The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 198: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE LITTLE GIRL, NOW A WOMAN. 1. I have been thinking for several years that some time I will get on the cars, and, after a ride-across half a dozen States, stop at a large city on the borders of our great Western prairies ; that there I will take the one daily train, which goes down a hundred miles across the prairies, until I come to a little Western town that I have not visit- ed for years. There is nothing to draw me on such a long journey, except some sad recollections; but I feel that if I should walk along the banks of a little stream which flows south of the town, climb among the rocks and visit again a low-roofed farm-house just beyond, I would feel as if I were reading over again a sweet, sad poem which | had once read, long ago, and laid aside. It is a busy little Western town. To the north the open prairie, but the other three sides are shut in by small streams, and a broad, smoothly flowing river. Across the little stream stood a low farm-house, with a long porch in front and tall shade trees around it. It was pictur- esque and gave a very comfortable feeling of relief after all the new, unpainted pine houses on the other side. It CORNICE OOOMKS (S©)