"A very long tiresome day."

Travel
~ Edna St. Vincent Millay

The railroad track is miles away,
And the day is loud with voices speaking,
Yet there isn't a train goes by all day
But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn't a train goes by,
Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,
But I see its cinders red on the sky,
And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing;
Yet there isn't a train I'd rather take,
No matter where it's going.




The Nora Diary, Day 26

Up early and had breakfast
and got ready to go to Boston.
Max went in town with
us. Left at seven o'clock
for Boston Machiasport.
A very long tiresome day
Got into M.P. a little after eight.
The "Paige" car waiting for
us. much colder than Boston.
Very chilly. Sam came as
far as Portland with us.



Nora's Maine honeymoon, from June to the beginning of September begins after the tiresome travel day.

"The Boston & Maine and Maine Central Railroads give
quick and efficient all-rail transportation from Boston to this
whole section in twelve or fifteen hours. During all of the
outing season the steamer Frank Jones, from Portland, follows
the coast line to Machias vcinity. The Eastern Steamship
Company runs steamers into Penobscot Bay and across the
mouth of Passamaquoddy Bay."


In 1917, Maine Central Railroad stretched across three states, including Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with a total of 1,358 miles of rail lines within its continually increasing transportation system. Before the car began to alter the method of transportation in the 1920s throughout America, people were almost entirely dependent upon public transport, especially relying on the railroads to traverse long distances. Companies such as Maine Central Railroad connected larger metropolitan areas with smaller rural communities and encouraged the development of industry along the rail lines.
Histories/Maine-Central-Railroad-Company

1920
Passenger rail travel reaches its all-time high, with 1.2 million passengers boarding 9,000 inter-city trains and racking up 47 million passenger miles every day.


For the Record,
This day came in sunny with increasing temps, lovely warm spring day.

It's Pittman shorthand and it seems Nora perhaps used an age old excuse, but on her wedding night!!!! many thanks to the friend of ~doli

So far, my 'tame' (oh, sure!) stenographer says:

"I would say it was Pitmans shorthand, but whoever wrote it has made mistakes, which is normal.
One bit I could read said:
'we had an ice cream'
and, I think:
'it was near 12 before we got to bed. Had a headache and felt (?) sick....'
Don't think there are any big secrets..."

So maybe she wrote in shorthand simply because she was in a bit of a hurry. But we'll see if any more can be deciphered- you never know, there may be some juicy bits yet!
~doli