The Tucumcari news. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-05-12

Win Tue uSOI9 VI uFSpdll, OAAy A1AAAhC
asleep just before dawn.
Not long after her return to New
York Kittie began to fear that there
was much TO which she could never
again be Indifferent. Even some Of
her fathers habits distressed her. He
ate with great gusto. dividing his food
about equally between his mouth, the
tablecloth and the floor. and the SUI.
m Of his knife as n lifting fac
tor was far from being his sole def
anca OF eating. The list would have
been such a long one she dared not al.
low herself to make 1t.
These daily nominations. the mag.
nitude OF which ever increased. always
ended in tears-she was so ashamed
Of such disloyalty TO the being she
loved best: but before she had time
10 fret herself into a still more seri.
Gus illness there fortunately came an
other interest into her life. at once
the newest and the Oldest in the world.
Almost from early childhood she
had cherished an ideal as 10 what the
one man most desirable to her must
be like: now her affections were set
upon one who had little in common
with her dream. though she realized
that he was far better suited to her.
Early autumn brought a letter an
n~ouncing the illness Of her father.
which az once routed all memories of
lis imperfections and fully restored
her appreciation OF his virtues.
Daily reports came TO Kittie from
her stepmother, which gradually be.
came more and more ~unfavorable. The
girl was disturbed, but not alarmed.
He was old, but he also was very
strong. In a few days he would re-
cover She dared not go home unless
his condition became serious. fearing
TO upset the partial equilibrium she
had r~egained.
One day they brought her tclo-
gram which said: "He Is failing fast.
Come at once"
Completely overwhelmed, she start.
cd on the first mort n .bound train. her
sole aim in life nov being TO tell her
father everything and beg his forgive.
ness while there still was time.
When she reached his bedside he
was needless of all outcries of endear-
ment.
"Oh, make him speak to me-just
once" was her useless entreaty, many
times repeated.
In 4 multitude Of ways she had
Deer disappointing him all her life.
cheating him out of the comfort in her
to which he had been entitled. and
now her last act in his lifetime had
been to cheat and d~isappoint him
again.
Limp and senseless she settled down
"a pitiful little heap-upon the floor.
A week following her return to New
York Kittie received the proposal Of
marriage which she had known was
inevitable-he could not hold his
peace while she was in such bereave-
ment, because he wanted to shelter
her within the sympathy a man gives
TO the m he loves.
Il have outlived my right to love
and sympathy" she said, when he
paused for his answer; then she told
him everything. Il am a farmers
daughter" she added, finally, and
had no right to wish to be anything
else. Once my father was the one man
in the world to me-his judgment my
sole standard of good, his ways my
only models for right conduct; and,
so proud was | of being a country
girl, that no supericiality Of town life
could win me. 1t was the same, for a
time, after | went abroad. At length
| found my standards wavering and
began to be troubled. Hurtful and
haunting comparisons made me wish
to fly Jack 10 the beloved farm, where
| could set myself straight. But they
kept me away so long that the poison
crept into me more deeply than |
knew. II was not till | was again in
the midst Of all | had a right to cher,
ish that ! saw how base a thing | had
prOU-D IN no Nv old gCdc uara claf,