San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-02-22

IL makes ones mouth water merely to
read the words"
81 expect it's a hoax" answered
Spooner. 81 know from personal expe.
rience that many of these advertisements
are" .
"Not all, thought" rejoined Bolus.
s'Tve known of several cases where
they've been perfectly genuine. Besides,
even if it should prove a hoax, you can
always cry off. No, old fellow! This is
too good a chance to be lightly thrown
nose. A graceful, well rounded figure
it was a full length portrait-and min
iature hands and feet.
The im~pressionable Spooner was posi-
lively en%raptured by the photograph.
1t far exceeded his highest hopes, and he
hurried off, with the greatest eagerness,
to show it to Dick Bolus. Bolus ad-
mired it quite as much as he did. In
fact both young men agreed that, even
allowing for embellishments on the part
of the photographer and possible tri1ing
imperfections which might appear in a
photograph, the original must be a ''dev-
ilish pretty gal"
"Of course" said Bolus, after loudly
congratulating Spooner upon his good
fortune-'of course you mean to keep
this appointment with the young woman
at the Metropole?"
"I-I-suppose l must" answered
Spooner undecidedly, wavering between
his sentimental desire to make the per-
sonal acquaintance of so lovely a girl
and the fear of involving himself in a
hopeless complication.
81 should rather think So" replied b.
lus emphatically. "Why, nan alive, if
you were already married to Miss Nc
Snarey, instead of being merely engaged
to her, l should find no fault with you
for being seduced by beauty like this"
While he was speaking he held the
photograph in his hand, and gloated,
with his little bloodshot eyes, over Miss
Sibyl's charms, as depicted in her por-
trait.
"But-but-don't you see," expostu-
lated Spooner, who was, however, clear
ly very anxious to attend the interview,
sit will involve mean engaged man
in very awkward consequences, if I let
CnlS maCter go 100 lar.
Consequence be DID," retorted Bo-
lus, who could be amazingly reckless
where other people were concerned. ''If
you are a lad of sense and spirit, you'll
let Miss McSnarey 60 to the-I mean
you'd chuck her over, and marry
Queenie without hesitation. Have you
written to say you'll keep the appoint
ment yetY
Spooner replied in the negative.
"Well, then," continued his friend,
"by all means do so at once! There are
pens, ink and paper on the table to your
right"
Spooner wavered a little longer, just
for the sake of appearances. But his
mind was really made up, and he soon
| sat down and wrote the letter. OF
| course it was very wrong, not to say dis
| honorable, of him to behave in such a
manner But he wa weak and vain, as
| well as silly and sentimental, and Miss
Coombs' gushing letters, added to her
beauty, as represented in her photo
graph, had quite turned his head.
The next forty-eight hours he spent in
a state of feverish excitement. And
when the time of his appointment drew
near he made the very choicest toilet
that his wardrobe would permit. Then,
at last, after standing on a chair in front
of the pier glass and carefully surveying
his reflected person, beside rehearsing a
series of taking attitudes and engaging
smiles, he started off for the Metropole.
His heart beat faster and faster as he
neared the hotel. Indeed, when he
reached the entrance and had to inquire
of the porter for Miss Coombs' apart
ments he could scarcely articulate the
words for the futtering sensation at his
heart. And when the waiter, who was
showing him up, paused just outside the
door to inquire his name, he actually
could not speak for excitement, but could
only hand him his card and leave him to
read it for himself.
With a sudden sposmodic movement,
of which your genuine waiter alone has
the secret, the man threw open the door,
announcing in sonorous tones, "Mr. Gal
livant S%pooner."
Positively trembling with combined
shyness and expectancy, the young man
entered to find himself face to face with
Miss McSnarey and her father.
The latter's face wore a peculiarly
ominous scowl, and he carried in his
hand a heavy, knotted crab stick of most
formidable dimensions.
Let us draw a veil over the painful
scene that followed. Suffice it to say
that, while Captain McSnarey's crab
stick was not called into requisition, Mr..
- 80 l. 1