El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-16
Mariorie's ideal

Talk of ideals!'' said Miss Alison.
mo, of course, l never have ideals.
They're mere waste of time"
1 meekly pleaded that, having passed
through the stage of youth and disillu-
sion, 1 had fallen from the paths Of en-
ightenment and reverted to my prim-
tive superstitions-a belief in ideals and
their tendency to elevate and educate
the human race at large.
Ideals" she repeated scornfully, "are
the peculiar property of uneducated
youth or"-and here she regarded me
fxedly-''second childhood"
1 WINGED and Involuntary stroked the
back of my head. Between you and me,
the hair is getting a trife thin just where
the parting begins.
"Just look at what has happened to
Marjorie" she continued. There's a
case in point
"What happened to Marjorie? 1
asked.
"She's going to be married." answer
ed Miss Alison tragically. "You know
the girl 1 mean-Marjorie Delafield. She
Is very young; she was only presented
last season, and when she came to town
she was crammed full of-of ideals. She
lived in a sort of beautiful dream evolved
entirely out Of her own vivid imagination.
OF course there was a hero in it. He was
magnifcently tall, with the courage of a
lion, the physique of Hercules and Mar
cissus amalgamated, the heart of a Bay
ard and the wit of n Rochefoucauld- She
was to marry him after falling in love
at first sight, and they were to live
happily ever after.
Marjorie was sitting with me one
day in my boudoir when the letters were
brought in. Among others was one from
my cousin, Jack Errington- He had
been fighting somewhere out in the north
of India-Chitral or Afghanistan, or
some such place. 1 never can remember
names-and, thinking it might amuse me.
he wrote me a long description of what
had been going on.
Zone thing that he mentioned was the
fact that a Captain Temple, a great
friend of his, had been recommended for
the Victoria cross. L hope to goodness
he'll get it, Jack wrote. 4 never saw a
pluckier thing in all my life. 1t was on
the night of the Odd, when the gentle ma
tive was trying to rush. US. Our fellows
were getting awfully cut up, and We
were compelled to clear out of the ba-
zaar. We had just taken up position
on some rising ground about 200 yards
back when we heard some one yelling
for help out of the darkness.
Temple was standing close to me at
the moment. "Goof Lord" said he.
there's some poor devil got left be-
hind" The next thing 1 saw was Tenn
pie cutting across the open space by
himself for all he was worth. Temple
went straight on in the direction of the
cry. 1 saw little knot of swordsmen
make for him. He lodged them, drop
ping two with his revolver as he ran,
and reached one of our men. who was ly
ing on the ground, shot through the
thigh.
He only got there just in the nick of
time. Getting one arm round the fell
low, he raised him up and kept the
brutes off, gradually retreating all the
time, until at last some more of our
fellows came up with them and got
them into comparative safety.
"'How he had managed to keep on his
legs so long 1 don't know, as he had
two bullet wounds and a nasty cut across
the forehead. Every one says he's sure
Of a v. c.
There said 1, laughing, that's the
man for you to marry. What do you
think Of himT
az think it's wonderful said Mar
jorie softly. He must be awfully brave
and strong
"'Quite your ideal hero, in fact said
Of meeting him, for he's on his way
home with Jack. and they're both COM
Ing to stay with us bit
How 1ovelyv said Marjorie. Il
should so like to meet him. and began
planning dresses for the ultimate cap
ovation of her ideal.
about a month later Jack and Cap
tain Temple arrived. Marjorie was stay
ing with me for a few days to help me
lmuse them.
''They arrived just in time for lunch
IacE in, Foil Nv
title, lean, bronzed man, standing about
feet 8, with funny, bristly mustache,
or all the world like an emaciated tooth |
orush- The only two good points about
him We're his voice, which was a very
pleasant one, and his eyes, which, though |
Il no particular color and all screwed up |
rom the glare of an Indian sun, had a |
merry twinkle in them.
"All through luncheon she sat and |
'tared at him in a vague, Mortified sort |
II way and never spoke to him if she |
,ould possibly help it; after which she |
etired to her room on the first oppor-
unity and cried till her eyes were red.
What's the matter? l asked when |
saw she'd been crying.
oh, Maud she said, L DIDN'T b-be-
ieve it's him! He's so uglyl He's a lit
lie wretch! I'll never speak, to him
gainr
wen, SalQ lnQulr1ngly as MISS |
Alison seemed to think she had finished.
Is that ALP
"Oh, of course. 1 was forgetting for
he moment. You don't know that
hey're engaged. 1t happened about a
Month ago.
''She stands half a head taller than
e does, but she's horribly afraid of him
nd abjectly devoted. You see she's
tven up yearning after an impossible
1eal kind of creature, who would have
ored her to death in a fortnight even
she had found him My good sir,
ont talk to me of ideals. They're fid
Chat.