El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-02
MARRIED EYES, HOW
SWEET They Be.

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--Now's your chance. DerondaH' cried
the agents hearty voice
When he had carried the mail bags
mp from the depot, he had waited until
their contents were distributed. That
was not a long time. 1t never was
in Excelsior. And tonight the sacks
had not been of sufficient weight to
AJAX his strong shoulders. But out Of
their lankness had come a surprise
Tor him and an opportunity for De-
FONDA.
Il can guess. It's n letter from Un-
Gle Donald. A checkY
Once i'm awhile. at Christmas always,
a letter inclosing a check arrived from
Donald Bertram of New York. And
mis- brother, who found his petty salary
as station master of the Insignificant
Nebraska town quite incommensurate
with the needs of large and increas-
ting family, hailed the advent of each
Enclosure with gratitude and elation-
NO. It's letter from Donald, but
there's no check" He looked across
At his best loved and eldest child with
a smile brighter than even the well
come check had ever summoned.
Guess again."
She looked at him from her opposite
end OF the table where she presided,
ner mother, in true western fashion.
still being busted at the kitchen stove
until the remainder OF her family had
eaten Between Deronda and her IA
ther noisy and voracious young brood
INTERVIEWED. eight or ten of them. De-
-onda was kept busy attending to their
needs. She and her mother did" for
the rest. They ate as their portion
whatever was left and never dreamed
Of complaining. Labor and service
were their ethics OF domesticity. But
now Deronda paused in her task Of
pouring out the numerous cups of milk.
Father It's good news, Keep still,
Flora, What is it!'
The tidings came out I'm a rush. "If
you will go to New York for a visit.
the check will follow your letter of ac-
ccptance. Therev
Deronda was the healthiest girl i'm
town. but for the moment she felt posi-
lively weak. She set down the pitcher.
The children clamored UNDECIDED
-Ohr' she gasped. II must tell
notherr'
Then she was gone, and the over
ed on the children himself.
Those that followed were exciting
days. The little, struggling, low rooms
over the depot were the scene of many
contradictions, much scheming, many
glorious hopes, innumerable pleasant
prophecies 'Ronda, as the Children
called her, was going away-away into
some vast and mystic fairyland, which
-haf-- fr-s1 t. a.
triple ecstasy of Yuletide, heaven and
the Fourth of July. But one day order
was born OF confusion. sobriety of hys-
rerical anticipation. That was the day
Deronda's trunk stood labeled and
corded on the platform, the day Deron-
da's self. freshly and becomingly garb-
ed stood beside 1t. the day that Agent
Bertram and Mrs. Bertram and all
the numerous young Bertrams listened
Sor the whistle of the train at the |
depot eight miles west. hung around |
her with growing excitement as the |
black column of smoke came down |
like the guide of those fleeing from |
Pharaoh and chung around her in an |
adoring farewell, which was detrimen-
tai to her finery If fattering to her SEN
sfbiiity.
Then the iron beast was upon them. /
n few passengers alighted. Some ex-
press packages were handed off. These
abe agent mechanically received Then
Deronda's foot was on the first step
of the Pullman. The engineer was
cooking back to see that the agents
pretty daughter got on safely before
he pulled the throttle. The brakeman
stood irrcsolute. The conductor loiter-
I4fa 81 |
because the departure of Deronda for
She east was public property all along
the line, and the men who had known
her since she wore short dresses and
waved them a welcome when their
train went by were interested in this
young bird flight OF hers from the
overhowing family nest
A tentative whistle quivered on the
air.
"Goodby. DerondaI Have a good
time" Deronda's father gave her a
hard squeeze of the hand There was
che peck of n kiss between these two
who loved each other so dearly.
And the train was speeding east
ward.
All, that was marvellous world
into which Deronda went. world
where one wore dainty clothes from
dawn until dawn, a world where the
chief function OF the women was to
that Of the men to serve with
most exquisite courtesy. And the need
Of admiration she received when her
Cor beautiful gowns was new to her.
Very sweet 1t was too. To be sure.
she had known what 1t was to have
10 4