San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-08-17
A Romantic Young Lady
BY GEORGE GRANT.

coign of vantage. | could perceive
from Mr.. Chelm's manner that he was
pleased with the tone and alertness of
the other in putting matters into shape
He had shown me beforehand certain
letters which he had received in answer
to inquiries made regarding Mr.. Prime
In these he was spoken of as a young
man of irreproachable character but
strong social tastes, which, while con-
sistent with his own statement of what
the world thought of him, did not serve
to reassure Mr.. Chelm as to the success
of my experiment. So it was consoling
to me TO see his expression continue be-
nignant as he listened to the young
bankers notions.
INDUCED my hilarity freely at my
friends expense. "A lawyer toor
cried, when could speak. Your repu-
tatlon in my eyes is ruined forever"
II have no excuse to offer 1t was a
dreadful slip, Miss Harlan"
The slip was objectionable of course,
but it was an accident No, what | re-
fer TO. Mr.. Chelm, is the marvellous in
ventiOn by which you sought to conceal
it, fully expected to see the floor open
and some d .mon carry you off amid
smoke and sulphur"
ii never stick at trifie like that"
laughed he But didn't do the thing
well? He believed every word of it. And
what is more, Miss Harlan" he added
seriously, lit would have been a great
pity to have let him decline. He is a
likely young fellow. ! smell wedding
cake in the air already"
You forget, Mr.. Chelm," answered
that | am an ecsentric maiden lady Of
sixty-fve. You have ruined any ma
terial there may have been out of which
to manufacture romance"
This turn of affairs took place few
days before the unpleasant scene with
Aunt Agnes occurred to which have
alluded, and L found that it absorbed
my thoughts and tended to counterfeit
the dependency produced by her dis
pleasure and the injustice of her friends
All through the remainder of the season
| awaited with eagerness the monthly
reports sent by Mr.. Prime. He was es-
tablished, and cautiously feeling his way.
But necessarily there was little to tell;
fortune cannot be made in minute.
However, cherished every word of en-
enlargement as so much vindication of
my faith, and | came by degrees to feel
as though Mr.. Primes new enterprise
were my own business, and that my
reputation for sagacity were dependent
upon his success
sAnd yet, as | have already implied,
Mr.. Prime was nothing to me except SO
far as he represented an instrument of
my will 1t was not in him that | was
interested half so much as in myself. In
order to satisfy my curiosity ! even
planned in the spring a trip to New
York with Aunt Helen, and delighted
my eyes with glimpse of the sign board
over the spacious offices of Francis Prime
and Company But on that day it was
vertically glimpse thatl got, for was
too timid to take deliberate scrutiny of
what had come to see, owing to the fact
that every one met stared at me; and
then, too, was momentarily upset by
perceiving over the way just opposite,
in great gilt letters, the rival sign, as it
seemed to me, of Roger Dale, Banker
and Broker.
Mr.. Dale | had not seen for several
years, but knew that he was living in
New York, where he had not long be-
fore married an heiress of obscure ante
cedents, according to rumor. That it
was he | had little doubt, and though
the fact Of his having an Office in the
same street could not of course affect,
either for evil or otherwise, the interests
of my protege, had an indefnable feel
ing of dread at perceiving they were so
near to one another 1t was therefore
doubly necessary for me to be careful in
my subsequent expeditions down town,
not only to dress in such a quiet, I'M
fashionable manner as not to attract the
attention of passers, but so as to escape
recognition from my former admirer.
After the first impression of unpleas-
antness felt little added zest on &C
count of this element of risk, especially
when on inquiry learned that Roger
Dale was rated as one of the most sue
cessful and enterprising of the younger
banking firms in the city. saw his ad-
vertisements in the newspapers, and
gathered from current talk that he was
doing a large and lucrative business.
was glad to know that he was happy and
prosperous at last, for he had failed once
before leaving home, though | never
heard of it until long while after, and
under the influence of this mood any
vestige of i'll will that may have been
lurking in my mind died away. and