San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-07-26
'Oh, how this spring Of love rescmbleth
The uncertain glory of an April day,


CHAPTER VII.
"Oh, how this spring Of love rescmbleth
The uncertain glory of an April day
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun.
And by and by cloud takes all away"
Two Gentlemen of Verona.
A week has flown by, bringing with il
hotter weather and clouds of dust and flies
which the most bearable il is hard to tell.
Five days out of the seven have brought Joe
Allen, and each day has Eleanor received
him graciOusly, though inwardly she Is
rather bored, and is quite willing to give
him his coup dc grace when the time comes.
This morning is no exception to the rule.
1t is warmly clear; not for one instant does
the sun hide his face to give us a rest from
his burning rays. The flowers in the tiny
garden patch have a tired hang-dOg look,
the mOrning-glOries have long ago closed
their petals, only the great ox-eyed daisies
stare unblinkingly up TO heaven. In the
pasture the cattle are for the most part lying
down. They find it too heating to walk
about so they gather together under the
branches of the great oak tree, through
whose thick green leaves the suns rays can
not penetrate with such force.
But these same rays have warmed the cur
rants and gOoSeberries into gOOdly color.
They hang in great ripe clusters from their
laden bushes, and show in all their tempting
beauty to Eleanor llathwel from where she
sits beside the study window. The study is
the coolest room in the house, therefore has
Miss Hathwell appropriated it She is half
sitting, half lying Gt is not graceful enough
to be called reclining) upon the sofa, en-
gagged in lazily endcavOring to put TricO's
hair i'm oh
causes disgust TO rise in the soul of the beau
tiful setter but he is too well trained to show
his disapprOval in any way save by an agOn-
lied expression in his soft eyes and a series
of sharp barks which his mistress does not
heed. But TricO is fated to be spared frem
this humiliating process, for through the
porch, now close to the window, comes
Helen.
She is charmingly attired in gardening
costume; she looks as cool and fresh as one
of the gOld-topped daisies
Il am going to gather currants for jelly.
Come and help me, Nell"
Il will help you eat the jelly"
II do not doubt that you WILL" says the
other sharply, "but are you going to help me
nOwP'
The girl does not answer. She is arrang-
ing with greatest care a little ringlet she has
succeeded in making out of TricO's silky
hair.
See" she cries, looking up at her sister,
sis it not becoming? does 1t not give express
sion to his left eye?'
"Do come and help me, Nelly" says Mrs.
Rodney plaintively. at is so dull working
all alone, and they must be done to-day"
Her sister rises reluctantly from the sofa.
81 suppose | shall have to oblige you.
How tumbled this dress is but then there is
no one to see u.s."
Her hair is tumbled too; it is falling in
great silky waves over her shoulders. She
gathers it up impatiently, looking half en-
viOuSly at Helen's neat dress and smooth
hair, piled high up under her huge Gains
borough hat
II am ready. Come, TricO."
So into the garden they 90 together. Into
the garden where the rose bushes tOtter I'M
der the weight of their blossoms the garden
with its long rows of cabbageS, red and yell
low tomatoes still rows Of onions and over
whelming quantities Of lavender and mint,
and over all in wild luXurance the sweet
pea vines are trailing, sending forth their
delicate fragrance to gladden. the earth.
Not very well kept garden, but sweet
and lovely one nevertheless.
Nelly" says Mrs Rodney, after pause,
81 do not believe you are picking at all, you
seem TO be eating necessarily"
Eleanor has thrown herself down by a
bush of gOOdly size. From the scarcity of
fruit in her basket and the suspicious stain
of her lips one would judge that Helen was
not far wrong.
But | am picking great, great many"
she says, throwing q few into her basket as
she speaks. at is not my fault that / ann
not quick like you"
Helen looks incredulously at her sister, but
says no more.
The sun shines on, the bees and the grass
hOppers are having ball down in the clover,
now yellow butterfly, drunk with too much
sunlight and daZzled by the gold of the
girls bright hair, tumbles headlOng into it.
The roses nod their heads drowSily, and far
off a bird is singing. Eleanor has ceased to
pick, though her basket is not nearly full,
and her long, white hands are lying idly in
her lap TrcO, who has decided that cur
rants do not SUIT his taste, is lying with his
noble old head between his paws, blinking
at the flies and wondering why his mistress
does not speak or even look at him.
But his mistress is all unconscious of his
presence, so far away in the dream world is
she. Her eyes are dreamily staring past
Trico, past the garden, beyond the old par
sOnage, staring out into space. But from it
and all its dreams she is rudely wakened.
Nelly! Nell, some one is coming, and oh,
how shabby you do lOokP'-
Helen has come towards her, with her
bucket filled to overlooking with red fruit,
not stain is visible upon her small white
fingers, her costume is as faultlessly perfect
as ever but her face wears vexed express
sion which sets i'll upon it.
And you have not half finished, and your
dress is stained. How provokingr'
"Who is that comingY' questions the other
tartly. ut is curious time for calls l must
say"
Hush! they will hear you. All, how are
you, Professor. You find us very busily en-
plOyed, am sure"
"You must excuse our early call" says
Ran, looking admiringly at her, 'but came
to ask you about our proposed boating party.
You know we did not quite decide last
night"
But he, the other, offers no excuse as to
his presence here. lie has found his way TO
where she, his goddess, sits, and has thrown
himself down before her. He hardly knows
how to greet her, for was he not here last
night-aye, and the night before that. She,
indeed, is heartily weared Of him, but she
has been sweet and gracious to him as she
has never been to any man before, and in
return he has given her his heart, aye, laid
it at her feet for her to trample on, and She
she is so purely indifferent that she does not
even know that II is there
What were you dOing2 hope have not
interrupted yOup' he says, half shyly.
mo, not at all. | was'-with a slow