San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-30

ana III ne dld not stop ner, In ner nearJ
she despised him,-as at present, though
she only half knew it she despised poor
Leigh Warrington.
But she did not despise her Uncle
Guy; on the contrary, she liked him bet
ter than she liked most people; better,
perhaps,-that is to say, more seriously
than he liked her. For, indeed, he
hardly liked her seriously at all. His
regard for her was made up of kindness
and indulgence rather than love; she
was something. to play with, to pet, to
submit to, and then occasionally, with
a strong hand, to rule; this was all
while he was to her one of the few peo-
pie who really influenced her, and to
whom she looked up. She cared for him
enough to be jealous because he was
more tender to Helen than he was to
her. He had liked her best once per-
haps, but now that Helen was ill it was
she who had become his favorite Tor
Gabrielle at least thought that she had),
and she resented this little. She was
inwardly little sore over it, she knew
1t was natural that he should pet Helen
most, and yet she did not like it.
GU would do it if Nelly asked you,~
she would say to him sometimes in mo-
ments OF StubbornnesS on his part; and
when he would answer, as perhaps he
might, in JEST always do what Nelly
asks me, THE answer would be rather
bitter to Gabrielle, and not amere care
less joke, as it was with him. For Ga
brielle liked to be first with every one,
as indeed good many women do.
Mr.. Dunstan at this time had been
away for nine months, and they were
all wishing heartily that he would come
back again. He rarely left them entire
ly for so long as this: he had never be-
fore, since the girls had come to Wrex-
ham, gone away either for so long or to
so great distance.
"And am sure hope he never will
again." Aunt Susan would often say
fervently, "fOr the worries of one kind
or another that have when am here
all alone fairly wear me out. / am not
good sort of person to stand worries,
dare say, but do think it needs a
man to keep things straight in big
place like this-and am sure it needs
man to look after Gabrielle. / can
manage Nelly now (poor dear, wouldn't
say it to any one, but it's an ill wind
that blows nobody any good, and her
illness has been real blessing to mel,
but Gabrielle gets the upper hand Of
me. It's no use to deny it'll know she
does, and she shouldn't-such mere
slip of girl as she is; and Guy should
be here to prevent it. But, dear me,
Guy doesn't think of thatl, So, in her
brothers absence, Aunt Susan, for one,
had her troubles.
Nor were Helen and Gabrielle either
without their own special regrets.
Il think there is nothing in the world
so stupid as household of women"
Gabrielle would say with most devout
sincerity. why are there so many
women in the world? Why don't we
smother half of them when they are
babies, Aunt Susan? People would
they wouldn't shut us upin little boxes
lessly and take look at us once in
way for week or two, as Uncle Guy
does. Uncle Guy would turn over q
new leaf if he were to feel that he might
come home some day and find none of
us left,-not woman left to pour him
out cup of tea, or sew on shirt but
ton for himl | wish L could manage
that he should. l would take flight, if
/ had it in my power, tomorrow, and
then / think, Aunt Susan, if he ever
caught us again he would take little
more trouble than he does now to keep
u.s."
"My dear, you shouldn't talk so; it
isn't NICE" Aunt Susan would say,
rather scandaliZed, in reply to some such
speech as this; and of course the no
ton of anything so shocking as the
smothering of female babies, or so revo-
lutionary as Gabrielle's scheme for as
serting her equality to man by taking
wing from the spot in which he had
placed her. and leaving him to sew on
his own shirt buttons, had never enter
ed Miss DunStan's gentle and decorouS
mind; but still, in the main point-the
desire that Mr.. Dunstan should come
home-both she and Gabrielle, and in
deed Helen too, agreed. In fact, the
house tCdRted man to be at the head of
it. 1t was to certain extent in ruin
Gus state for want of that natural mas
culine government; it was in state of
partial Observation-Disclosures up to
feminine rules, and, worse than that, to
disiointed and separate feminine rule.
Nominally in its highest place sat
Aunt Susan, with her scepter at her
feet instead of in her hands; with her
heart full of all goodness and loving
kindness, and her head full of all feeble
ness and perpleXity; and on either hand
of her sat GabTelle and Helen, the one
ruling herself, and whosoever else would
submit to her, by the irregular fantas-
tic sway of her own hayward will; the
other establishing her dominion, by the
power of the petty tyranny of idleness.
Neither of them meaning any harm;
both of them even meaning well, and
loving one another, and having kind
womanly hearts with them, but yet, in
a sense, running to seed; claiming and
obtaining liberty that, having got,