San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-06
NOT PROVEN;
OR
ESTHER HILLS SECRET.
BY GEoRGIANA NJ. CRAIK.

can't see that heis:"' Miss DunsIan nau
kindly objected; and then Mr.. Walking
ton had shrugged his shoulders.
well, he and his father are about as
much alike as two men can be, and the
blacksmith, at any rate, think we
must allow, is-hardly, a gentleman"
he said.
And then, upon this, Aunt Susan. not
being very good at arguing, had held
her peace; and, though Gabrielle also
had been in the room, she too had not
been disposed at the moment to stand
up in Mr.. Gilbert'S defense, and so the
subject had dropped.
But in the evening, when Aunt Susan
CHANGED to repeat some of these COM
ments of Mr.. Walkington'S to her BROTH
er, they met reception from him that
was by no means of the same descrip-
ton.
1.-THE young puppy!'' he exclaimed.
81 believe the only notion he has of a
gentleman is man dressed in broad
cloth and fine linen. Give me my
choice, and would back the black
smith against him any day for the bet
ter gentleman of the two,-let George
himself alone altogether. There's not
finer fellow in the parish than old
Gilbert.-an his son wouldn't be what
he is now if he were not like him. The
young coxcomb!" Mr.. Dunstan said
again with laugh of supreme con-
tempt.
Upon which Gabrielle, who felt re-
morseful just about this time in the
matter of Mr.. Warrington, and had a
notion that it was her duty to stand up
for him, struck in with little irate
speech.
"Mr. Warrington was only speaking
about his manner, and it is not fair to
misunderstood him, Uncle Guy" she
said, land to assume that he meant
anything more. He said that Mr.. Gill
bert was rough in manner, and he is
rough-or at least" said Gabrielle,
suddenly breaking off, and making no
termination to her sentence, having all
at once discovered that she was not
quite sure if she was speaking the truth.
And then Mr.. Dunstan, after his un-
generous fashion, laughed at her.
"What-you are not quite certain
about your assertion. are your" he said;
and he stopped before the girls chair
| (he was walking up and down the ROOM,
and looked with hooking amusement
into the blue eyes. Your oracle has
made mistake, perhaps-has he?-for
once"
MY oracle!' cried Gabrielle at this,
and flushed into hot wrath. do you
mean to call Mr.. Warrington my ora
clep"
"Well-is he not? l thought he was.
1 thought you swore by him" Mr.. Dun
stan said.
"Uncle Guy!"
81 thought you did. p"
"You couldn't think so. You never
heard Of anybody in the world who
swore by him!'
mol never heard of anybody else
who did, but l thought you meant to be
the single exception. Don't you always
echo his opiniOns?"
Gabrielle was too indignant to an
swer this.
"I have been thinking ever since l
came home that all the particularly
foolish things you say came originally
from him."
do you suppose that am not capable
of thinking of things to say without 60
ing for them to Mr.. Walkington?"
This was demanded in tone of indie
scribable contemplating scorn notice
ably eliminating on the last word in a
manner that made Mr.. Dunstan chuckle.
"Well-when they were more than
usually foolish l thought you got them
from him. l can't help feeling afraid
that Mr.. Warrington has gained con-
siderable influence over you, my dear. !"
"Uncle Guy!"
Gabrielle was looking at him with her
eyes flashing fire.
Il don't say, you know, that it is I'M
natural. Most girls make hero of the
clergyman of the parish, and when he
is.a good-loOking, ariStocratic. white
handed young gentleman like MIR. Walk
ington, the thing is almost inevitable,
imagine"
You don't believe what you are say
ing. l make hero of Mr.. Warrington!
Yes, you think that" cried Gabrielle,
with most edifying Indignation.
And then. all at once, with the color
flying hotter than ever to her face
II never was so sick of anybody in all
my life as am of Mr.. Walkingtonl
What shame it is of you to go on like
thisl What with one and the other of
you, think am as near hating him."
cried Gabrielle, las if-aS if" and
then, not quite perceiving at the mo-
ment how to end her angry little speech
with good effect, she stopped, and her
lip began to culver; and if her uncle
had not at that moment stopped down,
and put his arm about her, the blue
eyes, think, would have got fuller
than they could hold of resentful tears.
But he arrested the little outburst of
emotion by that judicious embrace, and
then, with his hand on the girls head
"Tut-tut, foolish child"
he said, and stopped the trembling of
the angry lipS by kissing them. "Hate