San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-18

@-' brook. If the
truth be told,
she was not displeased with the oppor-
tunity of spending an hour or two in the
society of her lawyer. His companion
ship had become agreeable to her, and
though she was far from admitting to
herself the idea of any especial fondness
for him, still the more she saw of him
the more welcome his visits became. He
was so strong, so comforting, and he
knew Just what was the right thing to
do, and he had the faculty of lifting her
mother from the contemplation of her
griefs.
When Annie arrived at the door of the
surrogate's office young man of gentle
man like appearance stepped forward,
and, lifting his hat, said:
81 have been waiting some time for
you, Miss Templeton. and quite impa-
tiently."
Annie drew back astonished.
II am afraid have been awkward in
my speech" he continued. Il meant to
say that for any delay Mr.. Holbrook will
blame me. He is very exacting in busi-
ness matters. That is why say | am
impatient"
why, it is not yet 10 o'clock" ex-
claimed Annie.
Pardon me, am afraid your time
piece is out of order. 1t is considerably
after 10. But here is a note l am charged
by Mr.. Holbrook to deliver to you"
10 lo1 70 hnr
Annie took it and read:
"SURRoGATE's OFFICE,
New YORK, Sept. IA, 1884.
my DEAR Miss TEMPLEToN-I regret
so much to cause you the annoyance
undoubtedly do this morning, but bust
ness knows no other law than its own.
The surrogate sits at home this morning
"a fact only learned on arriving here.
1 have other business as well as your
own before the surrogate, and as he will
sit but for short time, must hurry off.
leave clerk to escort you. Your sim
cere friend, HENRY HoLBRooK."
When Annie had finished reading the
note she looked up with a confding
smile, saying:
brook
Eyes, Miss Templeton, and entirely at
your service. The surrogate is confined
to his house with cold, and sent word
down that he would not dare to venture
out, but that he would listen to all who
had pressing business at his house. Now,
if you please, we will go there. Here is
T
you"
The concocters of the design against
Armies freedom had evidently counted
upon her ignorance of the methods of
conducting business, for while to almost
any one experienced in the world this
would have proved but clumsy device,
yet, directed against an unsophisticated
creature like Annie, its very simplicity
and transparency made it the more skill
full
1t is true that after entering the car
riage, and after she had had time to
make furtive examination of the young
man who had taken the seat opposite
her, she had mentally concluded that she
did not like him, and that he seemed to
be everything else than q gentleman,
though he dressed like one and assumed
the speech of one. There were certain
signs which influenced her judgment, as
they do that of most womL2. His hands
were Enthusiastically dirty, and his finger
nails were in mourning.
A male observer, especially if slangy,
would have said that the young man had
been on bat" the night before; his
hair was harsh and tangled, though well
oiled; the inhaned rims of his eyes, his
parched lips, and the heavy puffs like
cushions under his eyes, would have
shown this, if plain odor of gin cock
tails. above the breath heavy with the
flavor of cloves and roast coffee beans,
had not told the tale.
But Annie was not experienced in such
things, and she gave little heed to one
who, after all, was nothing to her
merely an instrument of Mr.. Holbrook.
She did wonder, however, why it was
that he had gotten a coach so close, and
one in which there were such small win
dows 1t was so stuffy. The young man
did not obtrude himself. He was appar-
emily busy with memoranda and papers.
Once he lifted his head TO say that it