San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-15

ed MS empty Oruer DOCKS anu Ills empty
table which should have groaned under
a weight of plans, and pondered over the
general emptiness of time and circum-
stances which surrounded him.
Failing to elicit any satisfactory re-
Spouse from the invisible partner of his
joys and trials, he ran both shapely
hands through his sanguine curls, and
pulled and twisted them about until his
head resembled caricature of the fam
ing torch in the hand of Bartholdi's
statue. Probably he had some vague
notion that if he could not coax an idea
out he might rub one in; but the at
tempt-if attempt it was-was abortive.
Ideas were coy and elusive, slipping
away into the waste places of his mind,
and concerning themselves with trivial
ties.
Dan was fain to expostulate. This
won't do, you know" he ruminated re-
proachfully. "Here have | sat solid
year, booted and spurred, ready for the
call of the populace to house its home
less millions, and the populace, instead
of shouting, Stewart to the rescue!
trots ON with its hands in its pockets.
and doesn't even look on my side of the
street. The confession is humiliating
but it really appears as though the
homeless preferred the sky for shelter
to a roof of my construction.
A pause, filled by the careful trim
ming and polishing of set of unusually
handsome nails, almond shaped and
pink as a womans. Dan was scrupu-
lousy neat, almost fastidious, about his
person, and refined in all his habits.
you're the child of Destiny, know.
my boy" he pursued, "and until recent
ly she hasn't been altogether stepdame
to you; but it won't do to press the old
lady too far, it really won't, you know.
She's getting little tired of you and
beginning to turn her shoulder. You
must give her rest and strike out for
yourself before matters grow compli-
Gated or you'll be getting grand and
uninterrupted view of her back. She
has other children to look after besides
you"
But, at the very moment when he was
accusing her of waning interest in his
affairs, Destiny, still mindful of her ia
vorite, was coming up the stairs in the
guise of uniformed postman and slip
ping through the slit in the door in the
form of thickish, white parallelogram.
The dear old lady often serves US so; it
is one of her ways of convicting US of
participation in the universal sin of in.
gratitude.
Stewards correspondence was not so
extensive as to make the arrival of the
mails WEAKNESS to him, and it was
with cheerful alacrity that he rose and
possessed himself of his letter. The post
mark Ground, staring and distinct, as
unhurried village postmarks always are)
was that of some small place in Virginia
and the handwriting was bold, heavy
and intensely masculine. "Uses stub"
Dan thought, as he ran the blade Of his
penknife along the edge of the envelope.
"Whoever can he be? / don't know
anybody in Virginia" This proved to
be mistake, as he found on glancing at
the signature, the sight of which elected
an exclamation of pleasure.
"Dear Stewart" the letter ran, 81
CHANGED on your advertisement in stray
Nation day before yesterday, and the
sight of your name made the memory of
the old days crop up through the drift
pretty strong. l want to tie together
again. Times have changed with me
since we shook hands last in Chippewa
Gulch.. I've done some of the things we
talked Of" Here followed a concise
sketch of his fortunes and brief mention
of his pecuniary success. However
much boasting Ned might be guilty of
orally, nobody could confront him with
written orations on the theme. I'm
back in Virginia now" the letter pro-
ceeded, ''and have bought part of the
old place told you of, where was born
and raised, and where my father lived so
long as old Mr.. Beverley overseer. Per-
haps you'll remember about it. Queer
how things swop round, isn't it? Any
how, I'm here, and I've bought the land,
and am going to knock up decent
house and settle down if things go as l
want them. There's a shanty that we
used to live in on my farm, but no
house? I'm in it now, and there's
a room for you besides, if you will
fall in with my scheme. The old
homestead is on the other part of the
plantation, and the Beverleys own it
still. | wanted it, but they wouldn't
sell; so, as say, I've got to build, and
want you to come down here and put up
for year with me and do up the thing
in style. Money is no object, but taste
is, and as l have plenty of the one and
you of the other, we ought to make
success of my house. see that stone
and mortar are in your line now. Come