Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1908-11-27
ID I'll
t BY WAY OF OZARK It
IL BY FRANCES WILSON LII
[G III
BY FRANCES Will SON


Shoes!" was his neat reply. Inyolun,
tarily ] smiled-wc all smiled cheerily
until happened to remember the dark
tradition on which all girls arc
brought up, concerning strange men
on railroad trains, and retreated TO tho
platform to recover my dignity. \
man in blue blouse. with n face be.
smlrched into Rembrandt effects. was
fussing about the wheels.
"Rusted from disuse2' ! ventured.
Then, omboldened by his smile-"G
promise to keep the secret but tell
me, now. honestly. does Il ever go?"
lie seemed To consider
Yes, It always goes. sooner or In.
ter You sec, IL depends upon the
trcight-whencver the crew with the
freight comes down, It goes"
And when does 1t arrivc?'
That depends upon the amount OF
freight and how much switching their
IS to do
turned away softly. Then I be-
thought me of the ticket man
1T Is almost eleven" | remarked
with deadly calmness. lie looked In.
terested. why. so It Is. oh. well. the
crcw'll be along soon now Scheduled
for nine-forty." he added comfortingly.
All. well, what matter? The sky
was blue and the air electric. and
there was the long stretch OF the sta
! ton platform on which to practice
/ fascinating eccentricities of gait, could
one but manage II subtly enough to
escape the attention of the loungers.
II was well on toward noon when
the patient occupants OF the train for
Ozark were startled by premonitory
jolt that caused a weary mother who
was doing at full length on one of the
seats TO grab wildly at her infant,
uncriticaly asleep on the floor The
gentleman lust outside hosiery"
Strengthened up alcrtly, and. while his
colleague smiled genially and indis
criminately on us all, murmured. She
moves!"
II was true. Some engine humble
enough and decrepit enough to draw
the train to Ozark had been found. To
be sure. Il was almost time for us tn
arrive, but what are schedules after
all but an expression of railroads
ideals-statements of what they fain
would do, rather than what they ac-
complish. lf my mind still played
about the idea of making up tine. IL
was from the force OF habit. Certainly
the Ozark train never dreamed OF max
ing such an exhibition of itself as
would have been necessary to over
take its fleeing schedule.
II ambled gently through the sunlit
landscape, past cornfields all nicely
done up in Psyche knots and aglow
with topaz pumpkins; past a distant
farmstead exhibiting an almost holy
proprlety, doors and windows primly
closed, and nothing In sight save the
shadows on the lawn. and gradually
came to a complete stop before gen
eral store" where II paused for So
cial call. Onward IL went again.
through more smiling landscape. over
little brooks, beside shadowy wood
land stretches. but never failing to
stop courteously at each country
store.
Gradually the charm OF that Journey
sank into my heart. never to be for
gotten. II was an exquisite pastoral
given to us at first hand lived and not
read. The idea of q destination faded
from my mind. the desire to arrive de-
parted from me. The trip to Ozark
was like life-to be on the way was
enough. One felt no desire to reach
the other end
had long since deserted the ele-
giant red plush seat for one on the
steps OF the back platform. As we
= stopped from time to time to dstrib-
ute freight cars or cinders the men
= explored the surrounding country. |
was wishful, but being unable to rid
! myself entirely Of an old superstition
! concerning trains-the possibility OF
their careening off at moments no.
: tice--I remained on the steps, content
; edly watching the furries of yellow
and white butterflies that drifted
about. the huge brown beetles that
, waddled along the track for all the
, world like contractors out on tour of
inspection. | smiled back at the land
scape that beamed on us all so genial
' ly and bent my ear to the gaunt
= brown weeds, the burden OF whose
y message was. "Once | was young, but
. now | am old" as they waved back
/. and forth In the breeze. At peace with
; life and time, | thanked God for the
r long, sweet dream of country ways,
4 Indifferent whether we trundled on
e ward or tarried forever by the way
4 Verify, had tasted the lotus. reached
I the land where II is always after
0 noon.
Ozark" shouted the conductor
A There was proud, official ring in his
r voice that seemed to say, Didn't tell
v you?" and began to gather up my
I possessions, invountarily exchanging
|. a glance of sympathy with Falstaf
@ and the man Just outside hosiery
a Somehow, in that 1S-mile trip we al
7. seemed to have put out roots, and the
A arrival came with rude shock of up
/ ,lyft eli 70 4