San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-02

| ans. a pnvusIv s-lIoI, you .oeunro you
would know-you could suggest"-
She had depended on him, then. The
thought gave Chalmers a new determi-
nation to be gentle with her and help
full, whether she asked him or not.
He watched the nervous twisting of
her long slender fingers for a moment
! the only sign of emotion-before he
spoke again.
al don't understand what has hap
pened. / have had no word except that
you sent me. have seen no one here.
You see am wholly at a loss"- e
Eyes, understand. You must know
the whole story"
Il would like to spare you" he said.
Il might get it from some one else; but
it would be better if you could tell me. "
Il can tell you," she answered, and
then she lifted her head and Chalmers
saw in her eyes a CLINT of the old time
fire and pride. 81 can tell you," she re-
peated; why not? He did not mean to
do any wrong. | want you to be sure
of that, as | am. But he longed so to
be rich man, to have control of money.
He wanted to pay back all that you had
given him, and to make moreover
more than you had. He wanted to do
the things that can be done only with
money, to be in the front of great enter
'prises." She stopped moment as if to
consider whether it were best to say
that which was next in her mind. Then
she continued:
Il think he was always little jeal-
Gus of your money; and it was only the
more hard because you were so gener
Gus with him. He wanted to show you
what he could do alone"
II used to be afraid the money would
come between u.s." said Chalmers; "but
could not help it. twas not my fault
that had the most. You know that it
came through my mother, and father
always insisted that it should remain
wholly mine. George would not have
envied me if he knew how little comfort
it has been. 1t was because l had this
advantage, Lima, that l gave up to him
so readily in other things. And it has
brought me nothing else worth the hav-
ing"
He looked fxedly at his companion as
he said this, and she flushed deeply
under his steady gaze.
"Yes, know" she answered; "but
let us not speak of the past. He wanted
to make money. There was a great
panic in the stock market last fall-per-
haps you knew Chalmers shook his
head negatively at this}-and George
thought that it was his opportunity.
perhaps l do not tell this quite right"
she said alphabetically, "but l will tell
you as l understand it. He thought if
he could buy them when stocks were
so low he would be entirely safe. He
put in everything he had Che only told
me this afterward, after it was all over)
and bought on margins. But stocks
went down further, and to save himself
he took some money from the bank.
You see he thought it would all come
right in little while. But stocks went
down again, lower and lower still, and
then he wrote to you"
HE did not tell me how bad things
were; but it would not have made any
difference, as | did not get his letter un.
til now"
George always believed that you haG
received it. Fred Ermston came up
from Mexico and said that he had met
you at Vera Cruz, and that you should
remain there for the winter"
Yes. did think of that or of stay
ing near there. Vera Cruz itself, you
know, is beastly place. But changed
my mind and went over on the other
coast, and only came back there on
my way out. The letters followed me
to one or two points, reaching them al
ways after l had gone on, and finally
were sent forward to New Orleans to
wait for me-"
well he felt very badly about it. 1t
would have been a comfort to him if he
could only have heard from you. But
he kept on hoping until the end of the
month; then he went to Mr.. Rodney, the
president, and told him all about it."
He did that before there was any
suspicion Of wrong"
Eyes, he did it of his own accord. /
think he expected that Mr.. Rodney
would help him until they could hear
from you. You see, he never quite gave
you up"
What did Rodney say?"
He sent at once for an officer and
had George arrested"
Miss Tenant could not control her.
self sufficiently to continue the story
further, and Chalmers forbore to press
her with questions. He paced thought,
fully across the room, his eyes fixed the
while upon the young girl who sat with
her face bowed nnnn her hands Hon