San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-30

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the former lady's conversation was
mainly explanatory and argumenta-
| tive, Miss Korner's was interrogatory
| and anecdotical: Mrs. Bright, a beauty,
| the wife of wealthy brewer. holding
herself as if she were on horseback, rush
| ing at topic or an enterprise as if it
| We're "a five barred gate, and forgetting
it the next moment. headstrong, enthu-
| siastic, blase; she had embraced Her
bert Spencer during the last season, and
reproduced him in jets and sparkles;
Mrs. Musgrave, the dramatic reader.
But why continue? The popularity of
New York society is that no two people
are alike; you have to focus yourself
anew for every person you meet; where
as abroad the difficulty is to distinguish
Mr.. Smith from Mr.. Brown and Mrs
Jones from Mrs. Robinson. People there
seem to be born, bred and nodded in
platoons; the various social grades each
has the same traditions, the same pros
poets, the same resources, the same top
les of conversation, the same tailors, and
the same faces.
But in New York we have not settled
down yet; our people have what may be
called New York look, but there is no
New York type-the former being
trick of facial expression merely; the
latter matter of feature and struct-
ure. But we are preparing to people
hemisphere, while the European nations
have to pack themselves together like
sardines in box, or pickles in jar,
automatically, economically and ir-,
revocably, and by natural selection have
long since lost their elbows and idiosyn-
crasies. We are all elbows on this side
of the water, especially since we have
ceased any longer to be all fists and
shoulders.
In addition to the guests above men
toned there were several of our older
acquaintancss-Gen. lingo, Hamilton
Jocelyn and Bellingham. When dinner
was announced Wallie Dinsmore took
in Mile. Mariana and seated her at his
right hand, and it turned out that Bel
bingham sat next below her, much to his
displeasure. He told himself that he
owed Wallie one. On the other side of
had taken into the table. The other
gentlemen thought that Bellingham had
nothing to complain of. Mrs. Bright,
who could interest herself about almost |
anything, provided it did not last more
than an hour or so, noticed that her |
companion was good looking, and deter |
mined to exploit him ON the subject of
.
'Stones of Venice" and had seen classic
and medieval antiquities abroad.
Accordingly she rode at him with
great dash and courage, and at first he
answered her graciously enough. Be-
fore long, however, he perceived that
she did not know the meaning of her
own information, and then he became
laconic. Young Mrs. Bright, on the 9TH
er hand. was not accustomed to rebuffs, |
and Bellingham's reticence only stimu- |
lated her enterprise. She sparkled on like |
cataract in rainbow, determined that |
he should fall in love with her at any
rate. Meanwhile his other ear was be- |
ing visited occasionally by the low and
varied music Of voice the freshest and
most melodious, he thought, he had ever
listened to.
At times, too, as the dishes were
passed, the lovely speaker would lean
toward him, so that her soft white plum
age brushed his shoulder The Ma
rama and Wallie were having most en-
Pertaining conversation. 1t was not
about architecture, and yet Bellingham
felt attracted by it. Wallie was smiling
and chuckling, and ever and anon max
ing some pithy or arch remark. The
diva seemed to be attempting to describe
the mental visions which certain kinds
Of music called up for her. At last she
said, THE end is like the awful rose of
dawn and it seems to keep unfolding
more and more, but the twilight darkens
between, and you can only feel that the
great flower blooms at last in the morn
ing of the other world"
At the same moment Mrs. Bright was
saying to Bellingham: In that way,
don't you see, the second and third boxes
would have just as good view of the
stage as the first. and yet the parquet
wouldn't lose anything. Now, isn't that
nice plan?''
Either Bellingham had not heard her
or else he didn't think it worth while to
answer. He turned to the young diva
and said. That mnst pc Beethoven"
Wallie's eyebrows went up. He had
been quietly watching Bellingham, and
had been much amused by his evident
distraction and final surrender. He
asked Mr.. Knight, in the second seat on
his left, whether it were true that Grant