San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-16

| IeuOW aS Gne Sel6cGlOn OF CneSe flowers
appears to Indicate"
''You don't appreciate Jim, Grace.
You do him injustice. If thought and
care and love for others, combined with
tenderness and delight in giving pleas
ure, constitute poetical impulses, then
John Byrd is the noblest poet we are
likely ever to meet" Pocahontas spoke
warmly, the color flushing to her cheeks,
the light coming to her eyes. Poor Jiml
so far away. Was it disloyal to her old
friend to go that night to dance among
strangers in the rooms that had been
his-that were full of associations con-
nected with him?
At all events, no flowers would she
wear save his; no other ornaments Of
any kind. 1t would seem then as though
he participated in her pleasure; rejoiced
in her joy. Jim loved always to see her
happy. For reasons of their own, tho
two elder ladies had decided on remain
ing at home, so that Pocahontas repaired
to the ball in male custody alone.
Blanche, who was on the watch for the
Lanarth party, came forward the in
slant of their arrival, accompanied by
her father, to welcome them, and to
bear Pocahontas away to the upper re
gions to warm herself and remove her
wrappings. The rooms were little
chill, she explained, with shiver, in
spite of the splendid fires the general
had kept roaring in them all day.
| Pocahontas must remain where she was
and warm herself thoroughly, and she
| would send one of the boys for her pres
emily. And after little girlish gossip
and mutual admiration of each Others
| appearance, the small maiden tripped
away to her duties below.
Soon there was knock at the door,
and Pocahontas, catching up fan, bou-
| quet and handkerchief, opened it and
and stepped into the hall. Nesbit
Thorne, slender and distinguished look
ing, was awaiting her, Blanche having
encountered and dispatched him imme-
diately ON her return to the parlors. As
the girl stood an instant framed by the
open door, thrown into relief by the soft
| glowing background of the warmly.
lighted room, Thorne's heart swellec
with mingled gladness and impotence.
| Joy in the pure perfection of her beauty;
| impotence at the restraint circum-
stances forced him still to put upon his
love.
At the foot of the stairs they were
bounced upon by Percival, who had Sc
lected that coigne Of vantage as least
likely to attract his mothers attention.
there to lay in wait for the cards of the
unwary. He had been strictly forbid
den to importune young ladies for dances
unless they happened to be wall flowers,
and the injunction lay heavy on his soul.
II will ask girls other men ask" he
muttered darkly; II hate putting up
with refuse and leayings. I'm going to
ask the ones | want to ASK" and he in
trenched himself beside the stairway
with intent to blackmail such girls as he
should fancy.
Pocahontas, who had a natural affini-
ty for boys and great fondness for Per-
| cival, yielded to his demand readily
enough surrendering her card to him in
gay defiance of Thorne's outspoken rep
rotation, and laughing mischievously as
the boy scrawled his name triumphantly
opposite a waltz.
"B. NJ Who's B. NJ, Miss PrincessS'
he questioned, as he dexterously avoided
Thorne's extended hand and placed the
card in Pocahontas'.
You've got him down just above me,
and you wrote it yourself. Who is hes
Benevolent missionarya Brother Ma
SOM"
"Exactlyp she answered smiling, and
watching Thorne scribble his name in
several places on her card. at is
Berkeley. The Byrd girls and always
saved waltz for him to prevent his feel
| ing left out. He don't like to ask girls
! generally; his one arm makes it look
awkward, and he knows they wouldn't
| like to refuse, because they all feel
| sorry for him. We put hand on each
shoulder and don't care how it looks.
Berke is adroit and manages quite nice
ly. Often, too, it's an advantage to have
dance you can dispose of later on, SO /
continue to put the initials, although
Berze seldom dances now. He liked
waltzing with the Byrd girls best"
"You were very intimate with the
Byrds, / think you said" Thorne re-
marked idly, bowling to an acquaintance
as he spoke.
Very intimate. See what came to
me this morning; all these exquisite
flowers, just when L needed them for to-
night. Roy searched the neighborhood
through for white flowers without sue
cess, and then these came. Aren't they
beautiful And she lifted her bouquet
toward his face.
Extremely beautiful" he assented,