San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-17


She had fallen very much of late,
since the beginning of the winter, into
the way of going to the blacksmith's
cottage. to sit with Mrs. Gilbert. Mrs.
Gilbert's face used to brighten at the
sight of her, and she had come to like
that: she used to make the old woman
talk to her; she used to set her knitting
right, and read the paper to her; gradu-
ally she had come to do all kinds OF lit
tie familiar loving things for her. Dur
ing these January days the girl was not
often so happy as when she sat by Mrs.
Gilbert's fire. She was happy herself,
and she made Mrs. Gilbert happy too.
MY DEAR" the old lady had begun to
call her. She had begun TO have fool
ish dreams in her head. Perhaps, though
she wore spectacles, she was not very
blind.
Sometimes of late, while Gabrielle
had been in the house. George Gilbert
had come in and spoken to her. He
often, though he knew that she was
with his mother. did not come; but
sometimes, little while before she
went away, he would come in, and stand
for few minutes talking to her. Now
but he had only done this very seldom.
On the very few occasions when he had
allowed himself to do it, he had simply
taken his place beside her without car
ing to make any excuse for taking it,
and she had accepted his escort as ST.
lently as it was offered. For she was
often very shy with him still: she cared
for him too much not to be shy. She
was at ease with other people, but this
man was different from other people,
and she was afraid of him even while
she loved him. He never said civil
thing to her such as other men had said,
and she had got gradually to have a
scorn of words that she had cared for
once; he never flattered her, and she,
who had been used to love it once, came
to hate flattery. Or at least she came
to hate all common flattery; for, as /
have said, in one sense he did flatter her
with the subtlest incense of that sort
that ever had been offered to her, for he
let her see that, thoughtful, and large
Drained man though he was, he liked
to be with her, and never seemed to
think that her words were too foolish
to be listened to, nor her mind too
frivolous to understand him. This was
his homage to her. He always talked to
her as if she was ten times wiser than she
was, and by doing so he made her hum
bier and more grateful than she had
ever been before in her relations with
any human creature.
II believe Mr.. Gilbert is to 90 in
April" Aunt Susan said one day to Mr..
Warrington, morning when the
young clergyman was calling at Wrex-
ham very shortly before he left the
parish. "He might stay here little
longer, l believe, but he is quite strong
and well now, and of course he is anx-
ious to be at work again. His mother,
poor soul, would be glad enough not to
have him go out again,-but, you see,
India is so much the best field for him.
1t might be long time before he made
comfortable living herein spite of
his TALENT
"A very long time indeed, 1 should
say" Mr.. Warrington replied to this
speech, with an expressive smile. DE
pend upon it, Miss Dunstan, George
Gilbert owes his success good deal
less to talent than to good fortune.
From everything hear | am convinced
of that. believe there are hundreds
of young men in his profession in Eng
land, at this moment, with to the full
as much brain as he has, who are liter
ally not making penny. like young
Gilbert personally myself, you know"
said Mr.. Warrington frankly; "but
must say that | don't sympathize with
the fashion of treating him as if he had
done anything extraordinary. And as
for crediting him with genius-I have
no more belief in his genius" said Mr..
Warrington, Struggling his shoulders
and laughing, THAT have in my own"
Gabrielle was in the room when MIR.
Warrington made his speech, and L
= 20 h., hot Ell, hao rJi
and did not say word in reply. Two
or three months ago her quick temper
would certainly have brought some re-
Spouse to it from her of rather a scorn-
full OF satirical character, but not syl-
labe's response of any sort did she give
to it to-day. She only sat with her lips
shut rather more tightly than she shut
them usually, with her eyes dropped
over some work that was in her hand.
But two or three minutes afterward,
when Mr.. Warrington began to speak
upon some totally different subject, to
tell the truth she made amends for her
previous silence by tlinging out two or
three sentences at him with little poi.
soned points that went into him like
arrows.
The young man had come that morn
ing, as he had come once or twice al
ready, to WreXham, debating in his
mind all through his walk whether or
not he should ask Gabrielle Lynn to be
his wife. He almost wanted to ask her,
and yet he did not wholly want to ask
her, and he could not finally resolve
once for all what he would do. She had
been brusque enough in her manner to
him now for good while past, but yet
he thought-Or at least he believed he
thourbt thot that hrlISnuprip was only
assumed as a mask, and that if he ask
II L.. 70 m, n,r,r him chn nn,nnnlH ho 1rlnH