San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-06

ing 10 nave.
1t was natural when he came in after
this that she should greet him and con-
duct herself toward him as if he was to
some extent her knight-her special
possession. He had come here in her
service; he had delivered her--as true
knight might have delivered any cap
tive maiden-from the thralldom of the
elements: and so she smiled upon him,
and inwardly laid sort of claim to him,
and had kind of feeling as if it were
her business and duty to present him
in his new character of hero to the
others.
All which, perhaps, was quite nat
ural on her part, but yet at the same
time not very comprehensive to Mr..
Gilbert. For the young man, in the
first place, was not at all conscious of
having conducted himself as hero;
nor, in the second, was he very accessi-
bic to feminine batteries. He was
man who was timid with women-who
diStrusted them little-who was very
shy of thrusting himself upon them. A
different kind of man, with the same
amount of announcement that he had
received, would have made himself by
this time on a familiar and friendly
footing with these three ladies at WreX-
ham; but though they had made adj
vances to him, he had obstinately de-
clined to meet their advances. With
Aunt Susan indeed, it is true, he had
come to be on something like kindly
terms, but with the other two-though
there were passing moments when the
ice was broken-he could scarcely be
said to be on kindly terms at all. He
hoI 10 oil 80
yet he treated Gabrielle still almost as
he had done on the first day that he had
ever spoken to her.
Perhaps this EVENING" for nearly the
first time with the exception of those
at his own house,, he let himSelf-be-
cause he could not well help it-thaw a
little toward her. 1t was not very easy
to be stiff and cold to Gabrielle at mo-
ments when Gabrielle chose to do her
best to please, and he had known this
perhaps before now. Possibly too at
this time he did not quite dislike the
girl, nor find it altogether an unpleas-
ant thing when circumstances, not of
his own continuing, made it incumbent
on him to be near her. He had come to
think that her face was one of the pref
test faces in the world; he could not
keep himself from liking to see her
blue eyes lifted up to him. She made
him come to her tonight where she was
sitting, and he stood leaning agaiSt the
mantelpiece at her side for twenty min
utes talking with her, not altogether
with the feeling of man forced to do
something against his will. Possibly
he cared very little for her cordiality,
and yet he talked to her, and let her
talk to him, and knew on the whole
that he liked it-not because she was
Gabrielle Lynn, woman above himself
in rank, whose friendly manner fiatter-
ed him, but because-in spite of being
Gabrielle Lynn-her face was beautiful
to him, and her voice was sweet.
He stayed for an hour or two after
dinner, and then took leave of them.
The storm is over, and my mother
will be looking for me" he said, as he
rose to 60.
He was very fond of his mother, and,
like all good men, had pride in his at
tachment to her that made him love to
serve and please her as simply, and with
as utter an absence of false shame in
doing it, as if he had been still a boy.
Gabrielle had noticed this before now,
and had been touched by it little too.
She thought to herself at this mo-
ment, as he said, "My mother will be
looking for me, ~ wonder how many
men of his age amongst the people one
knows would finish visit, with saying
anything so frank and simple as that"
and she smiled to herself little, think
ing how unconventional he was; and
yet she knew, too, that she liked him
because he had said it. .
Give my love to your mother" she
said, with sudden impulse when he
turned to her to bid her good night; and
then she colored little, with an I'M
comfortable consciousness that some of
the others in the room might think the
message was an odd one.
But possibly the others did not notice
it, or, If they noticed, they were not in
a mood to critioise it.
. "Well, think Mrs. Gilbert ought
to be proud of her son' Aunt Susan
said, when he was gone.
And then one after another they be-
gan to praise him.
"He looks so honest" Helen says.
E"And his manner,-thOugh he is very
quiet-is so modest and NICE" said
Aunt Susan.
And so sensible, too" said Helen.
''And then Mr.. Dunstan struck in
81 don't know how it is that you have
all been so slow to take to him, he said,
'for he is simply one of the largest
Drained and largest-naturedm men know.
l don't know what he has ever done that
is less than excellent. have always
looked upon it as an honor to us all to
have had him bred amongst US; and it
is Just as great an honor, though his
father is blacksmith, as if he had been
born kings son."
Upon which Gabrielle shrugged her
shoulders a very little: but in her heart,