San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-03

the sentence for her. mo, Idon't think
there is anything on your part; but |
think that Mr.. Warrington cares for
you" she said quietly, land that you
know he does"
The two women had become pretty
intimate together, as you may suppose,
when they spoke like this,-that is to
say, they had become intimate in a GER
tain sense. They had seen each other
every day for a period of two or three
months, and the elder woman had by
this time gained a very considerable in
fiuence over Gabrielle, for Gabrielle
was susceptible enough, self-willed as
she was, to some influences, and the
widow $50 at least Helen and Aunt SUI
san said) had bewitched her. But,
though these two months had made Mrs.
Hill know a good deal about Gabrielle,
they had forwarded Gabrielle's knowl-
edge of Mrs. Hill in only a very small
degree indeed. That silent woman's
history remained as dead a secret to her
still as it had been on the day when they
first met; she never talked of it to Ga
brielle; never almost alluded to any,
thing in her past life.
But vet, in her intercourse with the
girl, she had thawed and softened since
their first meeting in a very visible de-
gree. 1t vas evident that she liked her
probably she was grateful to her; she
liked her well enough to smile at any
sudden sight of the fair young face.
Yet she never treated her when they
we're together as if they were on an
equality, but rather, though there was
so little difference in their ages, as if
Gabrielle were a child whom she liked
to be kind to,-whom she would take
care of, if she could. MY DEAR" she
often used to call her. Sometimes she
called her Gabrielle" but Gabrielle
had never yet addressed her by any
other name than Mrs. HILL"
The girl used often when she vas
passing the house to come in and sit in
the widows room for half an hour, and
it was on one of these occasions that
Mrs. Hill had said this thing to her
about herself and Mr.. Warrington.
us it true, as Mrs, Coulson tells me,
that you are going to marry Mr.. Walk
ingtonp" she had asked her; and then
Gabrielle had broken out in the way
that l have written above.
mo, l don't think there is anything
on your part, but l think that he cares
for you, and that you know he does"
| Esther had said.
And then Gabrielle had flushed up to
the roots of her hair, ard for a few mo-
ments she held her peace.
She was not sure at first whether to
be angry and make no defense, or to
| think of what she could say for herself,
and, in as plausible a way as she could,
to say it. Her first impulse was to be
| silent and angry, but that yielded soon
to the vain hearts instructive desire to
justify itself,-and so, after q little
| silence
81 don't know that he cares for me-
seriously" she said. II am sure, if he
does, it isn't my fault. l can't help
what people say, Mrs. Hill. Everybody
in the parish may declare that l am 60
ing to marry him, but he knows very
well that l am not"
"You can't be sure that he knows
that"
"Why can't 1 be sure? Do you think
| that anybody else knows as well as / do
| what-he has cause to believer 1 think
that-perhaps-he is half in earnest-I
will acknowledge that; but he knows,
just as well as l do myself, that / have
never, never, never had one serious
thought about himl That is the whole
truth. Now 1 have said more to you
than 1 would say to anybody else, for I
don't think anybody has a right to
| question me about him; butt don't want
| you to imagine that 1 am doing what /
am not doing.-that l am encouraging
him, or making him think | care a straw
for him-when l don't" cried the girl,
with the color still burning in her face.
"If you don't r for him then why
do you let him come about you as If he
was your loverp l have never thought
| that uo,, ooraJ for him - Mro Hill sold
gravely, but l thought, and l think
| Still, that you are acting wrongly. You
are treating him as youdo, thinking that
| you can draw back at any moment. Oh,
my dear. don't you know that a woman
sometimes awakens all at ono to find
that she cannot draw back?"
1t was not often that any tone of
strong emotion came into Mrs. Hills
voice, but these last words were spoken
almost with passion. Startled by her
| earnestness, Gabrielle was ready with
no answer to her, and there were a few
moments silence, and then
81 want to tell you something" the
widow said again, but in her usual voice
now. ~ am afraid the telling of other
peoples stories seldom does good, but
yet Ihave been thinking over this thing,
and it vexes me so that l want to warn
you, and make you LISTEN to me, if l can.
Will you let me tell you about my own
| marriage? You know" she said, before
Gabrielle could reply to her-"you know
l have never told you anything yet
about my life at all,-because there are
things that have happened to me that l
cannot speak about; but my marriage
is not one of these, and, though l
should not care to have what l may tell
Won ronoataH RI other nnOnln ypt / will
tell you about it, if you like. Shall II"
ebo e,iJ opd IonEad into tho oirl,c fooa