San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-03-23
GRAY FUR.
BY L. GERARD.

stage coacG; would be yes; but yet sne
preferred that this all-important yes
should be spoken rather tomorrow than
today, and was not sorry for the presence
of those two other passengers, which
rendered impossible all intimate con-
versation.
Hugo on his part did not seem to ap-
fellow travellers; more especially the
eyed suspiciously, receiving his efforts
at conversation with icy politeness,
and failing even to be touched
by his evident solicitude for the comfort
and warmth of his companion, forever
fidgeting with the rugs and blankets, and
inquiring dozen times within the first
half hour whether the lady were quite
comfortably seated, or If the gentleman
were not in danger of freezing.
Soon the forest was reached, and they
were speeding along between rows Of SOM
Der fir trees, standing straight and close
together like soldiers drawn up for battle
Every branch was piled up thick with
furry snow, and now and then twig dis
charged its contents on their heads as
they drove along. Clara had to shake
her fur cap repeatedly to free it from the
snowy burden. Sometimes as she did so
her eyes sought Hugo's gaze with con-
fidential expression.
"See! my head is oppressed with the
weight of diamonds" she said once, as
brushing against low, overhanging
branch the clustering fringe of icicles de-
tached itself with a crisp sound as Of
broken glass, and came raining down
thickly over her head and shoulders.
Despite his ill humor Hugo Weyprecht
was betrayed into genuine laugh as she
thus appealed to him with irresistible
merriment.
"And now your fortune is all gone" he
said, bending forward and helping her to
brush away the broken diamonds that
were clinging all over the gray Astrakhan
fur
Then Clara laughed, delighted at feel
ing that she had a secret in common with
him, and her laugh rang out so clear and
joyous through the frosty air, that the
little fur clad man laughed also without
knowing why, which made Clara and
Hugo laugh again, because they alone
had the cue TO all this merriment. Only
the red nosed man did not laugh, perhaps
because he failed to perceive any point in
the joke, but went on tidgeting with the
blankets as before.
All the underground of little fir bushes
was buried many inches deep in snow,
their outlines totally effaced, or only
barely indicated by slight eXcrescence
in the ermine carpet. OF sudden the
sledge made a violent lurch out of the
track, there was bound, a scuff1e and
then the four passengers found them
selves struggling in the snow. The driver
had apparently mistaken the track, and
driven them right over one of the buried
bushes, which had thus caused the over
throw.
Hugo's first care was to disentangle
Clara from her position; the next was to
feel for his revolver.
st is goner' he exclaimed in dismay,
drawing out his hand from the empty
pocket. ''It must have faEen out here
1t cannot be far of" and together with
the red nosed and obliging fellow passen-
ger he proceeded to search the premises.
But in vain. The revolver was not to be
found, not in the snow, not in the sledge,
nor in the surrounding bushes.
You villain!" now exclaimed Hugo,
addressing the squirting coachman. 81
do believe this is your doing. You upset
US on purpose. Where is my revolver"
"Wai! Wair' moaned the Hebrew, who
was sitting on tree stump rocking his
body to and fro with an agonized express
sion. Can the noble gentleman suspect
poor old Isaac of upsetting the sledge on
purpose, when he has nearly killed him
self in wishing to serve the noble Pan and
the beautiful LADY, Wall Wal! May l
never scent garlic again if my poor old
bones are not broken! and all for serving
the noble gentlemanr
Neither threats nor persuasion could eX-
tract anything further from the man, and
no amount of search produced the missing
revolver. With moody brow Hugo at last
ordered the Jew to drive on, warning him
severely against any repetition of the like
tricks.
1t seemed, however, as if his suspicious
had been without foundation, as for up
ward of three hours they drove on without
further interruption. There was no more
laughing and joking. but unconsciously
Hugo relaxed his yigilant attitude. In
less than two hours they might hope to
reach the town.. ...-