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

the roof, from which dozen yards of zinc
gutter were perilously hanging, the broken
shafts of the further cluster of chimneys,
a pile of bricks scattered upon the ground
and among the battered down beams of the
end of the veranda; but that was all. She
lifted her now whitened face to the man,
and with the apologize smile still linger-
ing on her lips asked:
What does it all mean? What has hap
pened?"
The man stared at her "D'ye mean to
say We don't know"
"How could |? They must have all left
the house as soon as it began. l was talk
ing to- = I'iIommad:cu, ard he sd
denly LETT"
The man brought MS face angrily down
within an inch of her own. Dye mean
to say that them id French half5reeds
stampeded and left yer there alone?"
She was still too much stupeied by the
reaction to fully comprehend his meaning,
and repeated feebly, with her smile still
family lingering, But you don't tell me
what it waS?"
IAN earthquake" said the man roughly;
land if it had lasted ten seconds longer it
would have shook down the whole shanty
and left you under it. Yer kin tell that to
them if they don't know it, but from the
way they made tracks to the fields l reckon
they did. They're coming now"
Without another word he turned away
half surliiy, half defiantly, passing scarce
fifty yards away Mrs. Randolph and her
daughter, who were fastening toward their
guest.
'Oh here you are" said Mrs. Randolph,
with the nearest approach to effusiOn that
Rose had yet seen in her manner. 1--WE
were wondering where you had run to and
were getting quite concerned. Emile was
looking for you everywhere"
The recollection of his blank and abject
face, his vague cutlery and blind flight,
came back to Rose with shock that sent
a flush of sympathetic shame to her face
The ingenious Adele noticed it and duti-
fully pinched her mothers arm.
Emile" echoed Rose family, looking
for me?"
Mother and daughter exchanged glances
yes" said Mrs. Randolph cheerfully,
che says he started to run with you, but
you got ahead and slipped out of the garden
door-or something of that kind" she add
ed, with the air of making light of Roses
girlish fears you know one scarcely
knows what one does at such times, and it
must have been all frightfully strange TO
you-and he's been quite distracted-lest
you should have wandered away. Adele,
run and tell him Miss Mallory has been
here under the oak all the time"
Rose started, and then fell hopelessly
back in her seat. Perhaps it was truel
Perhaps he had not rushed off with that
awful face and without a word. Perhaps
she herself had been half frightened out of
her reason. In the simple weak kindness
of her nature it seemed less dreadful to
believe That the fault was partly her own.
And you went back into the house to
look for us when all was over" said Mrs.
Randolph, fixing her black, beady, mag
netic eyes on Rose, "and that stupid yokel
'Zeke brought you out again. He needn't
have clutched your arm so closely my
dear-l must speak to the major about his
excessive familiarity-but suppose shall
be told that that is American freedom. /
call it a liberty"
1t struck Rose that she had not even
thanked the man in the same flash that
she remembered something dreadful that
he had said She covered her face with
her hands and tried to recall herself
Mrs Randolph gently tapped her shout
der with a mixture of maternal philosophy
and discipline, and continued: "Of course
it's an upset, and you're confused still.
That's nothing. They say, dear, it's per-
fectly well known that no two peoples
recollection of these things ever is the
same. It's really ridiculous the contra
dictory stories one hears. Isn't it, Emile?"
Rose felt that the young man had joined
them and was looking at her. In the fear
that she should still see some trace of the
startled selfish animal in his face she did
not dare to raise her eyes to his, but looked
at his mother. Mrs. Randolph was stand
ing then, collected but impatient.
Its all over now" said Emile in his
usual voice, "and except the Chimneys and
some fallen plaster there's really no dam
age done. But I'm afraid they've caught
it pretty badly at the mission and at San
Francisco in those tall, tiashy, rattle trap
buildings they're putting up. I've just
sent off one of the men for news"
Her father was in San Francisco by that
time, and she had never once thought of
him In her quick remOrSe she forgot all
else and rose TO her feet.
Il must telegraph to my father at once"
she said hurriedly; "he is there.
you had better wait until the messenger
returns and hear his news" said Emile
"If the shock was only a slight one in San
Francisco your father might not under
stand you and would be alarmed"
She could see his face now; there was no
record of the past expression upon it, but
be was watching her eagerly. Mrs. Ran
dolph and Adele had. moved away to speak
to the servants. Emile drew nearer.
"You surely will not desert us now," he
said in Il low voice.
please don't" she said vaguely: Pm