San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-12

seeking. Reasoning from cause 10 effect,
according to his lights. if no bellrope
was pulled no dinner would ensue. Ho
raised his soft brown eyes reproachful-
ly to his mistress face and sighed au-
dibly. Translated:
"What could the woman be thinking
about?''
Mrs. Martin, with her stoutly booted
feet planted on the round of one chair,
the amplitude of her blue cotton skirts
completely obscuring another, was act
ing in manner for which Duke could
find no precedent.
She was Smelling beans. Dried beans
that ratified from the blunt extremities
of her active fingers in resounding vel
leys into tin pan firmly clasped by
her two knees. She was getting the dry
lima beans ready for the seed bags in
"the madam's storeroom" up at the
big house.
Duke knew perfectly well the signifi-
canoe Of that succulent hailstorm. He
was familiar with the procession of in
dustries that marched through the
months, but he had never before known
the dried limas to affect his mistress so
obviously.
Five more precious, unreclaimable
minutes lapsed, and Duke ventured up
ON a second protest Laying his long
pointed nose delicately ON the plump
arm from which Mrs Martin had roll
ed back her blue calico sleeve, he sniff
ed suggestively.
The touch of his cold nozzle secured
him brief attention, but only increased
his perplexity. He was not unused to
being made a confidant of when his
master and the boys were afield, and
when his mistress turned her troubled
blue eyes in his direction he assured her
in advance of his full sympathy by dig
nified oscillations of his handsome tail.
Your master and me have made a
mistake, Duke, terrible bad mistake,
and don't see any way out of the mess.
That's what's pesterin me. We'd better
nv lef' well 'nough alone, Duke, but
we didn have the sense to see it at the
right time"
Wiping her fingers free from the
stains of pea pods, she reverently lifted
an imperial photograph from where il
had been propped against the back OF
the chair in front of her.
"This is her picture, Duke, your lit
tie Miss Eliza's, that used to pull your
ears mos out by the roots, and you new
er even snapped bout it. She signs her
name Liza now, like it was spelled
with double ee. How Martin laughed
when she wrote us word how to pro-
nounce our own child's namel But
reckon she's outgrowed you, Duke,
along with the old name You used tc
watch over her mighty good, old boy,
whenever / laid her down on the risin
sun quilt she used to think the world
and all on. When the pink Grape myr'
ties was shading the sun from her purity
eyes and the risin sun was just under
her fat little fingers and you a-curled
up nigh her, could go up e big house,
If need be, and stay hours with an easy
mind
Mrs. Martin sighed ponderously anc
flecked grain of dust from the smooti
surface of the picture. II was sorry
when the wind blowed the pink myrtle
tree down, Duke, cause we always call
ed it Liza's tree. The rising sun il
packed away in the press right now. Ii
colors is as bright as when put Ii Oh
the gallery floor for you and baby t.
romp on, but your sight older thai
You was then, Duke, and reckon she''
outgrowed you along with lots of othel
things. It's eight years, Duke. goin OF
nine, since give my Liza up becaus'
they all said / had oughter." With
certain fierce regret she tapped thu
smooth oval cheek of the photograph
with her work roughened finger.
"We've done you wrong, Liza, W,
can't never undo We've sent you OF
and made lady of you, and we hadn
oughter done no such thing. It's her do
ms, all hers"
Mrs Martin shook her fist vindlctlve
ly in direction of the governors man
sion, whose cleaning white walls sur
rounded by clustering gardens and or
chards. were Just visible from wher
she sat
The odor of scorching meat smote up
OH her nostrils Duke lifted up hi
voice in a howl of reproach. The din
ner was burning up and no summon
had yet been sounded on the big bell
She came back to the sordid require
ments of the hour with violent star
that sent the remainder of the beans
pods and all, into the pan like rattl
of musketry.
Good Godi It's higher l than IL
That pictures got me all upset-plum
outdoneP'
BY way of remedying the irremedl
able, Mrs Martin gave the bell pull
two or three startling, vigorous jerk
before proceeding to examine the incln
Grated dinner.