The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1914-03-10
WHAT THE FROGS HEARD
Hy W. ". wHALEN.

II was six o'clock on a June morn
Ing. His freight had now come 70
the top OF the heavy Locust summit
grade. aud as be stood on the roof Of
a box car he saw a girl kneeling AZ an
open upstairs window in the house
adjoining the station. Her head lay
on her hands. a few Of her euris hung
out over the windoWladge and waved
in the breeze. Ben got on the car and
stood looking up At her This chance
perhaps Fortune herself had put in his
way. How often he had watched
those black cnrls through the station
window, when he chanced TO be there,
and Cora Goype was in sight. Yet
she had nerer seen him He gave
shrill whistle
Could anything be prettier than
that round. dimpled. sleepy dark face
which started up from the window
sill. the eyes bright from sleep. the
hair gracefully disordered! For sec
ond or two she was bewildered. She
looked down. and saw an engine and
train standing and something else;
a brakeman. cap in hand. looking up
into her face.
For only an instant she gazed at
him. then, with a little cry OF morti-
fication, leaped away from the window
and disappeared from his view. But
in that instant she had. with wom-
ans facility. noted how yellow his
hair and mustache were how big and
blue his eyes. how brawny his shoul-
ders. and how handsome his face.
That Was their Introduction. They
became lovers. Every day Ben's train
stopped az Locust Summit. and ey Try
day Cora made it point to meet
him: sometimes for only word,
sometimes for a proloLged converse
tion. His southern heart yearned to-
wards this lovely bit Of northern wom-
anhood.
II was a night in July. Ben's train
was waitings for orders. He. and his
sweetheart were conversing in low
tones. as they walked up and down
the Railroad.
So sou liked The Last of the No
hicansg
Yes. very much; but should have
liked the story better had Maj. Hey
ward married Cora and not Alice"
sThat is just what liked about
It. No wonder Major Hayward was
disgusted with Cora when her father
told him OF her birth.
"Iler birth2 ! don't understand"
why, her mother was a creole, or
something: there was trace Of ne
gro or Indian blood in Cora. faint per
hans. bot there for all that The
girl irembled aud grew pale 70 the
lips He felt her culver on his arm
surely you are not chilly tonight:
why shiver2
She WAS taken unawaree. but ner
answer shed only faint light on
her thoughts. What a coincidence
that my name is Cora. too. she blurt.
/ ed out
He laughed
"Be my wife. dearest; say yes No
sound from her colorless lips. He
, pressed her again to him. You lit
, tie goose. l thought ] knew you, but
now see that no man can ever un-
/ Cerstand a woman. Who'd think you
so shy? Wen. the answer tomorrow.
He bounded across the rails, a
spring. he climbed the side of house
i car: stood on the top. cap in hand,
i the moonlight falling on his yellow
hair. kiss from the tips Of his
y fingers. then the train rolled by and
0 Cora was alone.
$ she looked at the green waters OF
o the swamp. whence came the sonorous
4 voices Of the frogs
e "Oh. If I had never met hint" she
{ cried. In So low a tone that only the
4 frogs heard her. And now to give
e him up! Was il your fault, mother
dear. that your mother was mu.
E latto?
+ Was there in the music Of the frogs
0 any note that caused her to shud-
I der so2
Coral Cora. where are you"
Her aunt's voice reached her ears.
I The girl started to her feet at the
! sound. 50 suddenly that she well nigh
3 fell into the water. She hurried down
!. the railroad to meet her aunt, who
d stood near the station. There was
an engine. pusher." standing aear,
r wheeling and painting
; Get into the engine, Cora. Here
Z is a hat I'll 20 with you
: Her aunt led the v5y and Cora
r wonderingly followed her into the
! cab. Her uncle was there. and on
his saying. "AI right. the engineer
a started the engine. and the frogs
! songs died away In the distance.
! Cora. must be abrupt Il has just
: come mp over the wires that Jim Glib
! bons' freight ran away down the
4 grade and plunged of the track at
!. the curve
: "And Ben Evens is killed. came in
/, a hollow sound from Cora's lips.
: NO. he's hurt and wants you
= Ben was lying on the bank on some
coats which the men standing around
+ had furnished. his eyes opening and
, closing. his breath failing. but he
krrnr- Tos-n