San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-15
JOHN SMITH, JUNIOR.
By E. ]. CLAYDEN.


of the ceremonies, touched him ON the
shoulder, Can | introduce You to any
partners"
"Not necessary, he replied: my pro-
gramme is full"
What "a change had come over the
scene! Surely the lights were brighter,
the flowers sweeter, the gay costumes
more dazzling, the strains of the band
more ,exhilarating! After the dance he
led her to her mother and staid by them
all the rest of the evening. She danced
once or twice with the partners who
claimed her promise, because she felt
ashamed to refuse one after the other,
but he danced with no one else. She
asked him at last why he sat out so per-
sistently.
Because l want to enjoy myself thor.
oughly tonight" he replied, and Frances
felt her color come under the glance
that accompanied the words. She for
got her jealousy. forgot even her re
morse about poor Mr.. Fitzhardy, and
remembered only that she was happy
happy as she had never been in all her
short young life before
Then, when cloaked and hooded she
followed her father and mother to their
carriage, he was still there to offer her
his arm and whisper, Thank you for a
very happy evening" The hand CLASP
which followed was undoubtedly far
closer and longer than Sermality re.
quired.
A day or two afterward, Mrs. Lisle
took her two eldest daughters to the
Royal academy She was feeling very
tired herself, so made no attempt to &C
the round of the galleries, but sat fol
the most part on one of the center seats
while the girls looked at the pictures.
They had not gone far before they
came suddenly face to face with the two
inseparables, Jack Smith and Jack Jos.
selyn, as they were commonly called
and then, as so large party cannot very
well keep together in the academy on 8
crowded afternoon, very soon the friends
paired off-Frances with one of the gen
tlemen, Mrs. Lisle and Edith with the
other.
Then followed a delightful hour fol-
Frances. There is no more completely
unfettered tete-a-tete than can be OBJ
tanned in crowded ballroom or assem-
bly,: the presence of the unheeding
crowd only helps to remove all feeling
of constraint. And so the two young
people drew closer and closer to each
other. Matter of fact words conveyed
much more than their actual meaning
through the tones in which they were
uttered and the looks that accompanied
them. Frances began to wonder, hall
with hope and half with fear, whai
would be the next thing he might speal
Of. 1t came as a surprise to her.
"As this is your first visit here, yor
have not been in the later rooms yet
Come with me; there is something
should like to show you in one of them
After some dextrous edging through
the crowd, Frances found herself il
front of two large portraits. Coco
heavensl Mr.. and Mrs. Smith"
"Well, what do you think of themY
said her companion. They were life
like, indeed, but there was a subtle
something" which was wanting Fran
ces hesitated; then she gave laugh ant
said, 81 don't know whether may ven
ture to say what | really Think
Certainly" he replied, looking slight
ly surprised, "or ] should not have in
vited criticism. think they are splen
did"
Eyes, they are wonderful-Mr. ant
Mrs. Smith to the life"-and here sht
dropped her voice to a confidential
whisper minus their vulgarity."
He made no reply, so she added quick
ly, 81 hope you don't mind my calling
them vulgar; remember you drew i
upon yourself, and of course | dom
know how far you consider yourself
bound to them
Don't your" he interrupted. "Yot
must know that am bound to them by
the closest tie
"Of friendship with their son." sh,
put in eagerly, half vexed that he should
take her words so seriously, when she
had quite expected him to join her il
laughing-not i'll naturedly-at the
worthy couples eccentricities. "Bui
what of that? Of course, you learned tc
know and like him at college, before
you can have had any idea of what his
parents were like Oh, it must be mere
affectation on your part not to own tina;
the old people are odiously vulgar!"
81 know them to be unspeakably good
honest, hard working and unselfsh.
was the answer.
"Oh, / daresay," she replied, with 4
little supercilious shrug of the shoulders
"fbut they haven't an III between them
and don't believe he has an idea out
side Smith and Trewson,' or she one be
yond her johnny