San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-10

Cnat just thcn my father en-
tered the room, and ! was obliged to re-
peat the introductions. While | was saw
ing a few last words to Mr.. Spence in
regard to the sort of instruction | was to
receive from Mr.. Fleisch. Paul Barr con-
versed with my father, laying down the
law in his most superb fashion regarding
the immense fortune in store for any one
who would start what he called q fg
farm in this CoUntry. Although | had
never heard him breach u business mat
ter before. he seemed entirely familiar
with his subject, and fairly Oristled with
statistics and calculations to prove the
soundnesS of his theory, gardeners TO the
contrary notwithstanding. My father
listened to him patiently. and seemed to
be amused. Aunt Helen sat apart with
a reserved, patrician air.
My two callers took their leave to-
gatnar. AMI when the front door closed
my father said loosely:
"WhO are your friends, Virginia? |
hope they have not been persuading you
to invest in a fig farm"
| bluSAed. remembering my former
design of specializing with Mr.. Dale, of
which. however, my father had no
knowledge.
Both are literary men of high repu-
tatiou,"l answered quietly, though | had
an instructive feeling that my father
would make sport OF this assertion. But
experience had taught me that with him
it was best to call l spade Il spade.
That accounts for it, | thought the
gentleman in velveteen had a screw
loose somewhere" he said, as he passed
ont Of the
We'll, Virginia. exclaimed Aunt
Helen when We were alone, whom have
you picked up now"
Il don't understand YOU" said |.
who are those young men who were
here just now: They are foreigners, on
their own Observation-Disclosures Ny
own belief is that they have gypsy blood
in their veins, for what can one know Of
the a~ntecedents of persons who come
from a small German principally? They
don't wen claim to be counts, and any
one with the smallest pretext to respect
ability in that part of the world is a
count at least. They look to me as if
they had been on the stage, especially
the one to whom You were talking. |
will do him the justice to say he is a
handsome wretch, but like all those for
eign adventurers he has Il d~iSsipated air.
AS for the other, he is simply common
place and vulgar, with little up3tart rad
ical notions"
| waited for her to finish before reply
| ing. Il have already said that Mr..
Spence ald Mr.. Barr are both literary
men of high standing. They are neither
of them foreigners, but were born in this
state. By Bohemian Mr.. Spence meant
the literary and artistic fraternity in
general, Aunt Helen. He is a philoso-
pher as well as a poet, and Mr.. Barr
paints pictures in addition to his other
work"
But who are they? Where do they
come from? 1t is all very well to say
they were born in this country. But
who and what are their parents? Spence
SPENCE never heard the name in my
Tie. IutIt NCIC SOult DdIIS WIZ uStu
to live in the next street to US when
your mother and | were young; but they
were all girls, and as | remember them,
ordinary"
When men have acquired fame it is
hardly necessary to inquire if they be-
long to the best families" | rejoined,
borrowing Il leaf from Aunt Agnes book.
1T is 4 thing. to admire the works
of genius and another to have it tram
posing over your house. You acquaint-
ances are, | dare say, well enough as
poets and philosophers, but don't see
what that has to do with you. You are
neither a poet nor a philosopher, and you
will iatter them much III by buying
their books than by asking them to five
o'clock tea. | must say that, philosopher
or no philosopher, the young man who
was talking with me has very strange
IDEAS. Just think Of his advocating CO.
operative housekeeping. and marriages
before a justice Of the peace. fancy,
too, that he is lax in his religious opin-
ions. If he is your idea Of a desirable
acquaintance to invite TO your house, !
am sorry for it. You never got any such
notions from my side Of the family"
1t is useless to talk with you if you
90 off at a tangent, Aunt Helen" said l,
IL am proud to call both those young
men my friends, and they are vastly su-
perior in every way to nine-tenths of
those one meets in society. Mr.. Spence,
whose ideas you think so peculiar, is II
of the ablest scientists in the country, and
/ am going to take lessons in MS philoso-
ply from one of his assistants. AS | told
you the other day, | an tired of fritter-
ing away my time in nonsense"
And as | told you the other day, Vir-
oinia- on on aS Won have bpuun. and we