El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-15
The Herald's
Daily Short Story

, In an endeaver to counteract it, L
was out and about all over the borough
in my motor, night and day. In fact,
/ worked like a niger. But 1t was
up hill work. The faces that had al
ways worn smiles were now as hard as
stone walls.
One evening 1 was motoring in from
neignboring village. Wheeling out
of the main road suddenly-really
without a sound of warning-another
motor ran into mine. There was a
nasty cOllision-no personal injuries
but the gear of the other car was dam
aged beyond immediate repair.
Alighting, my man and 1 helped to
shove the machine on to the grass at
the roadside. AS we were then some
distance from the town, 1 gave the lady
and gentleman-uncle and niece-who
had been In the car. lift to the Royal
hotel, where they were staying.
He was profuse in expressions of re-
gret for his clumsness. 1t was so re-
freshing to hear a motorist admit him
self to be in the wrong, that 1 took
to him at once. The girl with him was
well, just as sweet and perfect as
Of a magazine.
You imagine that this is "a love cpl
sode" and that I met my fate" Quite
right 1t was. The story is not with
out it's tinge of love, you see, although
1 wasn't conscious Of 1t just then. l
only knew that l had one of the sweet
est, prettiest, daintiest girls in all
England sitting by my side, and 1
! heartily wished that the car had been
going to Lands End instead of to the
| adjacent borough only.
Next day l called at the Royal hotel
to inquire how the young lady was.
Quite a natural thing to do. you know,
in the circumstances. l found her love-
lier than ever by daylight. Her uncle
was out, she said, but she would fetch
her mother.
l would much rather she hadn't-al-
though, Of course, 1 couldn't say so.
! Form is form, of course. Whilst she
was out of the room 1 racked my brain
to discover where l had met iner be-
| fore. Her face was, somehow. famil-
! lar.
When her mother came in 1 knew in
a moment. She was the widow May.
| Wasn't it astounding? Here, actually
| IN the borough, was the woman l had
! set agents to work everywhere to try
and find. L greeted her as the mother
in the play does her long lost chee-fld
At first l fancy she thought 1 had tile
loose. Then she got mad herself when
1 told her what rumor was saying OF
Right here" she said-she had been
to America to pick up a fortune that
had been left her, and had picked up
Americanisms, ltoo-1et's see this
straight. You, Millie"-she addressed
/ ner daughter-isn't Mile a sweet
name?-'give me pen and paper. This
! SANDERS got to be scotched like they
kill snakes out yonder. Young man,
| she addressed me, you've got to be
boss of this constituency" She was
writing ali the time she spoke. There's
! plain statement of the facts. What
you did was the act of a real white
man. I've set II out there" She hand
ed me what she had written. Maybe
| deserve every word I've written. Get
| that on the press at once, and let me
see the town plastered with it before
| nlghtfal'
l read. 1t was true-she had applied
the color with a big brush. But
! handed the paper, without alteration
| to my agent. He went wild with joy
| and literally flew to the printers. There
| 1t was case of all hands to the pump
! The bill was set up in window bill, pos
| ter and hand bill size. There wasn''
| a man, woman or child in the borough
that hadn't read, marked and inwardly
digested it before they went to bee
! that night.
And Millie-really I think the name
prettier every time I hear it-wasn'
content to sit down and do nothing
She insisted on attending my fina