The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-09-13
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
me Romance Of a Survey
ey Frederick Hart

- . nnmber of Young men in flan-
lfnel shirts and high laced shoes'
Zone Of whom performed strange
feats with tripods and long RED am
1Shifa noies and interminable stee'
tanes shouting and waving theii
arms IA a way to trighten any sell.
Taspecting cow into bovine mysteries
while others droIe stakes IN the
ground. 1t was all very strange,
Z Thought the cows and the orooks
Gknd the trees; no one had ever act'
al that way in the back pasture pc
fore. These sentiments were eGuU,
cd by pretty Mary LangnoTn WnSa
abe made her morning trip 70 tAe
bsck nasture, But Mary shared
none Of the cows terror. She walk
ri straight. TO the young man VINO
seemed to be in charge OIL Things
and demanded of him who he Was
what he wanted there, where ne
came from, what he was DONG anu
why he was doing 1t, al! IN
breath. The young man TOOK OIL ms
haiti was a hot morning anu NO
was working hard-and mo2ped his
brow with bandana before answer
ing. He had rather nice brow
thought Mary; in fact he was ratn'
et nice to look al, in his foush
clothes, with the upturned sleeves
showing his muscular forearms ana
his shirt open at the throat, reveal
ing the white skin below where me
,sun had no tanned IL, But sue
Matted for her reply without giving
M sign OF this admiration. The
young man seemed apologize ana
was quito nice about It,.
We'll slou Sc Miss
"a nAiary Langhorn's my name and
khis is my fathers, Jonas Lang,
horn's farm
F9-Miss Langhorn, we're surveying
for railroad line that's to run thru
here. Your father was to see our
attorneys this morning. We're run
ming the preliminary now"
Mary hadn't the slightest idea
what he meant by running a pre-
linfnary" but he really was nice,
even II he was on her fathers land;
and then the mention OF attorneys
was reassuring and business-ltke.
So she treated the young man to
ciate to the full and returned to the
house, where she found her father
in state Of excitement
what do YOU think, Mary-girl?'
he began. Her mother standing be-.
hind him echoed, What do you
think?"
They're goin' to run line o. rail-
road right through the back pastIr
Il was talkiu to their lawyer just
this minute, an they're gOin' to pay
$500 an acre fer the right o way!
.SWhy 1t comes to more'n $4,000. It's
Ia big thing for us, Mary-it means
6Hchool an college fer you. fer one
Thing. Amt We Glad?"
"Oh dadn The dream Of Mary's
life was to be realized at last and
she could hardly find words 10 ex-
press her happiness. Then her
smother spoke.
81 "That young engineer-the chief
o the gang-Andrews is his name
John Andrews-is going to live here
while they put the line through.
iHear's can find out. he has TO stay
nearby to tend to some job
gradin' er somethin' like that-an
the lawyer asked could put him up
an o. course l said yes. So We
have him around fer awhile. Did
you see him when You was down 10
the back pastur' this morning
Yes-I saw him. He-he looked
rather nice"
rWeil!" Jonas Langhorns word
was short. I'm glad you liked his
VI 4QUh6. 31G II GOllG III lG1 OllluCAt
At dinner he appeared and tho
Langhorn family took to- him at
once. He was quiet, but had fund
OF humor that Kept them all laugh.
ing when he chose to exercise T..
He was handsome too, thought Mrs.
Langhorn as she looked ut the
bronzed face that Mary had admired
in the forenoon. And he seemed to
, like the farm cooking which was
The surest way to kindly Mrs. Lang
korn's heart. But Mary was silent
and subdued before him; in fact
through the months that followed
the waiting for materials and the
endless surveying and re.surveying
she grew more and more quiet.
Her father saw fit TO rally her on
the subject but she would make no
direct reply.
well?" inquired his wife OF him one
evening in an anxious tone. But he
treasured her.
"Shes little peaked I'll admit,
hc uaid But you list wait TIL fall,
when she goes to school. It'll make
) a new girl OF her. You list wait"
: SO Mrs. LanShoIn dutitulIy waited.
Mary was TO leave for school on
the 10 OF September. The night be.
fore her departure the young engi-
ueer announced that tho first ship.
h1ent OF material would arrive the
next day and that work on the dig
E1ng and grading would begin at
itonce. The news cheered the good
SlpCo2le OF the farm for they were,
anxious to see the work begun; but
( Mary received It in silence. After
the evening meal she slipped away
Tor moment and did not return at
once.
The engineer thought he would
take last look at his stakes to see
that no miSchievous small boys had
extracted any Of them. He went
down TO the back pasture In the twi.
Light. His line OF stakes stretched
g1ean and true across the green, and
he was about to leave when he
heard something which caused him
10 check himself. It was the sound
OF some one sobbing as though her
heart would break. He looked
about and saw Mary, a huddled
white heap on the grass crying nor
heart out In surprise he went. up
70 her.
Whats the matter?" he asked
sOh, please go away and let me
ltlonel" sobbed Mary. But he was
not to be put off. He sat beside her
ANTI her sobB had given way to
signs and then once more INQUIRED
gently What's the matter?"
l--l Just was coming down to-
night 70 say g-good by to the old
q