San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-03
CHI LUNG;
A BIT OF HUMAN NATURE.
By DAVID CHRISTIE MURRAY.

you are not angryr' he asked. 1t Is as
tonishing to notice how absurd are the sup
positions which can enter the mind Of the
most sensible of men at times like this. You
are not vexed or grieved"
No answer, but he thought the golden
head lay a little closer to his own shoulder.
You won't think me preSumptuOus in
telling you so soon. l have lOngcd so to tell
you weeks and weeks ago. Sometimes 1
have hardly dared to look at you lest you
should guess"
The golden head still rested on his Shout
der, and another tear fell warm upon his
hand.
Il can't tell yOu,' he went on, chow hard
1t seemed to 90 away without a word-hOw
impossible it looked, and yet how impOssi-
bic it seemed that should dare to tell you"
At the sound Of an opening door she drew
away from him, and he released her. But
he had great deal to say yet, and was in
no mind to be disturbed whilst he said it.
at is a lovely night" he said. "ShaIl we
walk little in the avenue% Nothing had
come of the opening door, no intruding pres
ence had followed on the sound, and he slip
ped an arm about her waist and led her into
the moonlight. Il have not been too pre-
sumptuous?" he asked, again bending over
her. 'Tell me. Did starte you? Did l
alarm you? Did speak too suddenly? Did
you guess before tO-day?'
No" she murmured for sole answer to
all these tender queries.
"Olvia," said Lawrence, flushing all over
as he spoke and feeling little giddy and
empty in the head. Il saw you as you turn
ed the corner of the granary stairs this aft
ernOon."
II heard" said Olivia, looking up at him
for an instant II heard the door OPEN"
And with that she gided away from him,
the defensive instinct exerting itself little
too late in the day perhaps.
sand you had heard what was saying?
Oh, Oliviar' he cried, 81 was overwhelmed
with shame. / thought you might think that
knew you were there. feared you might
fancy was base enough to choose that way
of trapping you into hearing me-"
Would it have been very base" she ask
ed, IF what you said was true? Was it
true?'
"Ba, ''' j., said. ITO pretendn not to know
that yu, there if had known it? To
trap you ntO hearing me in that cowardly
way?"
You could not guess that was there"
she answered. How should you? But
Mr.. Lawrence"
Arthur" The young man could hardly
fail to make this interjection, or to take pos
session Of her waist again to give force to
the appeal.
ARTHUR" she began anew with so dainty
and shy an archness that there and then for
the first time he kissed her. She disengaged
herself from him again.
You were going to say something" he
ventured after this rebuff.
was it trueP' she asked. ~ know it
wasn't true; but did you mean it?'
Did mean the words you overheard? l
don't know what the words were now; but
know that was speaking from the very
bottom of my soul. If they were not true,
there is no truth in all the world"
They were not true" she said. "But If
you meant them"
What were they, dear?" he asked her
"Tell me what they were"
1.-The sweetest" she began, and hid her
face in both hands.
TELL me-" he said, seizing the hands and
drawing them away.
Tell me-"
1.-The sweetest maiden under the blue
skies," she whispered guiltily. "'The
loveliest and the best"
IF that is not true" cried Lawrence;
there is no such thing as truth in all the
wOrldp'
Young people who make love in plain
moonlight in the open airmay fairly expect
to be observed. As a matter of fact two
pairs of eyes regarded Lawrence and Olivia
during part of this interview.
The first pair belonged to Uncle Raoul,
who, two minutes after Lawrence's depart
ure, had taken it into his head that he could
enjoy an after-supper stroll on so fine an
evening, and had started with the intention
of following him. he got no further than
the hall door, and there he saw something
which caused him to stopwith lowwhistle
OF establishment. By and by he retreated
on tiptoe, and returning to the parlor sat
down to the piano, and lifted up his voice
and sang. He was an Indifferent performer,
and his voice was like that of the female
duck, which is fuller-bodied than that of
her male consort But he sang with great
spirit ditty which had been popular many
years before-"Vive pAmour."
''Why do you make that noise?" growled
the elder Baron.