San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-01

/ ing, spectacle 10 attract all tine gamlns OF
the village.
! The little cloud had long since disappear
/ ed between Arthur and Olivia, and he made
an excellent pretense of being on the Origi-
| nal DrOtherly terms. She, on her side, well
coined him back again in that character Of
! pleasant friend, and yet he had grown 10 be
something very much more. She often pom
dered on the look she had seen, and as often
as she thought of it she blushed and thrilled.
1t was clear that in spite of the liberal
exercise he took, the Englishman was get
ting very little good out of this prolonged
holiday of his. His cheek was paler than 1t
had been when he first came with the infiu-
ence Of the three years grind in the great
city yet upon him. The old lady thought he
hunted too much, and that the long tramp
ings and the early risings, and the hurriedly
snatched fare of the hunting luncheOns wore
him down, and would fain have kept him at
rest at the chateau. But Arthur knew bet
ter than she the cause of his distemperature,
and smiled down her kindly fears for him.
You should pay more heed to me-" the
old maiden lady would say smilingly. II
am old enough to be your grandmother, and,
indeed, was year older than your grand
mother. Youth is foolish when it laughs
at the sage fears of old age"
Il am perfectly WELL" he would declare
in answer. 81 was never so well in my life."
His pale cheek and his bright eyes seemed
to her in strange contradiction to this state
ment. AS matter of fact he slept too little,
he ate too little, he pOndered too much on
the projections of Olivia and his own unde-
servings. He doubted the genuineness of
his Own,passiOn, whilst it wore him thin and
pale.
On certain afternoon Chi Lung was
prisoner because of the rain, and Lawrence
was at the chateau because for that day
there was no battue within twenty miles.
Olivia and her aunt had driven away on
visit, and the BarOnal brethren had both
fallen asleep after their early dinner, Law
renee went to his own room, and there tried
10 write, tried to sketch, tried to read, and
gave up each enterprise in turn.
II will go and smoke a cigar with that
heather Chinese" he said, with a mourn
full laugh. 1--WE are going on our respective
pilgrimages very shortly, and we shall not
see much more of each other"
He walked downstairs and along the cor
ridor, and mounted to the granary. Since
Chi Lung had been put into occupation an
iron plate had been screwed to the floor, and
a stove set up upon it. for his special behoof
and benefit. He sat alone in chair by the
fire when Lawrence entered, and for
second the Oriental gravity of his features
was increased into grin of welcome. Chi
Lung watched Lawrence as he drew another
chair near the stove, and produced his cigar
case. A cigar was an especial treat to Chi
Lung, and he kept an eXpectant eye upon
ba I Il Of fnfh Il
but prOffeTed that cigar with the elaborated
air of comedy pOlteness which he had
adopted toward him on the first night of
their meeting. The heathen's gravity and
pOliteness were equal to Lawrence's own,
and they sat smoking opposite each other
with the sOlemnity of brace of statues.
well, NebuchadnezZar," said the young
ster after a time, ''the best of friends must
part, and in little while you will be going
your way, and shall be going mine. 1t is
improbable that we shall see each other any
more. have had a good time here, and all
things considered so have you"
The heather smoked stolidly and gravely,
with his eyes resting half sleepily on Ar
thurs face.
81 WONDER" the Englishman went on, 'lf
you will remember us all, Nebuchadnezzar.
You have had the good sense to fall in love
with MademOiselle Olivia"
"Amselle Leevee," said the heather, smil-
ing, with the curious cringing gesture, like
a shy child's, with which he commonly well
coined Olivia. Lawrence stared at him for
a second or two, and then laughed.
"AhI' he said, ''hcr sweet ways have gone
even through that yellow skin of yours?
Well, old man, 1 don't wonder at it. /, of
all men in the world, have no wonder for
that circumstance. Everybody loves her."
He sat silent for minute or two after that
declaration. 81 suppose" he began again,
'that it is feeble and ridiculous sense OF
humOr, if there is any sense of humor in it
at all, which makes me like to address N.Y.
self to you. And yet do find a certain
sense of pleasure in it, and ! have really an
odd kind Of affection for yOu and your so
ciety. Perhaps it is because did you bit
OF good turn six or seven weeks ago. Per
haps it Is because you are associated in my
mind with somebody else, to whom you
form piquant contrast, Nebuchadnezzar.
met somebody else on the night on which
first met you. We were making hideous
row together, and we half frightened her. 1
can see her now with the pOwdery snow on
her curls. l can see her now Nebuchadnez-
Ear, the sweetest vision that ever man be-
held"
The granary windows were small and
high, and except at full noon there was new
er any very clear daylight in Chi Lungs
apartment at this season Of the year. 1t
was growing dusk now rapidly, and the
point of the heathen's cigar burned dull red
in the twilight. The rain was on the roof,
and the trees outside were moaning in the
wind.
Il can talk about it to you, in this dim
twilight" said Lawrence. 81 feel as If l
had to talk about it, and as if some bird of
the air might carry the matter to her heart.
Was it because L looked straight from your
Mongolian ugliness to her fresh English
charm that she looked so lovely as she did?
You may pass in a crowd in Hong Kong,
Nebuchadnezzar, but nobody in Belgium
will offer you prize for beauty. She could
scarcely have had better foil than you af-
forded her. Yet she never needed you, Neb-
uchadnezzar, and my soul would have gone
down before her like ninepin wherever
had seen her.
at isn't much to tell the tale to you, and
still it's something. l don't suppose that
any other human ears will ever hear it.
She's an heiress, old man, and Pm paper
stainer, and like yourself an artist in music.
/ am ahead of you as performer, though 1
say it, but lam not too well paid, and there's
little pocketbook here which holds every
penny have in the world, except an odd
fifty pounds my publisher owes me.
"IfI had heard her sweet voice in the
night and the snow, Nabuco, instead Of your
shameless caterwaulingl Ifyouhad owned
the million francs and l had rescued heri
If you had surprised us whilst she sang and