Smyrna times., 1911-05-03
Far Away Fields

car. There remained one unoccupied
strap, to which he attached himself.
He looked grimly over the dripping
anxious-eyed passengers to the rain
swept vistas of the avenue, and his
heart was filled with longing for
the green fields and the meadow
lands of his home.
"What a miserable grind city life
is," he thought. elbow anyone can
choose it is beyond me, and how
much worse for woman-a working
woman-even than a man.
He looked at the drahbled skirt of
young girl in the seat opposite, at
her over fashionable hair and her
cheap little limitations of prevailing
styles. By force of contrast came
to his memory the vision of a slen-
der slip of girl i'll a dress of peach
pink, standing knee deep in a field
of daises.
With shudder he tried to realize
her environed by ribbon counter or
Office desk. Then he fell to wonder
! ing, as he had so many times of
late, what had come between him
and this same slip of a girl since he
had left the farm. She had been
away from home on a visit when he
come to the city and had not replied
to the long letter he had left for
her. To the letter he had written
from here had come only formal
little note and then-unbrcken si-
lence.
"There's a seat!" growled the
conductor, brushing past him, and
Tom noted that during his reverie
there had been many exits. When
he was seated he recalled the still
unopened letter in his pocket, and
he proceeded to open it. 1t was
from his cousin and housekeeper,
Julia. At the close he read: "Have
you seen Bessie yet? She has taken
fine position in an ffioce in the
city. Gets big salary, and never
wants to come back to the country
again. 1t seemed she learned type
writing while she was at her Aunt
Laura's. -
Tom looked dejectedly out of the
window. His world seemed upside
down. He was vaguely conscious of
some one occupying the seat beside
him, and then the voice of his
dreams spoke.
"You haven't forgotten old friends
, so soon?"
He turned and looked into Bessie:
blue eyes.
81 have just learned from let
ter that you were here. Why diC
you come
81 had~a longing for city life
same as you had, so 1 got position
here,"
His face darkened.
\ "You don't seem to be pleased
she said, flushing.
"No, Bessie, l am not. dom
like to think of you as anywher
but back there in the green fields.
wish we were both there this min
ute."
u She looked incredulous.
YOU'D give up your active, stir
ring life here. l thought you wer
entirely weaned away from gree
felds.''
He stared at her wonderingly.
"Will you tell me when you came
, where your position is, where yo
live, and why you did not let m
know you were here?
"I came three days ago. l
typewriting in the law office {
Boardman & Livingston. board I
227 Morton avenue. "
}. "That is the same block whel
my boarding house is-but my la'
question, Bessie.
Il. 81 didn't suppose You would cal
. to know
"Bessie!"
Just then a woman, weary al
g old, came into the car, and Tom i
- stantly gave her his seat and hui
on to strap until one of the ty
men seated in front of Bessie lie
the car. He slipped into this sea
looking keenly at his companion.
"Isn't your name Weldon-Georl
Weldon?"
eyes" said the man, extendil
r. his hand. 81 was almost sure
> was you, Blake. and l was wonde
ing why you seem to be living her
and how far off your thoughts were
"They were only back to
farm"
"I don't wonder. You are
born farmer. Will you tell me W
YOU left that fine 600-acre farm yc
father bequeathed you? l shou
think you'd ask nothing better" "