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


the love of younger to an older Wo-
man. There was something ambiguous
in Mrs. HIPS position, and a mystery
that was uneXplainable, or at least that
she would not explain, in her story; but
Gabrielle believed in her with faith
that refused to be shaken by any such
facts as these,
~ don't care whether she tells me her
story or not" she would say with per-
feet calmneSS. whatever she saws or
does not say. it won't make any differ
ence." And whatever doubts she heard
expressed, or whatever suspicious she
heard limited of Mrs. Hill, she continu-
ed steadily to speak and think in this
way. II knO,D she is good" she said
once, speaking more paSsionately. IF
an angel were to come and tell me that
she was not, would not believe him."
And the color came into her face when
she said this, and she was angry, and
would have been ready to defend her
right to be angry, and to make this and
any other number of impulsive unrea-
sonable speeches that she liked, if the
person to whom she spoke had chosen
to question it.
But the person she was speaking to
happened to be Mr.. Warrington, and he
was rather afraid of Gabrielle when she
got into this sort of mood, and was hap
PLY more disposed to change the SUBJ
ject than to rouse her to any further
assertion of what he considered her &C
countable faith. For Mr.. Warrington
naturally enough-mistrusted the
widow, and thought, as most people
would have thought, that if she made
mystery of her story, there were proba-
bly, some facts in her story that were
not creditable to her; and so he was in
the habit of assuming serious face
when she was spoken about, and of
shaking his head doubtfully over her
little acts that he did not venture to
perform often in Gabrielle's presence,
but her consciousness of his desire to
perform which did him no small amount
of disservice with her.
81 hate to hear him talk of her. He
is so mean-So suspicious: he is like
woman" Gabrielle exclaimed indig
nantly of him one day,-nOt little to
the amusement of Mr.. Dunstan, who
heard her, and who, indeed, seemed to
be moved by her scorn to something
more than mere amusement, for after
he had laughed he suddenly put his
hand on the girls head, and
"Be you like man then, and stick to
her. She has not got such bad friend
in you after all, he said.
To idle Gabrielle lively interest such
as this was almost as great godsend
as an occupation; nay, it in fact became
an occupation. She saw Esther every
day, and generally even more than once
aday, for 1t rarely happened that she was
content to leave the widow alone until
she came to WreXham in the afternoon.
Whenever any one went to the village
from Wrexham they naturally passed
by Mrs. Coulson's cottage, and Ga
brielle had got into the habit of seldom
passing without going in,-"just for
five minutes" she used to say; but the
five minutes proved rarely less than
fifteen, and often more than fifty.
II don't think you know how much l
like to come to you. think as soon as
catch the first sight of the smoke of
the kitchen chimney, as come round
the turn of the road, the day gets
brighter than it had been before. Idon't
think love any place out OF Wrexham
as 1 love this cottage and this room
now" she said to Esther once.
She made this speech one Sunday
afternoon after the cold weather had
begun. She was very much in the habit
on Sundays after lunch of going over to
Mrs. Hills because Mrs. Hill did not
come on that day to Wrexham), and of
inflicting herself for considerable time
on Esther. To-day she had been sit
ting toasting herself over the widows
fire till the November twilight had al
most come. 1t was only little past
four, but the day had got dark suddenly.
ut almost looks as if it were going
to snow,n Mrs. Hill had said, and had
begun to urge her to go, but she was
comfortable, and could not get to go till
long after the church clock had struck
the half hour.
When she set out at last the wind
was blowing and the sky looked murky,
and she shivered as she drew her cloak
about her under the porch.
1T is north wind; l shall have 1T
full in my face nearly all the way home,"
she said.
"You will have something worse than
wind unless you make haste, Mrs. Hill
answered. my dear, wish you had
gone before. The snow has begun al
ready" she said.
But Gabrielle only laughed.
"Oh, l don't mind snow" she ex-
claimed. 1T is rather fun to be out in
snow, l think. Now don't mind me.
Good-byl | shall be home in quarter
of an hour, land away she went.
As she said, she did not much mind
the snow at first, during the early part
of her walk it was only falling lightly,
and she was sheltered by high wall on
her right hand; but after few minutes
the flakes began to descend more thickly,
and then there came corner to be
turned, and the friendly wall ceased;
and all at once, full into Gabrielle's I'M
protected face, came blast of binding
snow and biting wind.