San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-08

general. "You talk as if l We're requir-
ing you all to Selkirk on ten acre Is
land, instead of going to one of the pleas
ATTEST and most populous counties in the
oldest state in the Union. Mr.. Byrd, the
former owner of Shirley, told me that
the neighborhood was very thickly set
tied and sociable. counted FIVE gentle
mems houses in sight myself. South
eruers, as rule, are great visitors, and
if the girls are lonely it will be their own
fault. They'll have as much boating and
dancing and tomfoolery as is good for
them"
Are there any young men" demand
ed Mrs. Smith, who recognized the ne
cessity of an infusion of the stronger ele
ment to impart to social joys body and
flavor.
Eyes, guess so, replied her husband
indifferently, masculinity from overas-
sociation having palled on him; there's
always men about everywhere, except
back in the home villages in Maine
they're scarce enough there, the Lord
knows. | saw a good many about in the
little village near Wintergreen.
| they call it. One young fellow attracted
my attention particularly; he was sitting
| on a tobacco hogshead down on the
wharf, experimenting some negroes load
a wagon, and couldn't get it out of my
head that I'd seen his face before. He
was tall and fair, and had lost an arm.
| must have met him during the war,
think; although I'll be hanged if | can
place him."
Mrs. Smith looked interested. per
haps you formerly knew him." she re-
marked cheerfully: ''it's pity your
memory is so bad. Why didn't you in
quire his name of some one, that might
have helped you to place himp"
my memory is excellent" retorted
| the general shortly; for a man must
resent such an insinuation even from the
| wife of his bosom. "Ive always been
remarkable for an unusually strong and
retentive memory as you know very
well-but it isn't superhuman. At the
lowest computation, | guess I've seen
about million mems faces in the course
of my life, and it's ridiculous to expect
me to have 'em all sorted out and tick
eted in my mind like picture catalogue.
My memory is very sine."
Mrs. Smith recanted pleasantly. Her
husbands memory was good for his age
she was willing to admit, but it was not
fawless. About this young man, now,
it seemed to her that if she could remem-
Der him at all, she could remember all
about him. These bitches in recollection
were provoking. 1t would have been
nice for the girls to find a young man
ready to their hands, bound to courtesy
by previous acquaintance with their
father.
She regretted that her husband should
fail to recall, and had neglected to in
quire, the name of this interesting per-
son; but the knowledge that he was
there, and others beside him, ameliorated
the rigor of the situation.
4 Mrs. Smith did not care for the south
or southern people; their thoughts were
not her thoughts, nor their ways her
ways. In her ignorance she classed them
low in the scale of civilization, deeming
them an Improbable race, whose days
were given over to sloth and their nights
/ to armed and malignant prowling. Fer
the colored people of the censured states
she had a profound and far off sympa-
thy, viewing them from an unreal and
romantic standpoint This tender atti-
tude was mental; physically she shrank
from them with disgust, and it was not
the least Of the crosses entailed by res
idence in the south that she would be
obliged to endure colored servants.
But all this was trifing and unimpor-
tant in comparison with the main issue,
Warmers health. To secure the shadow
of hope for her boy Mrs. Smith decided
that anything short of cannibalism in
her future surroundings would be en-
durable.
The information CLEANED from her hus-
band was faithfully repeated by Mrs.
Smith to her daughters, with some inno-
cent exaggeration and unconscious en-
bellishment. She always wanted to
make things pleasant for the children.
Blanche looked up from her crewel
sunhowers with reviving interest, but
Norma walked over to the window and
stood drumming on the panes and re-
garding the passers with lowering
brow.
II wonder what Nesbit Thorne will
think of it all?" she remarked, after an
interval of silence, giving voice to the
inwardness of her discomfort.
Hell hate it!' spoke Blanche, with
conviction; she'll abhor it, just as we
do. | know he will" Blanche always
followed her sisters lead, and when
Norma was cross considered it her duty