El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-08
ON THE BEACH,

Dorothy and were engaged. We
were passing n few weeks at the sea-
shore. One morning while passing her
room 1 heard a cry of grief. Her door
was open, and I saw Dorothy sweep
across the room. a clinging white gown
loosely enveloped her figure. Her long,
brown hair was streaming down her back
In distinctly wild way, her eyes flashed.
and could plainly see the heaving of her
bosom under the light stuff that covered
it. In her hands she crushed a letter,
and 1 shrank still farther back,
She looked enthrallingly beautiful. and
l did not wonder that she stood long
before her full length mirror. Then her
lips began tc tYlIcb at the corners, her
br9TS- arched in distress, her nostrils
quivered, and a little catching of the
breath reached my ears. My love was
crying. She was also pressing that letter
to her lips.
oh. Bob, Bob. why don't you come
why don't you Gomez heard in accents
soft, but despairing. Day after day.
week after week, 1 have tricked my
heart into song and laughter by whisper
ing, Bob is coming, Bob is comingr But
you do not come, and l cannot trick my
heart any longer. Will you never come.
Bob? Shall forever lie down with this
prayer upon my lips? Shall l forever
rise with this dull pain? Are you with
some other woman now, dear? After
all you have said, all you have written.
cannot believe it,
She ceased and wiped her eyes. After
little she took q photograph from the
dressing table and gazed at it with fond
intentuess for fully minute. Then she
smiled.
Bob, I'm a naughty girlv" she Groom
nd nnvh nnf 70 mi Cnr I
know You will come back. Don't look SO
solemn, love. Please. don't! Smile a lit
tie for the poor girl-just a little, sweet,
so that she may know you are not angry.
Won't? Then she'll kiss you. and you
can't help yourself"
l did not wait for the kiss. I skunk
down the hall like some wretch doomed
to the gallows. 1 could not believe it
real. 1 was sure the morning would
show it nothing but dream. and that
Dorothy and l would battle in the surf
and ride on the beach the same as ever.
Dorothy did not come down stairs that
night, and 1 was glad of it. But the
next morning. as l lay in a hammock, she
came up to me with n song upon her lips.
She drew up a chair close to me, and.
glancing coquettishly to right and left to
see that no alien eyes were upon us, she
bent her head and gave me morning
kiss-a dainty, birdlike touch.
There is n good deal of the tiger yet
left in the best of us. My veins at that
moment throbbed with a murderous pas
sion. and l felt that 1 should inevitably
throttle her. Yet I did not. 1 looked
her calmly in the eye. l believe l even
smiled. Her eyes never wavered. In
stead a kind of love mist spread over
them, and she kissed me again, very ten
DERBY, two or three times. Her exquisite
hypocrisy gave me n kind of mental pa
ralysis. and for n moment l was as bar
rem of thoughts as an imbecile.
Fred. what would l do if you should
die?" she whispered TREMENDOUSLY.
DO you love me so much?" 1 asked.
and. strive as 1 would. could put no sig
nifcance into my tones
$50 much. dear" she answered solemn
ly, that the grave with you would be
preferable to Il palace with another.
TOO much ever to deceive me?' l man
aged to say.
"Ah, you know 1 do. boy
"And have you never deceived me?' I
continued.
Never she answered, but fancied l
detected quickening of her breath.
which was falling upon my cheek.
"Nevert" i repeated, and l knew from
the stern ring in my voice that my man
hood was returning.
She flushed Enthusiastically. and a look
of fright filled her eyes-fright that he
fore would have wrung my heart. but
now only stung me to fury
Never but once" she faltered piteous-
ly. clinginS to my hand.
l fiercely shook off her grasp. what
was it?' demanded.
"Oh, Fred, intended to tell you. and j