El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-24
THE MARKED CARDS
By CLINTON ROSS.
copyright. 1900. by Clinton Ros..I

"A man s past will catch him sooner or later. I"
They had been five days over the
sea. the young man and the girl. He
had forgotten whether this were the
Atlantic or the sea that sweeps the
shore of Elysium. Now. on the fifth
day. they were on deck and talking
somewhat in this way:
"You must walk with me- she called
from her chair.
Its delightful punishment"
Thanks! l believe that's a compli-
ment.''
Truths a compliment, Ell p he said,
smiling.
1.-The best compliments, I suppose
are those that pretend to be truths, but
are lies"
81 am afraid this is getting rather
I think about it."
ITO carry out what you have begun
you should say to me, 4 can't think
about II. for I have to think about
you"
lis IT needfui to say that?' he said.
looking down at the girl. How beau
tiful you arer'
BY the rules OF conventional CONVEX
sation II was an utterly inane remark.
and the girls laughter rolled out, full
and delightful. but her voice was low.
IL am glad you think So
A deeper red tinged his bronzed
checks as he realized his temerity.
You know I do" he said
'Oh. do you? This is the fifth day OF
our acquaintance. Today we shall be
at Sandy Hook"
He drew n long breath. and his voice
was earnest. New York and work and
to see her no morel
Two elderly persons wrapped to their
ears were watching the two.
What a remarkable girl Nell VOL
verton is one. gray and rosy and fat
and imposing. was saying.
''She's certainly carrying on n re-
markable Irritation with that young
man. Who is heT" said the other. with
the severity OF position gained by eff
fort.
Some sort of engineer IN the employ
OF the Winfield company Mary Win
field introduced him To Nell"
THAT girl would hirt with anybody.
She seems To find all men infinitely
amusing. Isn't she handsome? Now
you would suppose she was somebody
or other. But the WolvertoDs-oh you
know quotb the other lady
Her mother was one of the most
pushing women I ever knew" assented
her COMPANION.
.'Of the dead. Mill nisi bonum." said
the imposing one. "Shc was an ex-
traordinarily ambitious woman With
pluck and ten millions and n daughter
like thar. an ambitious. clever woman
can do anything in New York The
Wolverton money is said to be indefi-
mite millions instead. And now they be-
long in Far Westminster. oh. dear. how
many men have been after that grill
There were the Marquis di Rodiri and
the little Duke of Sussex and Freddy
Van Brule and-she fiirts and laughs
at 'em all. just as she does with that
young man"
Mary Winfield was watching the two
with much the same thoughts This
poor young man didn't understand So
phisticated young women. 1t was
of Nell Wolverton: she was
sorry she had introduced them: she
might have known that Nell would
play with any man as she would with
n cat or n dog. Oh. dear. this Melville
was So out of IL; so busy and capable
and such an efficient servant OF the
Winfield company. But Nell was Nell.
and Mary ought to have known better.
II Nell were Nell. she was proving 1t
with a vengeance. She was making
Melville tell her of himself. and she
was giving him nothing OF herself in
return They were seated now. look
ing out at the frotbing white and green
In the ships wake. She was glancing
at him again and again with mild. in
terested eyes He WAS forgetting him
self and was telling how his father |
left him only money enough for school |
and college. which he had Increased |
by some tutoring; OF how he had work |
ed and won n position in n machine |
shop OF the Winfield company; of how |
he had progressed further and now |