San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-10

delightful type. mat he naG rauTCs WIS
evident, but that is the lot of man. So
had civilians. He had his faults, but
the beauty Of it was, he had some posi-
tive, definite and charming merits. He
was military officer, wearing the uni
form of his country
Moreover, he had already won dis
tlnctlon in the service for bravery, hay
ing been complimented in general
order for saving a sailors life who had
fallen overheard. Florence had travelled
ON the Long Island Sound boats at
night, and at such times it had been her
taVorlte amusement to look down into
the foamy wake of the ship and think
how dreadful it would be if anything
happened. Yet here was man laugh
ing and chatting and idling time away
with her, who at the call of honor had
plunged into, those black depths and
calmly and strongly fought for a
strangers life, careless of his own, till
succor came. He did it and made light
of it, and would do it again. What
would not such man do for one he
loved?
Then his conversation was delightful.
He had gone around the world, and that,
too, in uubeaten paths His vocabulary
was different, his stories new; to hear
him talk was like reading novel. To
be sure his adventures, apart from the
gallant act just mentioned, had not been
very thrilling. So far from ''hairbreadth
escapes i'll the imminent deadly breach"
he had never smelled hostile gunpowder,
and though he had seen in the tropics
large numbers of anthropophagi they
were sharks. The modern Otliello, in
these matter-of-fact days of peace and
easy travel. finds it harder and harder to
| scare his Desdemona into love.
Lieut.. Quire had indeed circumnavi-
gated the globe in ships of war and YES
sells of trade, going to and from distant
stations, and in doing so had visited
many strange lands. and still ''the
dangers he had seem might be summed
up thus: Missed a washout on the Union
Pacific railroad by only twelve hours;
lost hat overheard in the Pacific ocean;
tipped out backward from jinricksha
in Yokohama; saw cobra with snake
charmer in Bombay; attacked by fieasin
Egypt caught cold in Rome, and passed
the New York custom house. Stin, even
such adventures shone on background
of Washington tattle, and made the
narrator an object of interest to young
lady whose greatest desire, as she often
said, was to see volcano
Then, again, Mr.. Quire's social position
was secure. He had but simply to live,
and rank, fame, ease and wealth would
be his. A naval officer, no matter how
near the bottom Of the list, is an adIni-
raj in embryo, and even a penmless and
obscure youngster known to have such
great expectations" can generally get
his claims discounted by society.
Then physically he pleased women, be-
ing large, robust, handsome man, with
graceful, domineering masculine man
hers, not at all reserved and sheepish;;"
he was sensible, good natured,' and
finally young, handsome" These two
| qualities, we remember, old Mr.. Hard
castle put last, but possibly Florence,
like even so sensible and womanly y
young person as Miss Hardcastle, put
them foremost.
But, however that may be, it is certain
that Florence noticed all these perfec-
tions in the lieutenant, and canght her
self thinking about him to ridiculous
extent, and somehow was much IN his
company And the oftener she met him
the oftener still she wanted to-a sure
symptom Of love, which is like salt
water, the more you drink the thirstier
you grow.
Sc, on her own account, she was not quite
at rest, and she was sorry for Stevens;i
and then, again, she was anxious about,
Windward, for she didn't like the Willis,
girl at all. Prom what little I've seem,
of her. she said b her mother-this be-i
ing once more within the limit of commu-,
nicab}e secrets--I don't think she is nicei
or ladylilre, and should certainly hate,
to have her for sister.
And Mrs Bassett agreed with her
Upon the whole. this was pleasure seek
ing under difficulties.
CHAPTER XIV.
SECRET OF EHE PIGEoN HOLES.
b.