San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-03-19

both loved was free for both to strive
for: no past tie bound her to one more
than to the other; there was no treach-
cry, no theft, no breach of confidence
involved. They started almost even in
the race, moreover; for if Dan had gifts
of mind and manner and position, An
thony had those of person and wealth
and priority of acquaintance.
Yet, because of a feeling that he had,
that to come to mans house and par
take of his hospitality and then enter
into rivalry with him for what perhaps
he valued most in life, was not exactly
the thing for an honorable man to do,
Dan determined to bring his visit to
close, and to cancel his business engage
ment and leave the neighborhood as
soon as his host should return.
Ned's manner had changed to him of
late-had grown fitful, sometimes al
most surly. He would have talk with
Ned and explain exactly how matters
stood, what he had done and what he
proposed to do. and how the affair was
beyond his control and must be submit
ted for decision to higher power. He
would be quite open and fair and frank
with Ned, as became good men and true
who had stood by each other squarely in
time Of danger. Then, after all things
were made straight with his host, he
would leave the house before he should
seek Mrs. Beverley, which of course he
must do before quitting the neighbor-
hood.
Having arranged all this in his mind,
Dan felt more in harmony with nature,
more lifted to her level, as it were, and
capable of enjoying her. He moved his
chair more forward into the moonlight
and opened his cigar case; then he
turned himself SO that his face was
toward the opposite side of the ravine
and his eyes could rest on tiny point
of light which streamed in reality
through the nursery window, but which
he thought came from Mary's.
He was not very much afraid of An
thongs rivalship, and it had only been
the decision in regard to his own con-
duct toward his host that had occupied
his attention. Vanity and himself aside,
he felt very sure that Anthony had made
no serious inroads on Mrs. Beverley's
affections. She was too considerable,
too carefully courteous in her treat
ment of Anthony to admit of the sus-
picion of any large or turbulent emo
ton. Then, too, Dan had noticed how
persistently she had contrived to throw
Ned with her cousin, how delicately she
had Unanswered that he should be Elias
escort on their little expeditions, should
stand beside her when they sang, walk
beside her when they strolled in the
evenings and be associated with her in
timately in the thousand ways which
have the alchemist's power of convert
ing friendship into love. He had helped
along the little comedy, knowing it to
be comedy, and suspecting that Ella
shared his knowledge, although she
played her part with spirit. He was
amused at Mrs. Beverley's absorption in
her scheme, and the ingenuity she dis
played. and the trouble she took to
spread nets and place honey for the bear
who never even saw them, and whose
whole thought was on the hive.
81 think MIR. Anthony admires Ella
complacently, after watching him give
her pretty kinswoman banjo lesson,
which seemed to involve proximity and
some contact of hands. "He pays her
a good deal of attention, and she is pref
ty. Don't you consider her uncommonly
prettyT'-a little anxiously.
quite So" he assented readily. "She
is clever and vivacious, too, and know
she amuses Anthony immensely. He
says that she is all around the jolliest
girl he knows, and has no nonsense about
her."
Mary did not know exactly what this
comprehensive form of masculine COM
mendation meant, and to her ear it
sounded too free and easy to be specially
complimentary. To her mind the phrase
''has no nonsense about her" implied the
absence of some qualities which she
knew very well that men greatly value,
and it was not one that she wished to
think representative of Anthony's state
of mind about her cousin. 1t was en-
tirely too practical to be suggestive of
much romance. Still, Anthony was an
eminently practical man, and she re-
fused to loose her hold on hope, in spite
of tolerably extensive acquaintance
with masculine nature.
Anthony's position in the matter was
summed up by himself in a few words
in subsequent conversation with Stew
art, of which the Henderson girls, and
particularly Ella, were the theme. Both
men agreed that Nan was lovely little
creature, inst the sort of woman most
men-themselves excepted-would de-
sire for a wife. OF Ella. Anthony said:
"She's a rafting good sort. that's what