San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-21

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Ethel, no 1OOnIan can be thoroughly hap
py tpfo Is not a religious pOman."
| must lightly indicate my early his
tory. My father was a prosperous bust
ness man in the city of Philadelphia.
No name on Market street was more re-
spected, and certainly no store front on
Market street was uglier than his. He
was kindly man, entirely devoted to
his business. and all the more because it
demanded slight knowledge of science,
which gave him an excuse for subscrib-
ing to The Scientific American and
forming cabinets of specimens. was
exceedingly fond of him, and he, think,
preferred me to my younger sister, who
was prig, as many little girls are.
1t may be that | ought to ascribe my
fathers preference tothe fact that, being
a precocious child, soon learned how to
play at billiards, for it was in that game
that he found his chief, and indeed his
only relaxation. In course of time be-
came quite an adept. though it was tire
some to have to knock the balls about
night after night; and many a long
evening have spent in my fathers COM
pany stretching myself across our big
green table and challing my tall cue
with childish gravity. My mother was
as ambitious as my father was contented.
Long before either of her daughters was
old enough to understand the meaning
80 hx s.,oD-,t,D,," ha hn1
cred that it was impossible to convey to
MS mind in any way the idea that there
could be- any thing wanting to ours.
His idea for the future happiness of
Ethel and Elizabeth Jones was that we
were to marry energetic young business
men. live quietly in the country, and
raise peas and families to be the admira-
ton and despair of our neighbors 1t
may be imagined that my mother rarely
endeavored to convince him how trite
were his ideas when | add that when
ever these visions of the future pastoral
happiness of his daughters presented
themselves to his mind he invariably
was excited to declare an intention to
retire from business himself and taste
similar bucolic joys on my grandfather's
farm in Lancaster county. My mothers
hopes, however, We're none the less dis
tinct because my father did not happen
to share in them: she looked TO us for
double share of energy and pains. One,
at least, of her daughters has not disap-
pointed her
My mother was an ignorant woman in
many ways, but she was quick, appre-
ciative, far sighted and possessed of
considerable knowledge of the world
or rather, of the failings of the world,
which amounts to the same thing 1t
was this knowledge that enabled her to
succeed in establishing relations with
advantageous people against the time of
our growing up Considering her dis
advantages for she never dared to allow
my father to suspect that she was in.
triguing for her daughters her success
was wonderful Perhaps the success
she did obtain was not So wonderful as
her tact and self control She managed
never to appear pushing; she always be-
haved with good taste, and she kept
several obnoxious relations out of the
way. but us / incline to think. after my
fathers failure and death. all her care
might have been of no avail whatever.
Old Mr.. Latitude told her she would
nave a doosid hard time to get those girls
into Philadelphia society-and his rea-
sons for saying so were excellent. He
also desired her to count on him for as
sistance: but as his function in society
was simply the collation., condensation
and diffusion of gossip, his offer involved
more temporary good will on his part
than future profit to my mother. 1t
certainly looked as if she were going to
have hard time, and we might easily
have dropped out of sight, for though
we had acquaintance with some people
it rested with US to keep it up; and l
was only 49, am inclined to ascribe
our success to the fact that my mother
was able to keep US at Miss Mayburn's
school,
IL helped matters to a certain extent
that my mother Immediately crossed the
Rubicon of Market street and established
herself among the people whom we
wished to know, but we might never
have accomplished anything further II
it had not been for the connections we
were able to form at Miss MayburnS
and the kindness of the girls we met
there. We were not. entirely unknOYns