San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-04

~ cannot accept such q responsibility
unless U1tt giDe IL tO me fOreUer."
Before | had an opportunity to breach
| the question - investments to Mr.. Dale,
Aunt Agnes aG led her quota to my sense
Of wrong, One evening when she came
| to dinner | divine from the intense
| rigidity of her posture ut table, that she
was offended with me To tell the
truth, | felt a trifie guilty. Ny visits to
her during the winter had been spas
| mOdic and hurried What was worse,
so greatly was | carried away by my
| social success that whenever We did
meet prattled on about fashionable
| fIivoities regardless of her frown. But
| though was conscious of not standing
in her good graces, | felt tolerably secure
from comments on the score of Mr.. Dale,
for the reason that as she never went
anywhere she would know nothing of
my intimacy with him unless Aunt
Helen or my father were to make her a
confidant; and this did not think likely.
| Therefore. when she introduced the sub
| ject while we were alone together in the
| drawing room after dinner. was little
disconnected.
| Who is this Mr.. Gale whose name l
see connected with yours" she asked
severely.
With mine?'
Yes, with yours. Don't beat about
the bush You know perfectly well
whom mean"
Excuse me, Aunt Agnes, there is no
Mr.. Gale among my acquaintances. l
know Mr.. Dale"
She frowned, and began to tumble in
her pocket. The principle is the same
whether it is Gale or Dale or TompRins.
| never expected to learn of my niece's
engagement from the public press.
nm confident the notice said Gale. All!
| thought so. Plain as the nose ON your
face" she added, producing from her
portemonnaie newspaper cutting and
reading aloud: ut is rumored that the
engagement of the beautiful and accom-
| plishcd daughter of Augustus Harlan,
the railway magnate, to Mr.. Roger Gale,
Of this city, will soon be announced"
1T is not true, Amt Agnes" cried
Indignantly. Needless to say was
startled at this bit of information, COM
ing, too, as it did from such an unex-
pected source. My aunt's knowledge of
it seemed fully as remarkable to me as
the fact of the publication.
81 trust not" she replied with en-
phasis Il did not seriously suppose my
own niece so far lost to all sense of pro-
priety rs to take such step unbeknown
to me. But it seems to me, Virginia,
you must have been behaving in a, to
say the least, very peculiar manner to
get your name into the newspapers.
| Where there is so much smoke there is
apt to be little fire. Who is this Mr..
| Gale?''
His name is Dale. Aunt Agnes"
"Well, Dale then. You won't put me
! off by quibbling. If you want your
father to know of it you are taking just
the course to make me tell him."
MY father knows all there is to know.
Mr.. Dale is friend of mine and comes
to the house by permission. There is no
possibility of an engagement between
us"
AN engagement! | should hope not.
Do you consider yourself qualified to en-
ter upon the cares and responsibilities of
married ife?"
Il have already said that have no IN
tention of getting married"
Getting marriedl Why, the child is
crazy You talk of matrimony as if it
were as simple proceeding as changing
your dress or going to party"
Some people would appear to find it
So" answered, goaded to impertinence.
But Aunt Agnes apparently did not
perceive my innuendo. u dare say"
said she with asperity. "That is be-
cause there are so many fools in the
world"
We sat in silence for some minutes
Ny aunt was so much excited that could
see her hands tremble as she put the OBJ
noxious cutting back into her portemon-
naie. Ali of a sudden she looked at me
over her glasses and said:
81 am willing to give you one more
chance, Virginia.
waited for her to continue.
"If you choose to take advantage oft,
well and good. If not, you must go
your own ways. | am not going to
make my life burden over you any
longer If you prefer to be giddy and
foolish, let those take the responsibility
who have encouraged you to become so.
No one shall blame me-"
49, l,-,nIrr Aunt E1nas- wish to be