San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-02

IuNCuJOI III JlldJ CtUeSOTy-WGT6 ali 50 Fuue
and uncivil to her She had never before
been treated in this way; she had always
been rather embarrassed by the admiring
attentions of young men-clerks and col
legians in her Atlantic home, and of pro-
fessional men, merchants and stock brok-
| ers in san Francisco. 1t was true they
were not as continually devoted to her and
% the nice art and etiquette of pleasing aS
Emile-tbey bad other things to think
about, being in business and not being
| gentlemen, but then they were greatly SUI
perior to these clowns, that took no notice
Of her and rode off without lingering or
| formal leave taking when their selfish af-
| fairs were concluded.
1t must be the contact of the vulgar
earth-this wretched, cracking material
! and yet ungovernable and lawless earth
| that so depraved them. She felt she would
| like to say this to some one-not her father,
| for he wouldn't listen to her; not to the
| major, who would laughingly argue with
| her, but to Mrs. Randolph, who would un-
derstand her-and perhaps say it some day
in her own sharp, sneering way to those
very clowns. With these gentle sentiments
irradiating her blue eyes and putting a
pink flush upon her fair cheek Rose reached
| the garden with the intention of rushing
alphabetically into Mrs. Randolph's
arms
But it suddenly occurred to her that she
would be obliged to state how she became
aware of this misfortune, and with it came
| ali instructive aversion to speak of her
meeting with the inventor. She would
wait until Mrs. Randolph told her. But
although that lady was engaged in low
3oiced discussion in French with Emile
| and Adele which instantly ceased at her
approach there was no allusion made to
the new calamity.
"You need not telegraph to your father"
she said, as Rose approached. He has al
ready telegraphed to you for news. AS you
were out, and the messenger was waiting
an answer, we opened the dispatch, and
| sent one telling him that you were all
right and that he need not hurry here on
your account. So you are satisfied, l hope"
A few hours ago this would have been
true, and Rose would have probably seen
in the action of her hostess only t1atter-
ing motherly supervision. There was, in
fact, still lingering trace a that trust in
her mind, yet she was conscious that she
would have preferred to answer the dis
patch herself and to have let her father
come
To girl brought up with belief in the
right of individual independence of thought
and action there was something in Mrs.
Randolph's practical ignoring of that right
which startled her in spite of her new con
servatism; while as the daughter of a bust
ness man her instincts revolted against
Mrs. Randolph's unbusinesslike action
with the telegram, however vulgar and
unrefned she may have begun to consider
life of business and its connections. The
result was certain cOnStraint and embar-
rassment in her manner, which, however,
had the Iaudable effect of limiting Emile's
| attentions to significant glances, and was
no doubt variously interpreted by the 9th
ers. But she satisfied her conscience by
determining to make a confidence of her
sympathy to the major on the first oppor-
tunity.
This she presently found when the Others
were preoccupied, the major greeting her
with a somewhat carewOrn face, but a
voice whose habitual kindness was I'M
changed When he had condoled with her
on the terrifying phenomenon that had
marred her visit to the ranchO-and she
could not help impatiently noticing that
he, too, seemed to have accepted his wife's
frightened-he regretted that her father
had not concluded to come down to the
rancho, as his practical advice would have
been invaluable in this emergency. She
was about to eagerly explain why, when 1t
occurred to her that Mrs. Randolph had
only given him a suppressed version of the
telegram, and that she would be betraying
her or again taking sides in this partisan
divided home With some hesitation she
at last alluded to the accident to the ar
tesian well.
The major did not ask her how she had
heard of it; it was bad business, he
thought, but it might not be total loss.
The water may have been only diverted by
the shock, and might be found again at
lower level or in some lateral assure. He
had sent hurriedly for Tom Bent-that
clever young engineer at the wheat ranch
who was always studying up these things
with his inventiOns-and that was his
opinion. No, Tom was not a well digger,
but it was generally known that he had
located" one or two, and had long ago adj
vised the tapping of that flow by second
boring il, caseSof just such an emergency.
He was coming again tomorrow. BY the
way, he had asked how the young lady
visitor was, and hoped she had not been
alarmed by the earthquake.
Rose felt herself again blushing-and
what was more singular, with an uneX-
pected and, it reemed to her, ridiculous
pleasure; although outwardly she appeared
to ignore the civility completely. And
she had no intention of being so easily
placated If this young man thought by
mere perfunctory civilities to her host to
1. l.,