San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-09-29

TNy
a sudden exclamation from the don
| aroused us.
prisipgly, and we noticed then for the
first time that her arms were rounder
and fuller than when we had last seen
them bare. Then, to get the graceful,
noble bearing of the Moors, she prac-
ticed day after day by carrying pitch
er of water on her head, as they do, until
she could do this with perfect ease and
sureness. In this habit the don, who
was nightly pleased with her looks,
took her to the house of his friend and
employer, Sidi ben Ahmed, where she
ingratiated herself so greatly with the
women of his household that they would
have her come to them again the next
day, and after that the next-indeed,
thenceforth she spent far more of her
time with these new friends than with
us. And here, from the necessity of
making herself understood, together
with an excellent memory and natu-
raj aptitude, she learned to speak the
Moorish tongue in marvelously short
space of time. Dawson and 1 were fire.
quently asked to accompany Moll, and
we went twice to this house, which,
though nothing at all to look at outside,
was very magnificently furnished with
in, and the entertainment most noble.
But, Lord, twas the most tedious,
wearisome business for us, who could
make out never a word of the civil
speeches offered us without the aid of
Don Sanchez and Moll, and then could
think of no witty response, but could
only sit there grinning like Cog and
Magog Still it gave us vast pleasure to
see how Mol carried herself with this
company, talking as freely as they, yet
holding herself with the dignity of an
equal, and delighting all by her vivaci-
ty and shy, pretty ways.
think no country in Europe can be
richer than this Elche in fruits and
vegetation, more beautiful in its sur
rounding aspects of plain and mountain,
more blessed with constant, glorious
sunlight, and the effect of these charms
upon the quick, receptive spirit of our
Moll was like a gentle May upon a
nightingale, so that the days were all
too short for her enjoyment, and she
must need vent her happiness in song.
| But ON us they made no more impression
than ON two owls in tower, but if any
thing they did add to that WEAKNESS
| which arose from our lack of occupation.
! For here was no contrast in our lives,
one day being as like another as two
peas in pod, and having no sort of ad-
versities to give SAVIOR to our ease we
found existence the most fiat, insipid,
dull thing possible. 1 remember how,
ON Christmas day, Dawson did cry out
against the warm sunshine as a thing
contrary to nature, wishing he might
stand up to his knees in snow in
whistling wind, and taking up the
crock Moll had filled with roses (Which
here bloom more fully in the depth of
winter than with us in the height of
summer) he flung it out of the door
with curse for an I'M Christian thing to
have in the house ON such day.
As soon as the year had turned we
began to count the days to our depar-
ture, and thepceforth we could think Of
naught but what we would do with our
fortune when we got it, and, the even
ings being long, we would set the bag
of wine betwixt us after our supper of
dates and sit there for hours discussing
our several projects. Moll being with
us (for in these parts no womankind
may be abroad after sundown), she
would take part in these debates with
as much gusto as we. For, though she
was not wearied of her life here as we
were, yet she was possessed of a very
stirring spirit of adventure, and her
quick imagination furnished endless vi
sions of lively pleasures and sumptuous
living. We agreed that we would live
together and share everything in COM
mon as one family, but not in such an
outlandish spot as Chiselhurst That
estate we would have nothing to do
with, but selling il at once have in its
place two houses-one city house in the
Strand and country house not farther
from town than Bethnal Green, or
Clerkenwell at the outside, to the end
that when we were fatigued with the
pleasures of the town we might; by an
easy journey, resort to the tranquility
of rural life.
Dawson declared what wines he would
have laid down in our cellars, what
books should furnish our library, and
Mol what dresses she would wear (not
less than one for every month of the
should keep, what hveries our servants
should wear, what entertainments we
would giS6 and so forth. Don Satchea