San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-04
MRS. PAULDING THINKS.

wonder why sons will never marry the
girls their mothers pick out for them. The
perversity of human nature, l suppose
But it seems to me that if any one pointed
out the proper line of conduct to me
would follow it.
had never much of fancy for Gerarda
Abbey. Her lips and cheeks always seemed
to be too bright colored, and her dark hair
curled and flew about so. And then her
eyes danced and shone in totally undig
nified manner
"Tom," i used to say at least once a
week, II wonder you don't admire Msrgie
Hoffheimer. She has such dignity such
reposc OF manner"
$50 has an iceberg-and an OYSTER"
Tom would retort.
"Well the young men of the present day
have strange taste. She is just my ideal of
woman. She never covers her forehead
with foolish bangs and frizzes."
"Pity she Doesn't" said Tom. "It has
such lumpy look" e.
Tom is my only child. love him dearly,
but he has always been great Weight ON
my mind. For instance, in spite of all my
entreaties he would go to Fairview to set
tie, though every one said there was fine
opening at home, in Paschal, when old DIR.
Johns died. What dear, good old man
be was-but somehow he never came to see
me professionally that he did not make me
sicker than ever.
told him so once, and he did not take it
in good part at all.
Strange how few people can bear to hear
the truth. Ha
Well, as ] was saying Tom would ad.
mire Gerarda and wouldn't admire Mar
gle. Now / am not mercenary, but do
think it is better for young professional
man to marry girl with a nice little fort
une of her own than one with q widowed
mother and five younger sisters and broth
ers, and just enough to get along on.
you'll never succeed, Tom," cried in
pet, ''if you marry a girl with pack of
mothers and sisters clinging to her skirts"
Strictly speaking" said Tom in his pro-
voking way, "Mrs. Abbey can't be called a
pack of mothers" .....
"Oh, you know perfectly well what
mean; but have your own way, rs usual"
OF course had to call on the girl, since
she and Tom were engaged. The little
house where they lived was always as neat
as pin, l must say, and Gerarda was the
mainstay of the family.
Twas polite, but not at all cordial. lam
too truthful to assume anything don't
feel. l told her thought she would look
better with her hair brushed back from
her forehead. She colored, but answered
very pleasantly that "Tom liked it best So"
This happened during one of Toms Wis.
its home. lie never staid long, and used
to tell him it looked as if did not make
him comfortable. Well, / did not see
much of Gerarda that fall, though we used
to pay each other duty calls now and then,
and when winter set in l heard of queer
freak, of hers. ..
She had opened dancing school. 49,.
Now there seems to be something very
bold and unfeminine about teaching a
dancing school. One always thinks WON
an ought to support herself by teaching
music or embroidery or painting plaques
To be sure Gerarda did not know how to
play or paint, never having had much time
for accomplishments, fancy.
couldn't understand it at all, for the
Abbeys had always got along so far, and it
was particularly odd when Morton, the
eldest boy, had been given place in acorn
mission house in Cincinnati by an uncle or
cousin or something of the sort. began
to think she must have done it out of sheer
lightheadedness and frivolity. ...
WIOte TO ION, hoping ne lnlSuO relnOn-
strate with her. am always moderate in
the expression of my opinion, so l simply
said:
"Gerarda is looking very badly. All this
dancing and racketing around is not good
for her. But the young people of the pres
ent day have no discretion. Modesty seems
to have gone out of date along with venera-
ton for their elders" ...
That was all said. ......t.
But it seemed to have no effect, for Ge-
rarda still went on teaching. She began to
look worse and worse. All the color left
her face; even her lips were pale, and her
mouth got a pinched look, Then she got
hacking cough, and used to hear her go
ing coughing along the street from her
dsRcing school. She had not boen to see
me for the longest Undertaking me with
lzsE-S6Sl 22Cs. But at Last could not
bear to hear her so | just ran out TO the
gate and gave her a box of lozenges.
She thanked me; then she gave me
wistful sort Of look and hesitated, as if she
wanted to say something; but she evident
ly changed her mind, for she passed on.
One day was walking along the beach.
Winter was beginning to break up, and
there were bright patches of green to be
seen here and there. The sky was blue