El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-11
X YESTERDAY I walked 4 mountain
trail $500

trail
us along the side of the great cliff, but
our wild trail climbed higher, higher,
always higher.
Now we walked under great arches
of stone made by the rush of wild wa
tiers centuries ago. Now we stopped
to pick great handfuls OF crimson in
dian paint brushes, and here we gath
cred sprays of the soft pink mountain
rose, and there We stood Silenced in
group of twisted cedars and listened
aNestruck to the wind that called and
croOned and walled in the somber
branches of the everCreens, or at
magpfe? What a sarcastic voice! Is he
laughing at the eagle for what was
that that flashed across the iSht-
black flying toward the sun?
What is that down by the red road.
something gone wrong? A man and
a woman stopping-yes, it's quite plain,
the young girl with them has tainted
nothing unusual in these attitudes.
How little and frail she looks! Where
has she come from, wonder? Did they
bring her here to save her life?
How still she lies, Now the man
starts across the road looking for wa
ter suppose They seem terribly
frightened. a girl died not long ago on
this very trail-walked too far and too
fast before she was strong enough for
it Let's hurry down
One. two, three, four. what a lot OF
auLOlnODlleS
of them will stop to offer add No:
five, six, seven, all passing. not one
of them even slackens speed.
Oh, yesi they see the girl well
enough; see them crane their necks to
miss no part of the sensation.
Eight nine, ten-can it be that they
will all pass by on the other side, like
the cruel folk in the bible story?
Why. they don't even notice it. That
woman there in that machine laughed.
her clothes are poor and the hat she
wears is on one side. I hadn't noticed
it before. and the father is old fash
toned and cOuntrified. Probably mort
gagged the farm to get the money to
give the darling of the old house a
chance for life.
Eleven. 12-ahi here's one that slack
ems. What a strange looking woman,
thinks anyone really believes that's
her own complexion? What a gay hat.
and dear me. those diamonds in her
ears are as big as headlights.
She is out of the machine. Take
these salts" she says. Wait, dampen
her forehead ] had a brother here
once, but he came too late Now moist
en- her wrists; see, her eyes are open
ing"
And in less time than it takes to tell
it the painted woman had the young
girls dropping head in her gorgeous
lap and was chatting her delicate
WrlSLS. ana IN a Few minutes she naQ
the frightened mother and the anxious
father up in the machine beside her and
was bearing them away to safety and
comfort and expert help. She never
even looked at the mothers hat and
she didn't seem to notice the fathers
worn clothes or his countrified boots
at all
Fourteen, Is 16. all passing. all care
less, all Indifferent except the painted
woman.
Who were they in those machines
that passed by, 1 wonder? I know one
riOusly and coldly at the distressed
group by the side of the red road A
great church worker she is, has a class
of boys in Sunday school. and is much
interested in the heather. I hear she
gave up her electric runabOut to send
a check to the foreign missions this
year. Strange she didn't stop isn't it?
The others who passed by on the
other side-who were they. and where
were they going in such terrible haste?
What was it so important that hurried
them 500
Tea. perhaps-it was the hour of the
daily brew. Engagements-"I couldn't
get here before. my dear, FidO had to
have his bath
Aha" laughed the wicked magpie
flashing his satan's livery of black
and white in the shining sun. aha,
what a joke life isr'
And later in the evening when I
walked in the crowd that gathered
where the lights were gay, around the
Spring of Healing Waters, I saw the
painted woman. She was arrayed like
Solomon in all his glory. and shf pa
raded in the sight of men like SSEay
peacock Coarse featured, loose
mOuthed. bold eyed. the painted woman.
shudder as she looked at her. and yet