Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-08-05
only heiress Of the comfortable Bradley

only heiress Of the comfortable Bradley
| estate.
| AS the day passed and she was hur.
| ried through the fat, dismal country
| both her reason and her heart rose ir
| rebellion, and when the call for lunch.
con was sounded nervousness had done
its work. She wanted nothing to eat
| The porter had seen just this brand
| of inconsistencies before, and he asked
permission to bring some tea and toast,
| at least, to her section. Abashed by
| the tears that came to her eyes at his
| friendly suggestion, he sought another
| car and the conductor. Then this kind
| ly official sat down beside his tired
young passenger and tried to make con-
versation. They were just passing a
section house with its few surround
ing buildings and tiny schoolhouse.
Near the latter was an improvised
slide"
That's the way the prairie children
make hills he said, little dreaming
that he was touching very raw spot
In his companions heart "They pile
up the SHOW industriously, pour water
on it just before shutdown, and in the
morning it is jolly fine slide"
After that Miriam watched for the
manufactured hills. The pitiful sub
stitute for the sport of her girlhood
somehow made her feel more desper-
ately than ever the mighty chasm she
was cutting between her old life and
her new.
And when she was not watching for
"hills" she was trying to drown the
recollection of a certain tender, plead
ing voice in the incessant, insistent
song of the revolving wheels beneath
her.
1t was an actual relief when Schofield
was reached and she stood on the mar.
row strip Of platform in front of the
station. She peered through the dusk
in vain search for some break in the
level stretch of plain. A man in rough,
heavy clothing came forward BASH
fully.
''You Miss Bradley, for over to Mud
dy Bend?" he asked, with hat awk-
wardly uplifted. Miriam merely nodded
"Well, I'm on the school board" he
said in some embarrassment. 81 come
over a-purpose to see you and mebbe
save you the long stage ride"
"That was very kind of you," said
Miriam, trying to be cordial. But
was fully resigned to the stage"
"Oh, | don't mean that" said the
man, with growing nervousness. But.
you see, there's been some mistake-I
don't know as you'd call it that either
but something happened unexpected
since we wrote you. Kate Higgins,
our old teacher, was all right. We
liked her well enough, but our doc
said she'd have to go south for her
throat. When she got as fur as st.
Louis doctor there said it wasn't her
throat at all, and he fixed her up. And,
being as Kate was all satisfactory and
she wants to stay-well, we were won
dering If we couldn't make some ar
rangement with you to get another
school round here somewheres, or we'd
pay your fare back and give you what
ever you thought was right You see,
we don't feel like going back On
Kate
Certainly not" replied Miriam,
with such warmth that the brawny
westerner, as he said afterward, was
plum locoed" for a few seconds. Il
think you should pay my fare both
ways, and then we will call 1t square.
l could not have stayed very long any
how. You see, l am to be married
soon. May l send a telegram before i
go to the hotelT'
Her interested host followed her into
the station, protesting that the school
board must put her up at the hotel un-
til the Overland passed through in
the early morning, eastbound. And -
he heard the telegram which the op-
orator read aloud for verifeation:
James Neeker, wsllingtoa. VT:
Am returning at once 10 where thsss
are hills-and homes. MIRIAM
I'm sure obliged to that chap Meek
er, whoever he may be-" the westerner
unused az ne led the way across the
rain soaked road to the hotel Il won
der what she meant about the hills!"
But, being courteous, he did not ask,
and Miriam did not offer an explana-
ton. She was content to think that
within twelve hours the Overland Linn
tied would be scurrying her across the
dpteSted Mains toward tho hapnfnaco