San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-31

can / press ner TO 90 lGy" asked Mr..
Dunstan, with perfect readiness and
good temper.
''Oh. but, my dear, it couldn't offend
herl How could you imagine such
thingp" exclaimed Aunt Susan in a tone
of distress.
81 didn't imagine it, Susan. It's Ga
brielle altogether who says that the
widow won't have lunch with me. What
have you got over there? Veal pie?"
said Mr.. Dunstan. give me some OF
it. We've had such busy morning"
And then he proceeded to narrate
their mornings doings, and Gabrielle
bit her lips and sat down in silence; and
nothing more was said about Mrs. Hill
till the three women met in the draw
ing-room after lunch, and talked the
little veXation over.
Il can't think how Uncle Guy could
behave so oddly. 1t is not like him?"
Gabrielle said then in a tone of annoy
| ance.
swell. no doubt it is little vexing,
but yet, you see, there was some awk-
wardness about it altogether" said
Aunt Susan meditatively. Il don't
think he at all meant to be uncOurteouo
to her,-but still how could he exacti7
have asked her not to go? He couldn't
say to her-'Don't let my being here
| make any Observation-Disclosures of course
| he couldn't assume that it tc0s his being
here that was making the difference.
You see, Gabrielle that would have
been impossible"
And then Gabrielle, though she was
angry, was obliged to acknowledge that
| he could not have said that,-and that,
| indeed. she did not quite know what it
was that with any fitness he could have
said.
"But at any rate she must not go
again. Whether Uncle Guy holds his
| tongue OF not, you must prevents her
| from going tomorrow, Aunt Susan"
was the only satisfactory response that
| she could make, and with this cOnclu-
sion they all agreed.
But when the next day came, at ten
minutes to two o'clock it was not Aunt
Susan who entered Helen's room to
| mount guard over Mrs. Hill, lest she
should slip again through their fingers,
| but, to everybody's surprise, it was Mr..
Dunstan. Aunt Susan indeed came
| afterward, but it was her brother who
made his appearance there first, and
| whom, on her entrance, she found al
| ready seated at the foot of Helen's
| couch, quietly talking to the widow.
He had pleasant manner that, when
he chose, put people at ease with him;
| there was certain bright geniality
| about him; he had contagious laugh,
| and sort of careless breezy freshness
I in his way of talking. Frank hearted,
| open natured, healthy, joyous, he was
| in almost everything the utter opposite
| of the sad looking, statuesque woman
whom his keen gray eyes were watch
| ing without appearing to watch during
| those ten minutes before the clock
| struck. He made her talk to him little.
| Once or twice he even made her smile.
But they might have been two creatures
| from two different worlds as they sat
there face to face-the one born of the
| sunlight, with energy and strength and
hope for his birthright; the other, not
born of the night indeed, but plunged
into the night, and given ashes for food,
and heritage of woe and pain.
| She did not rise up to-day to put her
bonnet on. She had been rOundly
scolded already for having gone yester-
! day, and an unwilling promise had been
| wrung from her that this morning at
least she would remain. She sat still
| therefore till the servant announced
that luncheon was ready, and when they
moved into the dining-room she pas
| sively let Mr.. Dunstan assign her seat
| on his right hand,-filling that place, as
he himself described it afterward not
| much unlike the skeleton at an Egyp-
| tian feast. AT least" he added, "as
| far as the cheerfulness of her appear
ance went. In other respects she has
| some decided advantages over her pro-
tOtype, confess. If were painter l
| should like to make picture out of her.
That face of hers deserves to be painted
certainly"
"Yes-does it not? Is it not beauti-
| full face?" asked Gabrielle when he said
| this. II do little but sit and look at her
| all the time she is here. Now, does she
| not make you curious, Uncle Guyp Do
you not want to know something more
! about herr"
But Mr.. Dunstan, who would have
scorned to allow that any man ever
knew what curiosity meant, laughed
alop2 at this inquiry.
mot Il'' he said. "What should I
want to know? She has lost her hus-
band, poor soul, and / dare say she was
fond of him. Depend upon it that's her
whole story from beginning to end. AS
for making mystery out of her, and
imagining that she has suffered hides
cribable things" He broke into
another laugh. you only do it because
she takes you in by looking as if she
had stepped off pedestal. You would
all give yourselves mighty little concern
about her, suspect, if she had mud
dy complexion and a snub nose"
He was saying this while Esther Hill
was walking home, vexed and dissatis-
fed.
II cannot go through this every day.
she was Thinking tn herself HT cOuId