A Morning in Marathon

by Christopher Morley

One violet throbbing star was climbing in the southeast at half-past four, and the whole flat plain was rich with golden moonlight. Early rising in order to quic en the furnace and start the matinsong in the steampipes becomes its own reward when such an orange moon is dropping down the s y. Even !eg "our most volatile #rish terrier$ was plainly awed by the bla%e of pale light, and hopped gingerly down the rimy bac steps. &ut the cat was unabashed. Cats are born by moonlight and are leagued with the powers of dar ness and mystery. And so 'icholas (achel )indsay "he is named for the daring poet of #llinois$ stepped into the moonshine without a qualm.

*here are certain little routine +oys nown only to the servantless suburbanite. Every morning the ba er leaves a bag of crisp ,rench rolls on the front porch. Every morning the mil man deposits his little bottles of mil and cream on the bac steps. Every morning the furnace needs a little grooming, that the cheery thump of rising pressure may warm the radiators upstairs. *hen the big agate ettle must be set over the blue gas flame, for hot water is needed both for shaving and cocoa. Our light brea fast ta es only a moment to prepare. &y the time the 'ut &rown Maid comes singing downstairs, cocoa, rolls, and boiled eggs are ready in the sunny little dining room, and the *amperer is bathed and shaved and telephoning to Central for -the e.act time.- *he /012 train waits for no man, and it is nearly a mile to the station.

&ut the morning # thin of was not a routine morning. On routine mornings the *amperer rises at ten minutes to seven, the alarm cloc being set for 30450 which allows five minutes for drowsy head. *he day in question was early ,ebruary when snow lay white and powdery on the ground, and the 3 o6cloc train from Marathon had to be caught. *here is an e.press for !hiladelphia that leaves the !ennsylvania 7tation at 8029 and this the *amperer had to ta e, to ma e a 19 o6cloc appointment in the :ua er City. *hat was why the alarm cloc rang at half-past four.

# cannot recall a more virginal morning than that snowy twilight before the

dawn. 'o description that # have ever read--not even the daybrea in !rince Otto, or !ippa6s dawn boiling in pure gold over the rim of night--would be +ust to that e.quisite growth of colour in the eastern s y. *he violet star faded to forget-me-not and then to silver and at last closed his weary eye; the flat )ong #sland prairie gradually lost its fairy-tale air of mystery and dream; the close ceiling of the night receded into infinite space as the sun waved his radiant arms over the hori%on.

&ut this was after # had left the house. *he sun did not raise his head from the pillow until # was in the train. *he 'ut &rown Maid was still nested in her warm white bed as # too her up some tea and toast +ust before departing.

*he wal to the station, over the crisply fro%en snow, was delicious. Marathon is famous for its avenue of great elms, which were casting deep blue shadows in the strange light--waning moon and wa.ing day. *he air was very chill--only +ust above %ero--and the smo ing car seemed very cold and dismal. # huddled my overcoat about me and tried to smo e and read the paper. &ut in that stale, fetid odour of last night6s tobacco and this morning6s wet arctics the smo er was but a dismal place. *he e.altation of the dawn dropped suddenly into a ind of shivering nausea.

# changed to another car and threw away the war news. <ust then the sun came gloriously over the edge of the fields and set the snow afire. As we rounded the long curve beyond =oodside # could see the morning light shining upon the Metropolitan *ower, and when we glided into the basement of the !ennsylvania 7tation my heart was already attuned to the thrill of that glorious place. !erhaps it can never have the fascination for me that the old dingy )ondon terminals have-->ing6s Cross, !addington, or 7aint !ancras, with their delicious English boo stalls and those porters in corduroy--but the !ennsylvania is a wonderful place after all, a marble palace of romance and a gallant place to roam about. #t seems li e a stable without horses, though, for where are the trains? 'o chance to ramble about the platforms "as in )ondon$ to watch the @u e of Abercorn or the )ord Claude Aamilton, or other of those green or blue English locomotives with lordly names, being groomed for the run.

#n the early morning the !ennsylvania 7tation catches in its high-vaulted roof the first flush of sunlight; and before the flood of commuters begins to pour

in, the famous station cat is generally sitting by the baggage room shining his morning face. Bp at the marble lunch counters the coloured gentlemen are serving hot ca es and coffee to stray travellers, and the shops along the Arcade are being swept and garnished. As # passed through on my way to the !hiladelphia train # was amused by a wic er bas et full of 7cotch terrier puppies--five or si. of them tumbling over one another in their play and yelping so that the station rang. -Every little bit yelps- as someone has said. # was reminded of the last words # ever read in (irgil "the end of the si.th boo of the Aeneid$--stant litore puppes, which # always yearned to translate -a litter of puppies.-

My train purred smoothly under the Audson and under <ersey City as # lit my cigar and settled comfortably into the green plush. =hen we emerged from the tunnel on the other side of the long ridge "which is a degenerate spur from the !alisades farther north$ a crescent of sun was +ust fringing the crest with fire. Another moment and we flashed onto the Aac ensac marshes and into the fully minted gold of superb morning. *he day was begun.