San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-10-03
ceived his invitation.

up anu Tue uOOE lOChCu, MI OplCcE SdI dI
his desk and figured with pencil on the
cover of a passbook.
"She must De worth a couple of hun
dred thousand anyway" he said after
awhile. Il don't believe in marrying
for money, but Beulahs nice girl, too,
and want he should marry and settle
in Mulberry, not off in the city. guess
Mis- Barton won't object. En- marryin'
three times hadn't seemed too much like
fol!elin' Bluebeard's example I'd have
tried for the wilder five years ago She
amt handsome, Mis- Barton amt, but
she's as genteel lookin' a lady as l
know" After a while he said:
well, it would be better this way"
and when, as was their custom, father
and son sat in the little back room taking
"a bite" of something before they went
to bed, the old man said to the young
one:
whatever you want you must go to
town and get. want you should be as
well rugged as anybody, and fixy things
become you"
Dad, you are brick!' cried the boy,
with the most respectful intentions,
whatever Lord Chesterfield might have
thought of the style of his address could
he have heard it; land fellow must
talk to somebody. Do you know, like
her."
"Beulah~ Queried Mr.. Spicer
Yes" replied Reu. "Shes so pretty,
don't you think? If tried for her would
you mind: They're a little uppish,
butt
Were as good as anybody, my son."
said Spicer. Nancy Peeler's folks were
considerably palmer than ourn, though
she did well for herself. Co ahead, I'm
with you"
Most fellows fathers are against them
when it comes to that sort of thing" said
Reu.
We'll, I've only got you, my boy"
said Spicer. "All that's mine is yours,
and want you should be happy All
that makes me sick is the idea of being
parted from you. But if you like Beulah
and she likes you that wouldn't happen. ="
At this juncture, if this father and son
had been Frenchmen, they would have
embraced. But they We're Americans Of
the Americans, SO old Spicer gave Reu a
thump on the back and Reu squared off
scientifically and tapped him lightly on
the chest, and both laughed a little fool
ishly. And al the same the boy was the
light of his fathers eye and knew it.
Meanwhile all this had not been said
without some little understanding be-
tween the young people. Beulah, amid
all the excitement of preparation for her
first grown up party and the coming
home of a blue silk dress with seven
founces and train, still thought more
of Reuben than of anything else-what
he would say, what he would think of
her in hernew dress. Above all, whether
he would come early, before the others,
so that they could have a little talk.
She hoped he would, she thought he
would, and she was dressed very early
and on the watch for him, and if he had
come all would have been different, for
he wound have told her all that was i'll
his heart aHd the answer would have
been cheering one. She w2S ready 10
listen to him. and for this reason the
fact of his nonarrival piqued her; and
when lie proved to be not only not the
first guest but not the twentieth, she
was seriously offended and ready for re-
prisals Yet it was not poor Reuben's
fault by any means. The boy had been
dressed very early, even to the flower in
his buttonhole. and had been duly adj
mired by his father, and was about to
set forth in Il gig driven by the hired
man in order that he might arrive at
his destination in his original spick and
span condition. when little Tommy
Briggs. the son Of their next npIgnOor,
who had been fishing in the Spicer well
with crooked pin and a spool of bast-
ing cotton. slipped from the brink and
vanished headfrSt beneath the water.
Mrs. Briggs. who Witnessed the catas-
trophe from her garnet window, went
into Mysteries on the spot. The Old black
woman who supervised the Spirar kitch-
IN fell down on her knees and began
to pray in campmeating fashion, with
many cries and groans and shouts and
writings. Mr.. Spicer began to look for
his glasses in order to see what was the
matter, and the neighbors universally
shouted help" and murder" In few
moments there would certainly have
been one little angel more had not
Reuben. tearing off his coat and vest
and throwing them on the grass, jumped
to the we'll brink, caught the chain,
gone down in the bucket and grabbed
Master Tommy by his curls, which his
mother had fortunately fostered.
To lift Master Tommy, ga2ping and
shrieking, within reach Of the brink,