The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1902-10-31
. Man, a Girl and a Cable.
~ RIsHnP HnWARn-

WY tAa NAf AaNat ny DHNN oARAg 4 w. WI
Theodore Van Aldlne was a lucky
dog. At least everybody said so, and
what everybody says is true, according
to an old saw. But old saws
times miss fire In this practical work
a-day world, with it's ever-changing
conditions. And, truth be told, Theo-
dore Van Aldine did not possess half
so keen appreciation of his inherent
luck as the great world about him in
sisted upon. True he was the child
Of wealth; true. he had never known
a care; true, his pockets had always
bplged with money and no wish had
been unqualified. And right there was
the trouble. When one can have ones
hearts desire at all times and places,
it pals IN one and interest in life and
affairs dies out. At least it had so
proven with Van Aldine. He had al
ways been fed on the daintiest of fare,
been clothed in the finest Of raiment,
driven the fastest horses. led the CO.
tillioR at the SWEETEST balls, been fav-
ored by the most beautiful maioens,
owned the fastest zach Sin short,
had had the very cream and pick Of
the good things Of the world.
But he was not happy. In fact he
was distinctly disconnected and miser-
able. At rs he has tasted all there is
to life, from the standpoint Of the SEN
sualist and the epicure, and had found
It after all to be a bore.
He was a clean-cut, wellequipped
young fellow, was Van Aldine, and
born to an humble estate, where he
would have been compelled to work
out his own salvation might have
carved out a great career-or have
been the founder Of a great fortune
as had been his paternal grandfather,
with the Dutch blood and thrift.
But the fates had willed otherwise,
and he had been BORN to purple and
fine linen, with a care only to perserve
the family pride and act always the
gentleman. And this came so natural
that 20 effort was required and the
consequence was that the boy had
never been permitted to put forth e.
fort enough to interest him in exist
ence.
And he had tired of it all-the lux
ury and the conventionalities, and had
become moody and Observation-Disclosures
to the point of seriously considering
the losing of his identity and enlisting
for service in the Philippines or for
service with the Beers in South AT
RIGA. In this frame OF mind he flung
himself onto a cable car to get away
from the d~ilettante life he so despised
and get a little fresh air and motion.
This was at 4;30 o'clock in the after
noon on the fourth day of October, in
the year 1898.
Milly Conan had been born to pow.
erty and service. There was good
blood back of her-no question about
it. But 1t was the blood of the patriot
and the martyr and not that of the
successful trader and money-maker.
And her father. who had been always
a gentleman at the expense of carry,
Inc even life insurance, had died
mourned and regretted by hundreds
of friends-and sincerely mourned
too, and but leaving nothing but the
reputation of always having been a
good fellow and a gentleman-that is
nothing excepting a select assortment
of debts and a large quota of regrets
Then the mother, a trihe more practi
cal, as mothers are-but more a lady
than a manager, sincerely loving hel
husband, had pinned and died. And the
upshot of 1t all was that Milly hal
been left, as a very early age, to tn,
tender mercies of a no. ove2y 3Jriia
world, with no visible assets except
ing a very sensitive nature, the inner
ent instincts of a lady and a healthy