San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-18

Jim. l wish he were here tonight to
tread a measure with me in the old rooms.
You would be sure to fraternize with
Jim. You could not help liking him."
Thorne drew in his lips ominously. He
could help liking Jim Byrd well enough,
and felt not the faintest desire for either
his presence or his friendship. The in
PREVENTION of a woman with whom two
men are in love has never yet established
amity between them: the very sugges-
ton of such thing on her lips is sufn-
Gent to cause an Eruption Of hatred,
malice and all unkindness.
Moreover, Thorne was in a fury with
himself. He had thought of sending for
flowers for Pocahontas at the same time
he dispatched the order to the Rich
mond florist for his aunt. He had fever
ishly longed to do it, and had pondered
the matter fully half an hour before de-
Gliding that he had better not. He had
not scrupled to pay Pocahontas atten-
tons before he realized that he was in
love with her, but that fact, once estab-
lished in his mind, placed her in a diff
ferent position in regard to him.
She was no longer the woman he
wished to draw into a Irritation pour
passer lie temps; she was the woman he
wished to marry-was determined to
marry if possible. The instinct, common
to every manly man, to hold in peculiar
respect the woman whom he wishes to
make his wife, led Thorne to feel that,
until he should be free from the fetter
that bound him, he should abstain from
paying Pocahontas marked attention; to
feel that she would have cause of COM
plant against him if he did not abstain.
So he argued the case in cold blood;
but now his blood was boiling and he
dubbed himself fool in language concise
and forcible. See what had come of his
self denial2 Another man had done
what he had left undone: another hand
had laid in hers the fragrant offering it
should have been his to bestow. Fool
that he had been, to stand aside and let
another man seize the opportunity!
Jasmine, too! Pah! The heavy per-
fume made him ill. He was conscious
of fierce longing to snatch the blossoms
from her hand and crush them down
into the heart of the fire and hold them
there - the pale, sickly things. He
would have given her roses, passionate,
glorious roses, deep hearted and crimson
with the wine of love.
Pocahontas had small time for Won
dering over her cavaliers sudden mo-
roseness, for no sooner had she entered
the parlors than old friends crowded
forward to speak to her and claim a
dance; the girl was popular among the
young people of the vicinity. She was q
wonderful success that night. Not even
Norma, for all her rich, tropical beauty,
was more admired.
"Our little squaw is smashing things,
Berke," remarked Roy Garnett, later in
the evening, as he joined his brother-in-
law in the recess by the fireplace. "The
men all swear she's the handsomest
woman in the room-and ON my soul l
believe they're right"
'She does look well, responded Mason
with all brothers calm moderation.
"Her dress is in good taste, and she
moves gracefully. But she isn't the
handsomest woman in the room by long
odds. Look at Norma Smith"
81 have looked at her." retorted Roy
shortly, land so l suppose have the
other men. There's no more comparison
between her and Princess than there is
between a gorgeous, striped tulip and a
white tea rose" For some inscrutable
reason Roy had never been able to en-
dure Norma, and even grudged acknowl-
edgment of her undeniable beauty
Look at that fellow Thorne, nowr' he
added, with the pleased alacrity of one
producing an unexpected trump. 81
should say that he shared my opinion.
He hasn't danced voluntarily with an
other woman in the room, nor left her
side a moment that he could help. 1t
looks as though he were pretty hard hit,
doesn't it,"
Garrett was right, for after the cpl
sode with Jim Byrd's flowers Thorne had
thrown self control to the winds. He
danced with Pocahontas as frequently
as she would allow him, lowered con-
stantly in her vicinity, and only lost
sight of her when dragged off by his
aunt for duty dances. Twice during the
evening-and only twice-did he leave
her voluntarily, and then it was to
dance with Norma, whose suspicious he
did not wish to arouse. The instinct Of
rivalry had overthrown all restraint, and
for this evening he was madly deter
mined to let things take their course.
They were here, he and his family, in
Jim Byrd's place, living in the house
that had been his, entertaining the
friends that had been his, in the very
,.nor,ns thnt 60 short q tina 400 had