San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-10-20

humility as strange in her as those new
born scruples of conscience.
"You may be sure of this, my dear, !"
says in a gentler tone. IF you were
anything but what. you are, Mr. God
win would not marry you. F"
"Why, then, not tell him what 1
amp" asks she boldly.
"That means that you would be to-
morrow what you're not today"
"If he told me he had done wrong,
could forgive him and love him none
the less. u
"Your conditions are not the same.
He is a gentleman by birth; you but
! PLAYERS daughter. Come, child, be rea-
sonable. Ponder t. matter but a mo-
ment justly, and you shall see that you
have all to lose and naught to gain by
yielding to this idle fancy. Is he lack
ing in affection that you would seek
to stimulate his love by this hazardous
experiment."
"Oh, no, no, mol" cries she.
''Would he be happier knowing ala"
She shakes her head. "Happier if you
force him to give you up and seek an
other wife?" She starts as if flicked
with whip. "Would you be happier
stripped of your possessions, cast out Of
your house, to fly from justice with
your father?p She looks at me in pale
! terror "Why, then, there's nothing to
be won, and what's to lose? The love of
a noble, honest gentleman, the joy of
raising him from penury."
"Oh, say no more" cries she in pas
sion. II know not what madness pos
sessed me to overlook such consequences.
kiss you for bringing me to my senses"
with that she catches up my hand and
presses her lips to it again and AGAIN..
Look in my face" cries she, "and if
you find lurking vestige of irresolu-
ton there, I'll tear it out.
Indeed l. could see nothing but set de-
termination there, most hard expires
sion of fixed resolve, that seemed to age
her by ten years, astonishing me not less
than those other phases in her rapidly
developing character.
'Now," says she quickly, and with
not note of her repining tone, "what
was that you spoke of lately? You are
to be our steward?"
EYES," says I, "for Mr.. Goodwin has
declared most firmly that the moment
he has authority he will cast Simon out
for his disloyalty."
"Iwill not leave that ungrateful duty
to him" says she. Take me to this
wretch at once and choose the shortest
path.
l led her back across the common, and
coming to Simon's lodge she herself
knocked loudly at the door.
Seeing who it was through his little
grating, Simon quickly opens the door,
and with fawning humility entreats her
to step into his poor room, and there he
stands, cringing and hopping his eyes
in dreadful apprehension, as having
doubtless gathered from some about the
house how matters stood betwixt Moll
and Mr.. Goodwin.
Where are your keys?" demands
Moll in very hard, merciless voice.
Perceiving how the land lay and find
| ing himself thus beset old Simon falls to
his usual articles, turning this way and
that, like rat in pit, to find some
hole for escape. First he feigns to mis-
understand; then, clapping his hands in
his pockets, he knows not where he can
have laid them, and after that fancies he
must have given them to his man Peter,
who is gone out of an errand, etc, I'M
til Moll, losing patience, cut him short
by declaring the loss of the keys unim-
portant, as doubtless locksmith could
be found to open his boxes and drawers
without 'em.
"My chief requirement is, adds she,
"that you leave this house forthwith
and return no more.
Upon this, finding further evasion i'm
possible, the old man turns to bay and
asks upon what grounds she would dis
miss him without writ or warrant
IT'S sufficient, returns she, "that
this house is mine, and that will not
have you day longer for my tenant or
my servant. If You dispute my claim,
as am told you do, you may take what
lawful means you please to dispossess
me of my estate and at the same time
redress what wrong is done you"
Seeing his secret treachery discovered,
Simon falls now to his whining arts,
telling once more of his constant toll to
enrich her, his thrift and self denial
nay, he even carries it so far as to show
that he did but incite Mr.. Goodwin to
dispute her title to the estate, that
thereby her claim slould be justified be-
fore the law to the obtaining of her sue
cession without further delay, and at
the expense of her cousin, which did
surpass anything 1 had ever heard of
for artfulness. But this only incensed
Moll the more.
"Whatr' cries she. You would
make bad blood between two cousins,
to the ruin and disgrace Of one, merely
to save the expense of some beggarly
fees I'll hear no more. Go at once, or
&c, 10,