San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-24

"Hcllo! hellol ,chdt's this7" he said.
In the soft, June like weather of that
memorable week at Ryan the ladies
spent but little of their waking moments
indoors, and even the broad verandas of
the colonel's quarters on the north side
were no more popular or populous than
those of Capt. Lane at the southwest
corner. Mrs. Lane and Miss Marshall
attributed this to the fact that the sun
on its westward Wy passed behind theik
coy home and LETT the front piazza cool
and shaded, whereas even the canvas
hangings in front of the Morrises' could
not quite shut out the glare. But Mrs.
Morris laughingly declared that since
their coming into the society, of Fort
Ryan she had become ''a decided back
number"
Whether the theory of the colonels
wife was true or not, it must be said
to her credit that she accepted the stu
alton with charming grace, and was
quite as frequent visitor at the Lanes
rs many of the younger women. Her
own guests had departed, leaving her
somewhat lonely, she said; and while she
thought it by no means a proper or con-
ventional thing that she should be so
constantly visiting people who so seldom
honored her she could not but have ocular
proof at all hours of the day that Mrs
Lane and her fair friend, Miss Marshall,
could not sally forth to make calls except
at the price of leaving a number of call
l, 81,
ladies in garrison just then-Miss Whar-
ton visiting her brother and Miss McCrea
staying at the BurnhaIns' There were
several pretty girls in the neighboring
town who frequently came ont and spent
few days with the families at the post,
aud all these of course, as well as the
young married ladies, were the recipients
of much attention on the part of the Of
ficers, young and old. 1t is fact well
understood in army circles that few Off
GERS are too old to tender such attentions
and no woman too Old to receive them.
And Mrs. Lane was rejoicing in the
success of her projects for the benefit of
Georgia Marshall. Her friend was a
pronounced success from the day of her
arrival; and yet it was somewhat diff
cult to say why. She was not beauty,
despite her lovely eyes; she hal none of
those fattcring, soothing, halls caressing
ways some women use with such telling
effect on almost every man they seek to
impress. She was not chatty. She was
anything but confidential She was
rather silent and decidedly reserved,
yet most attentive listener withal; and
then she had the courage of her opin-
ions. Her prompt and prominent part
in the little drama enacted the night of
her arrival had made her famous in the
garrison; her frank, unaffected, but gra-
cious ways had done much to make her
popular.
The statement that she was an orphan
and poor, combined with the fact, which
| the other women so speedily determined,
| that she was not pretty, had removed
her, presumably, from the range of
| jealousy. The other girls found her
very entertaining, since she let them do
much of the talking. and were willing
to accord to her certain quiet style OF
her own. The men were glad to be civil
| to any friend of Mrs. Lanes. And yet
Georgia Marshall had not been there a
week before, as Mabel confidently pre-
dicted, she was having in abundance
tetes-a-tete of her own.
1t was the third morning after the es-
cape of the prisoner Goss, and for forty
/ eight hours nothing else had been talked
of among tho soldiers, and nothing had
excited SO much comment among the
families at the post. Up to this moment
not trace had been found. The two
iron Stats in front of his window had
been cut through swiftly and noiselessly
from within with watch spring saws, and
the tallow and iron filings lay about the
stony window sill He had been thor
Oughly searched before being put in that
cell, and it was absolutely certain that
neither files nor tallow We're then in his
possession. The guard swOre that no
NOV, had h I access TO him afterward.