Edward Bellamy 
Deserted 

‘Deserted’ (1898), a humorous, sentimental tale of young love amidst the Nevada desert, is a short story by the American author, Edward Bellamy, most famous for his socialist and utopian novel ‘Looking Backward: 2000-1887’ (1888). When young Mr. Lombard hears that Miss Dwyer and her sister Mrs. Eustis, are taking the train back to New York from San Francisco, he makes up an excuse to travel with them. Desperately in love with Miss Dwyer, he hopes to find the right moment to ask her to marry him, but the trip does not go according to plan. This fun and heartwarming tale will delight fans of Bellamy’s other works, such as ‘Hooking Watermelons’ and ‘A Love Story Reversed’. —