
guided. No sign came. however, and
there was only the dreary prospect OF
an unending round of drudgery, with
no compensating words of thanks and
affection.
Her hands clinched as she thought
of the last two years, those years IN
which she might have been Purdy's
wife. when she might have exchanged
the dreary round Of the quarter sec
ton for a cozy home in a town where
the Rockies lowered above them and
all was not fat and deadly monotonous
Of outline.
Che still stood there as the familiar
team attached to the heavy farm wag-
on crept over the edge of the nearest
billow of earth. Sackett, in the driv-
er's seat, gave no heed to Myra's sig
mailing. but drove stolidly on until at
last he had turned into the home in
closure and numbered down from the
-za..tx... - 1Ex,ra a oour1Io of fdf-
ters addressed in Purdy's familiar
handwriting.
ut was late when got through last
night" he said sheepishly as he re-
moved with care a demijohn from the
wagon box and took it into the barn.
Myra nodded Understandings. 1t al
WAYS was late when. her father con-
Guided his simple business errands, too
,ate to make it worth while to get back
10 the homestead that night. He salyed
ills conscience with this time worn
fiction and spent a roisterous night at
the Eagle hotel She left him to put
mn the tired horses, while she hurried
into the house to read her letters and
prepare dinner.
Her soul stirred at the thought of the
drudgery before her young life for the
sake of a man who left her alone in
the sod house while he spent the night
dissipating in town. Jim's pleadings
were hard to resist and as she tucked
the letters into her workDox she prayed
for a sign for her guidance
When Sackett came in dinner was
smoking on the table, and he pulled up
his chair with grunt of satisfaction.
The meal was enlivened by no gossip
OF the town. Sackett ate in stony 81
lence. now and then regarding his
daughter from beneath his bushy eye
brows. Myra's hands clinched under
the tablecloth as she noted the sign