San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-17
The BasSett Claim
By HENRY B. ELLIOT.

tSopyrlght oy America NPreSS Assoc1aSho2l
Louise told me or yUur-cz I,y5I1v1zeo " -
Clara Willis. l regret it, but after all
you don't want to marry rose leaf.
Clara is a pretty girl; she has lovely
hair, the glory of woman, and while that
is fine the capillary attraction is very
powerful, l admit. And then there was
crazy aunt, so that there is enough in
sanity in the blood to make the children
bright and original"
''She certainly is that" said Wind
ward resolutely.
ooh! yes" McArdle went on, leading
the way to the dining room, land not
bad girl, either, though she likes to make
venturesome excursions. But like the
prudent mariners of old she takes care
not to get out of sight of land, and knows
when to hurry back. She's fiirt, but
that isn't her fault. She was born so.
Her mother was before her, and is vet l
believe, Louise, you have accused her of
setting her cap for me. And the widow
Willis is certainly comedy. l often re-
proach her on her bump of destructive
ness. oh, no. she said once, 4 never
broke many hearts'-this with gesture
ard toss of the head designed to grace
lu!Iy g.ve tie lie to her words-'tnough
do remember one poor fellow went
away sorrowful and died the next year,
though suppose that would have hap
pened anyhow, for he came to his death
by being run over by the cars, which
might have resulted, to be sure, from
absent mindedness.' Yes, I like Clara;
but she caught us mapping, confess,
this time, and, as DR.. Ollapod says, 4
owe you one"
Very WELL" said Windward, "rIl
give you chance to pay up instantly,
as You will see. l have particular
friend, Mr.. Stevens, of whom you have
heard me speak. He is very much in
love with my sister; but l suspect she
favOrs young naval officer, who also
boards at our table, who is in love with
her, too, but the rest of us don't want
him. Now he applied some time ago to
be ordered to the Asiatic station, and
we now want to make sure that he will
get his orders, and l thought you could
help
81 congratulate your landlady," said
the colonel gravely. '1t must be profit
able to keep boarding house for lovers.
| see you are not eating anything now"
ooh, have just come from lunch,"
exclaimed Windward. MRS. Ex doesn't
make anything out of me- My appetite
is yet sound, am glad to say"
''And l to hear" replied the colonel
$50 long as the malady of love is peri
cardiac, with tears, dreams, untidiness,
ETC., as the symptoms, it is compare
lively harmless, and the patients friends
need fear no serious consequences. But
when the disorder attacks the stomach,
when love reaches the dyspeptic stage,
then it has ceased to be laughing mat
ter. But as to the present case-why
should interfere?"
THAT is what l want to know" added
Louise.
Il hold you to your debt" said Wind
ward, grimly.
"You force me to quote the poet Gays
lines on firts," replied McArdle:
Pleased to ruin
Others wooip'.
Never happy in your own
mo" insisted Windward, that isn't
it. We are only exchanging an unde-
sirable hover for better one"
THAT is for love, not friendship, to de-
eide" answered the colonel. He may
be an.ideal friend, and in loves eyes be
as uninteresting as the scenery between
here and New York-gently undulating
and very tedious" ...
mo, sir, that doesn't describe Stevens"
exclaimed Windward. "Not at all.
And then the lieutenant is naval Of
ficer, and l don't like military people.
AS Stevens says, they are professional
homicides-"
'+Oh, does he." retorted the colonel.
We'll they are certainly lady killers"
and then dropping his lighter manner he
added severely; Your friend is right;
they are, but till the world grows more
civilized we've got to tolerate them, and
they are, after all, about as good as
other people. They are narrow IN their
ideas, Internal gossips, and death ON pay;
yes, for monumental people, they GER
tainly are death on pay, but like them
well enough, only l think they ought to
marry, like actors, in their own set
Then the ladies know what to expect,
and how to talk the service slang, and
how to act, and for that reason I'll come
between lovers. Your sister wouldn't
like to be wife and widow at once; she
hasn't been brought up with that idea"
Il don't know but you are right" said
Louise regretfnlly.
'And FIJI go right over to the bureau
of navigation and see Commodore Walker