B737-700 CREW AND SMALL ACFT CAME NOSE TO NOSE WHILE THE CREW WAS EXITING THE RWY AT MDW. THIS PREVENTED THE B737 FROM CLRING THE RWY AS FAST AS THE CTLR EXPECTED. A B757-200 WAS ALL READY ON TKOF ROLL BEFORE THE RWY WAS CLR.

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TAXI CLRING RWY. ILS 31C; CIRCLE RWY 22L AT MDW. UNEVENTFUL LNDG OF RWY 22L. WHILE EXITING RWY 22L AND TURNING L ONTO TXWY K TO CONTINUE ONTO TXWY Y; I NOTICED A SMALL SINGLE ENGINE AIRPLANE FACING ME ON TXWY K JUST E OF TXWY Y INTERSECTION. I CONTINUED MY TURN ONTO TXWY K; BUT SLOWED MY TAXI SPEED TO DETERMINE IF THERE WAS A POTENTIAL CONFLICT WITH THIS SMALL AIRPLANE ON TXWY K. THE TWR CTLR REPEATED HIS INSTRUCTION TO TURN L ONTO TXWY Y. AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN ONTO TXWY Y; CONTACTED GND A RECEIVED CLRNC TO TAXI TO OUR GATE; AND ALSO CALL TWR ON THE TELEPHONE. AFTER PAX DEPLANED I CALLED MDW TWR. THE CTLR WAS CONCERNED THAT I APPEARED TO STOP MY TAXI WITH THE TAIL OF MY ACFT OVER THE RWY (22L) WITH AN ACFT DEPARTING THE SAME RWY. I EXPLAINED THAT I HAD NOT STOPPED; BUT INDEED HAD SLOWED MY TAXI SPEED TO DETERMINE THE POSSIBILITY OF A CONFLICT WITH THE ACFT ON TXWY K; BUT DID NOT INTEND TO INTERFERE WITH HIS (TWR) OPS. HIS CONCERN WAS; HOWEVER WITH THE DEPARTING ACFT; BUT HE UNDERSTOOD MY CONCERN ALSO. THE CONVERSATION ENDED WITH OUR AGREEMENT TO COM LATER IN THE EVENING AFTER THE DEP ACFT REACHED ITS DEST; AND THE CAPT DID; OR DID NOT? CONTACT MDW TWR. AFTER RETURNING TO MY HOME; I CALLED MDW TWR AT XA30. THE PERSON WITH WHOM I SPOKE RPTED THAT THE PREVIOUS CTLR WAS NOT THERE; BUT THAT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE OCCURRENCE; AND THAT IT WAS TO BE TREATED AS A 'NON-INCIDENT.' THIS RPT IS NOT TO 'POINT FINGERS'; BUT IS FOR INFO. THE MDW TWR AND GND OPS ARE PROFESSIONAL; EVEN EXCELLENT IN THEIR TFC CTL; HOWEVER; I WAS CLRED TO LAND; AND AFTER LNDG WAS EXITING THE RWY. I MAY NOT HAVE MET THE TWR'S EXPECTATIONS FOR CLRING THE ACTIVE RWY IN CONJUNCTION WITH HIS SUBSEQUENT CLRNC FOR DEP TFC ON THE SAME RWY; HOWEVER; I AM CONVINCED THAT MY TAXI OP WAS PRUDENT WITH WHAT I OBSERVED FROM THE COCKPIT AS I TAXIED FROM THE RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 548397: ILS 31C CIRCLE TO LAND ON RWY 22L. LNDG ON RWY 22L WAS UNEVENTFUL. WHILE EXITING ON TXWY K OFF OF RWY 22L TO THE L. THERE WAS A SMALL SINGLE ENGINE ACFT OPPOSING US ON TXWY K E OF TXWY Y. THE GND CTLR GAVE US DIRECTIONS TO TURN L ON TXWY Y CROSS RWY 31L TAXI TO THE GATE. THE CAPT SLOWED THE ACFT TO MAKE SURE THE OPPOSING SMALL ACFT STOPPED PRIOR TO US TURNING Y. THE GND CTLR THEN SNAPPED AT US TO 'EXPEDITE CLRING THE RWY; THERE WAS AN ACFT ON THE ROLL AT RWY 22L.' THERE WAS A 757 ON ITS TKOF ROLL AND WE HAD NOT CLRED THE HOLD SHORT LINE YET. THE CTLR THEN GAVE US THE TWR PHONE NUMBER AND ASKED US TO CALL. I BELIEVE WE DID THE RIGHT THING BY SLOWING TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NO CONFLICT WITH THE OPPOSING ACFT ON TXWY K. THE CTLR; I PRESUME; EXPECTED US TO EXPEDITE AND HAD ALREADY CLRED THE OTHER ACFT FOR TKOF; WHICH CAUSED A CONFLICT WITH US NOT BEING CLR OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THE SIT WAS CAUSED BY ASSUMPTIONS. THE CTLR ASSUMED WE WOULD EXPEDITE AND WE ASSUMED THE SMALL ACFT WAS CROSSING OUR PATH AND CONFLICTING WITH OUR TAXI.