Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1900-12-22

NOW JOuA NuduNCt LNAOhAo' 1880
the agents hearty voice.
When he had carried the mail bags up
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 tax his strong shout
ders. But out of their lankness had come
a surprise for him and an opportunity for
Deronda.
81 can guess. It's letter from Uncle
Donald. A check1"
Once in a while, at Christmas always
letter inclosing a check arrived from
Donald Bertram, of New York. And his
brother, who found his petty salary as
station master of the Insignificant Ne
braska town quite incommensurste with
the needs of large and increasing fam
lily, hailed the advent of each Enclosure
with gratitude and elation.
mo. 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 welcome
check had ever summoned. "Guess
again"
She looked at him from her opposite
end of the table where she presided, her
mother, in true Western fashion, still
being busted at the kitchen stove until
the remainder of her family had eaten.
Between Deronda and her father a noisy
and voracious young brood interviewed,
eight or ten of them. Deronda 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 domes-
ITCHY. But now Deronda paused in her
task of pouring out the numerous cups of
milk.
"Fatherl It's good newsl Keep still,
Floral What is itl"
The tidings came out in rush. ''If
you will go to New York for visit the
check will follow your letter of accept
ance. ThereI'
Deronda was the healthiest girl in town,
but for the moment she felt positively
weak. She set down the pitcher. The
children clamored unheeded.
"Ohp" she gasped. 81 must tell
mother"
Then she was gone and the overworked
man with the kindly face waited on the
children himself.
Those that followed were exciting days.
The little, struggling, low rooms over the
depot were the scene of many confabula-
tons, 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 their vivid
imaginations merged in the triple ecstasy
of Yuletide, heaven and the Fourth OF
July. But one day order was born Of
confusion, sobriety of historical aDticipa-
ton. That was the day Deronda's trunk
stood labeled and corded on the platform,
the day Deronda's self, freshly and be-
comingly CARRIED, stood beside 1t, the day
that Agent Bertram and Mrs. Bertram
and all the numerous young Bertrams
listened for 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 detrimental to her inery If
fiattering to her sentimentality.
Then the iron beast was upon them. A
few passengers alighted. Some express
packages were handed off. These the
agent mechanically received. Then De-
ronda's foot was on the first step of the
Pullman. The engineer was looking
back to see that the agents pretty daugh-
ter got on safely before he pulled the
throttle. The brakeman stood irresolute.
The conductor loitered along, deferring
the signal to start, because the departure
Of Deronda for the East was public prop
erty all along the line, aud the men who
had known her since she wore short
dresses and waved them welcome when
their train went by were interested in
this young bird fight Of hers from the
OVERLOOKING family nest.
A tentative whistle quivered on the air.
'Coodby. Derondal Have good
time." Deronda's father gave her hard
squeeze Of the hand. There was the
peck Of kiss between these two who
loved each other so dearly.
Ard the train was speeding eastward.
Alb, that was q marvellous world into
which Deronda went, world where one