San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-10

permissible IN a bachelor, II TO be con-
demred in benedict, have not given,
nor will give; nor would any broad
minded girl, such as / have regarded
you until the past three weeks. demand
them"
Passages in the life of a young man
of leisIre-such, for instance, as strange
DISCUSSES at late hours of night"
He flushed dull red through his dark
skin.
Il do not know to what you refer" he
replied,
"You do not know" she repeated
scornfully, and then, lifting her hands
before her face as she clasped them SO
tightly as to fairly pain her, she cried in
agonized tones, Il cannot, cannot bring
myself to speak of it to him. My God,
can not hate him? must l go on loving
him in spite of myself?''
He watched her, strongly moved him
self, showing anger and alarm. He NUT
tered, "Some one has discovered it and
betrayed me to herr" finally he said with
forced calmness:
81 cannot tell what possesses you. l
presume in your own good time you will
inform me what it is, when l can defend
myself as | SHALL l repeat, the with
holding of confidence from you cannot
be charged against ME.
"When l confessed my love for you,"
he continued, Il told you that did not
have the fortune rumor credited me with;
that it was nearly exhausted. When /
made that discovery which shocked and
nearly crazed me, came to you at once,
offering you the freedom the world did
not know you had given up. telling you
l was Legitimate.
when l made the further discovery
that by an effort might receive for
tune, but involved in the effort might
possibly be the exposure of my illegiti
macy, came to you with it and you
babe me make the effort, promising to
face the world with me, saying you had
no property and we would fight to-
gether.
These are the great events Of my
life. Is the aversion with which you
have seemed to regard me recently due
to my illegitimacy? If it is, let me say,
as | once said to you before-you can be
free. am too proud in my degradation
to hold you against your most slightly
expressed wish, though it broke my heart
to release you"
She shook her head, murmuring:
1T is not that it is not that"
us ii" he pursued, ''that we are both
poor, and you have finally concluded you
cannot face poverty with me?'
1T is not that. it is not that" she re-
peated.
mo, could hardly believe it was, for
they are to both of US now old stories,
and we have grown accustomed to them.
Things are not worse for me, they are
better. Providence has removed Tenn
pleton from my path
She leaped to her feet, crying aloud:
my God! can he refer to it like that?
Is it possible that such man can liver"
She swept up the veranda, SO charged
with emotion and passion that she could
not remain still. 'o'.
He followed her, saying
"Well, have begun the effort, but l
will abandon it if you wish. | have
taken the first steps. l have even gone
so far as to inquire for certain papers,
and have called ON a lawyer, Henry Hol-
brook
She whirled upon him, her face pictur-
ing the greatest alarm.
son Henry Holbrook? Are you mad?
That man would hang you if he could.
Great heavens! 1t was to take you from
the possibility of meeting that man that
l called you here. Do you know that
Holbrook saw the murderer of Temple
ton escape into the park
She had grasped him by the shoulders
and pulled him squarely in front of her.
Before Fountain could reply, a hearty
laugh rang out upon the air.
''Ha, ha, ha! Good! good! l applaud!
Encore! Encore! The scene is good. You
should go to the front veranda to rehearse,
and you would get, Immediately, fash
ionable audience"
They saw a friend of the house APP
preaching by path some distance off.
The next moment he was hid behind
shrubbery, long enough to enable them
both to recover themselves. When next
he appeared he was near the veranda.
when | heard that Fountain was
due here" he said, as he stopped beneath
to talk, Il said to Mamie, Now we will
have some private thcatricals. And at
the first pop catch you at rehearsal. l
congratulate you, Flora. was too far
off to hear the sentiment, but the acting
was realistic"
Glad you like it," replied Flora. III
give you a secret-will you keep it,"
las my life"
Then it is scene of my own compo-
sition."
CHAPTER XVIII.