San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-27


Jocelyn and the impresario staid over
night at the Randolphs', and complet-
ed the details of the agreement for
Mademoiselle Marana's appearance. She
was to come to the city in n few days,
take M her abode at hotel, and begin
rehearsals Immediately. Before leaving
lingo handed Mr.. Randolph check for
$1,000, as advance salary, to enable him
to make the necessary arrangements;
and the two gentlemen took their de-
parture with many professions of good
will on both sides.
Late in the afternoon q tall, rather
stern looking young man, with grave
blue eyes under thick, level brows, and a
short, dense brown beard covering the
lower part of his face, walked into Gen.
higos office, and was informed that the
general was expected every minute. He
seated himself at table, undid the roll
of paper that he carried, and proceeded
to busy himself in making calculations
and sketches.
This young man, whose name was
Geoffrey Bellingham, was New Eng
lander, whose family had lived for many
generations in an ancient town not very
far from Boston. From the early part
of the present century, however, their
prosperity began to recede, along with
that of the town with which they were
so closely allied. Large families of chill
dren divided and dissipated the prop
erty; many of them moved to other parts
of the country; those who remained,
proudly mindful of their past grandeur,
and unwilling to descend to lower level
in search of new ways to fortune, grad
ually faded ont of sight or existence, re-
tanning to the end the old traits of char
acter, rendered harsher and gloomier by
their more restricted circumstances. At
length, about thirty years ago, Godfrey
Bellingham was born. He was child
of unusual intelligence, and with a
strong appetite both for reading and adj
venture. But the monotonous and life
less existence Of the sluggish old town
vexed and wearied him; he wished he
had come into the world a hundred
years earlier, when men went forth to
battle, and to sail the seas, and the days
were full of novelty, activity and excite
ment. His heart stirred within him to
bear a hand in the work and movement
of the world, and such echoes as reached
him of what was going onin other places
and lands kept alive this longing and de-
veloped it. He met with no sympathy,
however, from his own family circle,
and at length ceased to make them CON
q L., Il
this Encouragement to the utterance of
his thoughts led him to cherish them
not less but more ardently. Finally, in
his twelfth year, he ran away to sea,
taking passage on board a Boston vessel
bound for the Pacific
He was absent three years, and he
came home first mate on board an En-
glish blockade runner from Liverpool.
1t was in the midst of our civil war; the
blockade runner was captured and Bel
hngham was taken prisoner. On ms an
nouncing his readiness to take service
under the federal flag, however, he was
allowed to join the crew of govern
ment war vessel. He had the good luck
to see a great deal of fighting, and was
promoted for gallantry and general ETH
cheney. Before the year was out he met
a Confederate bullet. which put an end
to his p..-t.c,a cation il the war, and very
nearly severed his connection with all hu-
man affairs. Nevertheless he recovered
and made his way to the north with
81 900 in his pocket. On reaching his
native place ne found his father and
mother both dead, and his sister ,(the
only child besides himself) married.
He was at This time about Il vsarS
Continued on third page.