San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-02-01
THE TAXON BACHELORS
By EFFIE W. MERRIMAN.
copyright, 1895, by the Author.l
CONTINUED from yesterdays issuel

he happened to make prediction which
suited her desires.
lone is never sure of anything in
this world, +" replied the old man. Zone
thing is certain, and that is there is a
great deal of snow in the air already,
considering the clouds, which means
that a blizzardy wind is blowing. If
those clouds contain both wind and
snow
''Do you think it probable, Mr.. Cal
houn," interrupted Daisy, ''that those
clouds will break over us in less than
an hour?"
"They may not; they look a long
way off.
"An hour would give us time to
reach the station" said Daisy, "and
we could go into the city on the cars. -
"But our rigs" interposed Sander.
"Leave them here, and send some one
after them," suggested Daisy.
81 am afraid to start when the sky
looks like that" said Stella.
"You might stay here, then, replied
Daisy. For my part prefer to go. :"
An excited discussion ensued, when
it was discovered that Daisy was the
only young lady who preferred to risk
the dangers of the storm in order to
reach the city. She remarked, most po-
litely, but decidedly, in response to
Toms expostulations, that she meant
to make the attempt, but that she did
not ask him to risk his life by accom-
panying her.
81 am determined, she said, "to
meet Mr.. Gilmore tomorrow, and I
have no doubt that can hire Mr.. Cal
houn's stable boy to drive me to the
station
"You will not be left to the care of
Mr.. Calhoun's stable boy" replied Tom
coldly. In another moment he was in
side his overcoat.
No further opposition was offered to
Daisy's plan. Mr.. Calhoun insisted on
leaning Tom a fresh horse-one that
knew the road-and told him he might
leave it with the hotel keeper at the
railway station, to be cared for until
the owner came to claim him. The
horse was hitched to Mr.. Calhoun's cut
ter, which had been made expressly for
travel over country roads, and plenty
of fur robes were wrapped around the
occupants.
The air had seemed almost spring
like when the young people left the
city, but biting wind had arisen which
blew directly in their faces as Tom
turned the horses head toward the rail
way station. They drove for some time
in silence, broken only by the clatter of
the horses hoofs ON the frozen snow
and the dismal creaking of the sled run
ners which is always to be heard in
very cold weather. The air was rapidly
becoming more dense with the frozen
sleet, which struck their faces like fierce
little darts. The wind was steadily ris-
ing, and it seemed to Tom as if it came
from every direction. at once. In many
places the road was made almost i'm
passable by heavy drifts. Not a star
was to be seen in the sky, not ray of
light anywhere which could have been
used as a guide. The horse patiently
fought his way along and Tom finally
reached the conclusion that the faithful
creature knew more about the road than
he did himself. He certainly could not
have known less, for Tom had been
guiding him in circle for the last half
hour. Left to himself, he promptly
turned his face homeward, but Tom did
not know that.
Notwithstanding the intense darkness
Daisy knew that Tom had loosened his
hold ON the reins.
"Are your hands coldi" she asked
quickly. 1t was the first time she had
spoken since she babe her friends good
BY at Mr. Calhoun's door.
81 am very comfortable, thank you, !"
replied Tom ironically.
why did you drop the reins?"
Because l can no longer see the
road -