San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-11
"1t wouId nave been something TOR the
children if she had kept 1.-The bonds. It

III WOulQ nave Deen SOmeCnlng IOr Inc
children if she had kept the bonds. 1t
was too bad that those great warehouses,
full of tobacco, belonging to the Bryds
and Masons were burned in Richmond
at the evacuation. Charlie Mason per-
suaded Mr.. Byrd into that speculation,
and although Charlie is my own cousin
and Mary's brother, I must admit that
he did wrong. Your father always dis
approved of the sale of those bonds"
"The speculation was good one, and
would have paid splendidly had events
arranged themselves differently; even at
the worst no one could forsee the burn
ing of Richmond. Cousin Mary's money
couldn't have freed Shirley, but if things
had gone well with the venture, that
tobacco would have done so and left a
handsome surplus Charlie Mason is a
man of fine Judgment, and that he failed
that time was through no fault of his.
1t was the fortunes of war"
Mrs. Mason sighed and dropped the
subject. She was unconvipced, and con-
tinued to feel regret that Mr.. Byrd had
been allowed to work his speculative
will with his wife's little patrimony. 1t
would have been a serviceable nest egg
for the children and help to Jim in
his long struggle. All of her life she
had been accustomed to seeing husbands
assume full control of their wives prop
erty, using it as their own, and she had
taken little thought of the equities of the
matter. To her it appeared natural that
a wife's surrender TO her husband should
embrace things financial as well as
things less material but in this case she
had always felt tia trifie hard. 1t would
have been such a pleasant thing for Jim
to have had some money and been able
to hold Shirley.
Pocahontas helped herself to hot waf-
fies and sugared them with liberal
hand.
"Dear old jim" she said calmly, Il
wish he had come in; you should have
insisted, Berkeley. It's cruel for him to
have to give up the old home to stran-
gers and start life in a new place. |
can't bear to think of it. Jim's such q
good fellow, and Mexico seems a long
way off. When is he coming to say
goodby to US, Berke"
"This evening He is coming to tea:
so mind you have something special"
After pause Mrs. Mason resumed the
subject with the inquiry whether he had
heard anything relative to the purchaser
of Shirley. But Berkeley only knew
that the place had been bought by a
northern man, retired army officer,
and that his name was Smith.
After they rose from the table he
fingered awhile watching his mother
gather the cups and saucers into the
waiter in readiness for Aunt Rachel and
Pocahontas collect scraps for the dogs,
two of which were already poking i'm
patient, wistful noses into the room.
Beyond the threshold they were not al
lowed to intrude, but they stood in the
passage outside the open door and whined
and INDUCED in sharp ''yaps" of protest
against hope deferred. When they saw
their mistress advancing with heaped
up plate of food both gave reins to their
Joy and jumped and barked around her
with delight. Pocahontas loved ami
mails, the nobleness and fidelity of their
instincts harmonized with the large faith
fulness of her own nature.
When his sister was out of hearing
Berkeley reopened the topic of Jim
Byrd. He was standing at the mantel
filling his pipe, which he balanced dex-
terously against one of the ornaments,
and his back was toward his mother as
he spoke.
Mother" he questioned, "did it ever
occur to you that Jim might grow fond
of Pocahontas-might want her for
wife, in fact? fancy something of the
sort has happened, and that he came to
grief He has been depressed and I'M
happy for months; and neither business
nor trouble about the old place can &C
count for his stunning us in the way he
has been doing lately. | don't believe
he's been inside this house twice in the
last three months"
eyes, my dear, / used often to think
of it-long before Jim thought of it him
self, believe, Berkeley. He spoke to
Princess this summer and she refused
him. She did not tell me about it, but
from little things | could guess pretty
accurately. It's great disappointment
to me, for scarcely remember when the
hope that they might love each other
first dawned on my mind. Mary Mason
and l were warm friends, as well as
cousins, and it seemed natural that our
children should marry"
Berkeley knew that his mother had
wished him to marry Belle or Susie, and
that this was not the first time that she
had been disappointed in her desire for
another Byrd Mas on match. Had Tenn