San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-11


halo round it," said Mrs. Nash, and
neither she nor any woman in garrison
had the faintest doubt as to the explana-
ton cf it all Love had wrought the
change, and being loved had intensified
and prolonged it. Every man, every wo-
man in garrison was his friend, and the
happy fellow would gladly have taken
dozens of them into his confidence and told
them all about it. and talked by the
hour of her,
But there We're reasons, Mrs. Vincent
had sa;d, why it was most desirable that
there should be no announcement of the
engagement as yet. What these were
she did not explain to Mabel herself, but
assured her that it was her fathers wish
as we'll Lane had rushed to the great
jewelry house of Van Loo e. Laing, and
the diamond solitaire that flashed among
the leaves of the exquisite rosebud he
smilingly handed her that night was one
to make any woman gasp with delight.
Could anything on earth be rich enough,
pure enough, fair enough to lavish on
her, his peerless queen?
She had held forth her soft white hand
and let him slip it on the engagement
finger, and then bend the knee like
knight of old and kiss it fervently. She
reveled in it, rejoiced in it, but, needing
her mothers advice, slowed it away
where none could see it, in the secret
drawer of her desk, and Lane was per-
feCtly satisfied. Il will tell you the
reason some day" Mrs. Vincent had said
to him, "but not just now, for | might
be doing wrong" and he had protested
that she need never tell him. What
cared he so long as Mabels love was
his, and they understood each other as
they did?
And so, while people at Graham piled
him with questions and insinuations
and side remarks about the girl he left
behind him" in the east, he kept faith
fully to the agreement, and though the
whole garrison knew he wrote to her
every day and took long rides alone that
he might think of her, doubtless, and
though every one knew that those dainty
missives that came SO often for Capt.
Lane were written by Miss Mabel Vim
cent, never once did he admit the exist
ence of an engagement-never once I'M
til long afterwards.
The first real tidings that the Graham
people had of her came in letter from
headquarters. Mrs Riggs had had such
a long, charming letter from Mr.. Noel
that she called III several of her cronies
and read it all to them; and that very
evening one of the number, unable to
bear the burden of so much information,
shifted it from her mental shoulders by
writing it all to Mrs. Nash. Perhaps the
best plan will be to read the extract
which referred to Lane exactly as Mr.
Noel wrote it:
by this time presume Fred Lane is
busily engaged with mis- new troop. |
served with them in the Sioux campaign
and they never gave me any trouble at
all SO, too, in the Geronimo chase a
while ago, when Maj. Brace picked me
out to go ahead by night from CarrizO's
| asked for detachment from d troop,
and the men seemed to appreciate it. |
knew they would follow wherever /
would lead, and would stand by me
through thick and thin. If Lane starts
in right I've no doubt they will do just
as well for him: but | expect he is feel
ing mighty blue at having to rejoin just
now. You know I've always been
warm friend of his, and it hurt me to
see him so unwilling to go back. No one
seemed to know him very well in society,
and it's very queer, for this was his old
home-and | was never more delight
fully welcomed anywhere; the people
are charming. But Lane had held him
self aloof a good deal, and fellows at the
club say he didn't run with the right
set. Then, if all accounts be true, he
had had hard luck in several Ways. I'm
told that he lost money in a big wheat
speculation, and everybody says he
totally lost his heart. tell you this in
confidence because know you are a de-
voted friend of his-as indeed you are of
all in the dear old regiment-but he was
much embarrassed when it came to turn
ing over the funds. There was quite
a heavy shortage, which he had to make
up at time when it was probably most
inconvenient. As to the other loss. it