The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1889-09-27
THE LAST HOUR.

llnt, lufee o CLOCK on une summer
afternoon; place, the veranda of quaint
little hotel in one Of the most pietur-
-sssuelz- old-fashioned of Breton coast
towns; subject, the addition of a new
member to the pleasant little American
party already located there.
"Wel, Pm glad the catalogue of Mr..
Melincourt's projections has one flaw in
1t, says the young lady, with curl of
her pretty lip which many of her admir-
ers know to their cost. "Of course its a
dreadful sacrilege for any lady to NEEDLE
with literature; but l must be content to
risk his displeasure, terrible as it may be.
After all, it viii be less insufferable than
the stories of how many tigers he shot in
India, and how many days he went with
out food in the desert, and the fever he
had in China, and the dinner the Amer
gave him at Cabul suppose some critic
has told him the truth on that score, and
hence his enmity to them.
mo; there's Just the mystery-they've
always spoken well of him hitherto; and
as for talking of his travels, that's exact
ly what one can never get him to do.
However, when six o'clock comes, you'll
be able to judge for yourself"
Six o'clock came, and with it the ex-
pected guest-a short, square, bearded
sunburned man, with the grave, self
contained look of one accustomed to face,
unaided, every form of difficulty and dan
ger. Hespoke little and seemed to follow
the conversation with a quiet, attentive
vigilance indescribably provoking to
Laura Maynard, because, as she after
wards said, 1t was s'just like a school
teacher watching for somebody to make a
mistake"
Dinner over, there was a general move
ment to the veranda, to watch the moon
rise over the sea; and the influence of the
hour gave romantic and semi-mystical
cast to the talk which at length turned to
the transmigration of souls.
sits pity such thing cannot be, -
said Melincourt. 'sJust think of the ad-
mirable changes re should behold Our
custom-house officers should haunt every
harbor as sharks; our policemen prowl in
the darkness as wolves; our bankers suck
their neighbors' blood in the form of
leeches; ourpoliticians chatter and grim
ace In that of monkeys; and our critics
transformed to frogs, croak, amid con
- z1i5IflseISTs.-
" You don't favor the critics, 1 see. Mr..
Melincourt, said Laura, flushing with
indignation.
NO; look at them as they are-tbe
hired braves of literature, ready to take
pay on either side, and to stab friend or
Zoe as their master bids them; infalTble
because never owning a mistake: free
rom bias, since they never read the books
which they review; showing their learn
ing by misquotation; their refinement bv
nillngsgate; and their modesty by setting
themselves up as authorities upon sub
Jects Of which they know nothing
The Utter which followed this IN
conscious home-thrust kindIed Laura /
Aaynard's warm blood into fame.
''Mr- Melincourt, - cried she. wrath
full5, ''you are giving US an excellent
illustration of the danger of setting nm
as an authority upon a subject of which
you know nothing l think I may
cam sae s,i,;i Is oa a6 ons mGyisssfln
aehncourt answered only by a how
q, an lronieal smile, more CALLING than
the bitterest sarcasm, as he arose from
nus place and sauntered away.
Inc three following days were so com
pie'ely taken up with excursions into fine
surrounding country, that the quarrel had
no chance of proceeding any farther
out on the fourth morning, the reaction
consequent upon these energetic amuse-
nlen Is began to show itself in ranging
OF Chairs along the veranda of the hotel ,
and a general production of TaucbDitz
bowels Miss Maynard-who. sensitive
IKE all clever women, felt the mere :
presence of a person whom she disIiked :
INTO lerably burdensome-gave the go-bv =
% TINS impromptu reading-club. and set
III on a solitary stroll along the sands
WHICH the retreating tide had left bare.
Inc choice was good one, for. even =,
n tiLat picturesque region, it would have a
oeen nard to find more charming walk. K
IN enc side lay the blue, sparkling sea: Il
n the ether, the long, dark outline of :,
ne irowning cliffs, dappled every here nj
nd there with tiny white cottages and -
reeri, waving woods. Between the two. "
nooth as marble terrace, extended the a
asst level of hard, white sand. Far M
way to the right, Graded in a deep bol- "
w between two mighty rocks, peeped re
nth the white-walled houses. the red n
led roofs and quantity carved church N
'wei' Of the little town; and over all the an
olden sunshine and the warm. dreamy. II,
'uthern sky. Ne
Little by little, as she left the inhabited Al
glon behind her, the grand repose of De
e landscape soothed the girls ruffied in,
ehngs, while its beauty pleased her in,
tlstlc eye. She felt once more. as she III,
d zone many time already, that the ais
longest armor against the petty worries tbs
d vexations of life is to withdraw from an,
EN- for time into the great sanctuary dis
nature, in whose presence all earthis on
'ubles look mean and trivial. rem
How long she stood there, drinking in wa
splendor Of that wonderful panorama. nov
could never have told; but suddenly occ
noticed, with start, that the sand 70,
s growing wet and oozy under her feet.
--'ti ~Du was uisnldyeu 70 ma her-
completely surrounded by water. 7
rising tide, pouring through the safe
'er levels Of the beach behind her, had of
ually cut her off from the shore the
instantly thousand tales of treacher- " .
quicksands, Of furious spring-tides, cent
and even grown men swal- coul
ed up before the very eyes of their som
nds, came erowding upon her memory. feet
even while she looked, the sand be- rich
tn her feet vanished, and all was trap
er, water, water, rising higher and Eve
ner every moment. have