From the day
Perspective: The Teenager · Sight
The sun beats down on El Paso, glinting off the polished brass of the President’s carriage and the stiff, high collars of the men pushing through the dusty crowd. I’m squinting past the broad hats and parasols, trying to catch a glimpse of McKinley, but my mind is mostly on the new Meccano set glinting in the shop window nearby. My word, I had to choose between a fresh loaf of crusty bread for five cents or saving that nickel toward the gleaming metal strips of my future. As the band strikes up a rousing "Blaze Away," the cacophony of the brass section drowns out the politics, leaving me staring at the vibrant, flapping flags of a nation reaching for the stars.