San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-17


of bustling trade, which | experienced
now for the first time At first did not
dare to appear too frequently in the
street which was the center of my inter
est, but dangerous fascination led me
to become bolder and more adventurous
as | became familiar with the surround
lngs From under the obscurity of
arches and from behind pillars noted
daily VINO entered the doors of the new
firm, and endeavored TO get an idea of the
amount of business that 1t transacted.
In this respect | was somewhat disap-
pointed. for although customers were by
no means lacking, there was dearth of
patronage as compared with that en-
joyed by the banking house across the
street. During the morning hours there
was an incessant stream of people COM
ing and going up and down the marble
steps of the great building, on the first
floor of which were the offices of Roger
Dale. and by far the larger proportion of
this number went no farther, for
could see them through the broad plate
glass windows, chatting and grouped
about coil of tape that ran out with
Snakelike movement into a basket on
the floor
There were ladies. too. who drove up to
the door in their carriages and were
shown into the back Office, and who
when they came out again We're attended
by Mr.. Dale himself. bowling obsequi-
ously. He was stQuter than when saw
him last, and quite bald, and he had
different suit of Il prominent check pat
tern for every day III the week He
seemed immensely popular with his Gus
TONERS, and was slapped by them on the
back necessarily, and most of them he
slapped back in return. But toward
certain individuals ne adopted a quite
different style of behavior, for he listened
to what they said with Difference, gave
them the most comfortable seat in the
Office, and opened the door for them
when they went away These judged
to be capitalists and men of influence,
whose business he wished to secure.
Some of them never came again, but
others would return in the afternoon and
Ut ClOStltu Will Hill IOI
To all this could not help giving at
tention, for it was forced on me, as |
have indicated. by way of contrast to the
style of business that was done by the
firm to which my faith was pinned. In
deed, | felt badly sometimes, and wonder
ed if it could be that my hero were lack
ing in enterprise and what the world
calls push" But as observed more
closely, | dismissed this suspicion as I'M
Just. for began to note that one or two
of the grave, important looking men
whom Roger Dale treated with so much
suavity We're much more frequent
visitors over the way Besides, the plata
glass windows were very small, and il
was next to impossible to see what wen.
on inside.
Mr.. Prime always staid at his Office
until nearly six o'clock, and once or
twice he was still at work at his desk
when the darkness drove me home. In
these afternoon hours the street was
nearly deserted. and sometimes | vent
ured close up to the window and peered
through could see him in a little in
ner Office. writing and porting over papers
and accounts Once, while ! was thus
occupied, policeman greatly alarmed
me by tapping NE On the shoulder and
observing roughly, Now. then. young
woman, move on"
After this felt the necessity of using
more discretion; and lest this narration
may prejudice the judicious too strongly
against me, let it be said that | passed
in all only some eight or ten days in this
manner during the six weeks Aunt
Helen and were in New York together.
Perhaps, however, this was due some
what to the difficulty found in evading
her eagle eye, for owing to the necessary
changes in my dress | had to invent
some excuse commensurate with such q
dilapidated appearance. AS excursions
among the poor twice q week could not
seem improbable, let them account for
the plain stuff gown and questionable
hat that | wore on the occasion of my
down town visits, and limited myself ac-
cordingly Aunt Helen really shed tears
at first because looked so like guy; but
when represented to her that it would
be cruel to faunt silks and satins in
the faces of those to whom such luxuries
were forbidden, to say nothing of the
risk one ran of being insulted if gaudily
attired, she withdrew her objections.
But only think" said sne, ''if any of
your acquaintance should see you rugged
out like that! 1t could not fail to strike
the Honorable Ernest Ferroll as exceed
ingly peculiar at the best"
CHAPTER ~.
Va 81.