San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-09-04
PART III.
TOLD BY RICHARD FENTON OF FRENCHAY,
WORCESTERSHIRE, ESQUIRE.

As my old friend Phil Brand has asked me
to do this, suppose | must. Brand isa right
good fellow and a clever fellow, but has
plenty of crOtchetS of his own The worst |
know of him is that he insists upon having
his own with people. With those who differ
from him he Is as obstinate as mule. Any
how, he has always had his own way with
me. This custom, so far as l am concerned,
commenced years ago, when we were boys at
school together, and have never been able
to shake off the bad habit of giving in to
him. He has promised to see that my queens
English is preSentable; for, to tell the TRUTH
l am more at home across country than across
fOOlScap, and my fingers know the feel of the
reins or the trigger better than that of the
pen.
All the same hope he won't take too
many liberties with my style, bad though il
may be; for old Brand at times is apt to get
well, a bit prOsy. To hear him on the sub
ject of hard work and the sanctity thereof APP
prOaches the sublime!
What freak took me to the little God-for-
saken village of MidcOmbe in the depth of
winter is entirely between myself and my
conscience. The cause, having no bearing
upon the matters am asked to tell you about
Is no ones business but mine-I will only
say that now would not stay in such place
at such time of the year for the sake of the
prettieSt girl in the world, let alone the bare
chance of meeting her once or twice. But
ones ideas change. | am now a good bit
older, ride some two stones heavier, and have
been married ever so many years. Perhaps,
after all, as l look back can find some ex-
cuSe for being such an ass as to endure for
more than a fortnight all the discomforts
heaped upon me in that little village inn.
A man who SOIOurnS In such hole as Mid
cOmbe must give some reason for doing so.
My OStensible reason was hunting. / had a
horse with me- and a secOnd-rate subscription
pack of slow-gOing mOngrels did meet some
where in the neighborhOOd. So no one could
gainSay my explanation. But if hunting was
my object got precious little of it. A few
days after my arrival bitter, biting frost set
ina frost as black as your hat and as hard
as nails. Yet still stayed on.
From private information received-no
matter how, when, or where-I knew that
some people in the neighborhOod had organ
lied party to go skating on a certain day at
Lilymere, a fine sheet of water some distance
from Mdcombe. | guessed that some one
whom particularly desired to meet would
be there, and as the skating at Lilymere was
free to any one who chose to take the trouble
of getting TO such an Out-Ot-the-way place,
hired horse and an apology for dog-cart
and at ten in the morning started to drive the
twelve miles to the pond. l took no one with
me. | had been in Lilymere once before, in
bright summer weather. so fancied / knew
the way well enough.
The sky when / started was cloudy; the
wind was chOpping round in a way which
u
change of weather. He was right. Before |
had driven two miles light snow began TO fall
and by the time / reached wretched little
wayside inn, about mile from the Mere, a
film OF white covered the whole country. |
stabbed my horse as well as j could, then,
taking my skates with me, walked down TO
the pond.
Now, whether had mistaken the day, OF
whether the threatening fall of snow had
made certain people change their minds, |
don't know; but, to my annoyance and veXa-
ton, no skaters were 10 he seen, and more
over, the uncut white surface told me that
none had been on the pond that morning.
Still, hoping they might come in spite of the
weather, put on my skates and went out
sideedging and grape-vining all over the
place. But rs there was no person in partic-
ular-in fact, no one at ALTO note my pow
erS, | soon got tired. u was, indeed, dreary,
dreary WORK. But | waited and hoped until
the snow came down so fast and furiously,
that felt sure that waiting was in vain, and
that had driven TO Lilymere for nothing.
Back went 10 the little inn; utterly dis
0usted with things In general. and feeling