San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-19

Sultaple trdVellng companion OeIHe
leaving home again on supplemental
tour of all that was best worth seeing
in his own country. When the governor
looked over the edge of his newspaper,
Adrien's mother was twisting his letter
into smooth white cylinder
II beg your pardon, my dear?" Mrs.
Strong repeated her remark with I'M
conscious arrogance.
81 said / think shall have to talk to
Eliza Martin. She is assuming rather
an unbecoming attitude.
Little Eliza?"
The governors right hand went up to
his black velvet skullcap and set it in
rotary motion-a sure sign of perturba-
ton with him. He glanced restlessly
around the room and wistfully at the
pile of yet unopened papers beside his
plate. What was Eliza Martin or any
other girl in the universe by comparison
with the matter discussed IL those coil
ed sheets? Mrs Strong answered the
question of his eyes
"Oh, she is not here in the flesh. l
shall have to send a special messenger
for her, presume. She has just dashed
by on that little mare Seth has had in
training for her. She spends half her
time ON its back. I"
The governor had been swallowing
his coffee in cold installments; he now
gulped it by way of economizing time.
"She is pretty little thing, he took
time to say.
1.-THE pony or the girl?'
"The girl Dear me, of course the
girl Quite style, my dear. saw her
standing at the dish shelf on the gallery
at Eben's Trimming lamps, / believe
Unfortunately pretty, should say"
Decidedly very unfortunate. Ireally
call it pity"
Mrs Strong was emphatic. She was
thinking of Adrien. She was rather glad
he was away just now. Eliza would
have lost some of the freshness of nov
city by the time he returned.
81 am afraid she is sulking. / am
told she goes off ON that pony and is
gone for hours at time. "
81 imagine she does not go off the
| plantation. suppose she is renewing
acquaintance with the old place. No
harm in that, my dear! No Improperly
that l can perceive.
"No, no harm"
"Nor danger"
Neither harm nor danger, father, in
the act itself, but it indicates restless,
ness and dissatisfaction with her LOT
generally. That is what want to judge
Of for myself.
"But what have you to do with it,
Adele? Have we not already meddled
with Eben Martins family affairs suffi-
ciently?"
"Mcddled?''
Mrs Strong repeated the word in soft
voiced wonder How was it possible for
her to NEEDLE? Could a sovereign med
die with the affairs of his own SUBJECTS
Sans Souci plantationwas her kingdom.
Within its boundary fences she was abb
solute sovereign Its menservants and
its nlaidservants, its oxen, its sheep,
its asses and all that therein was, were
her subjects She had done autocratic
ally just as she pleased, with man anC
beast, on Sans Souci, ever since tn,
hour that Adrien's father had installed
her as mistress, or, rather, crowned hel
its sovereign with very pretty speech.
Adrien's father, the ex-governor
son, had passed away in the prime of q
self indulgent life. His widow had held
the helm in careful hands so undisturb-
eddy since that the comings and the go
ings of the old politician caused but
slight deviations from the regular order
of things.
Eben Martin was simply her steward
| A necessary and satisfactory medium
between her and the multitude of living
things, biped and quadruped, which ex-
listed principally to minister to the com
fort of the Strongs The serene dignity
of her social status was not the result OF
any vulgar commercial success. She had
been born into it. Her social importance
was prenatal 1t would exist after she
was dead. She had not come dowerless
into the Strong family She had added
to the magnitude and Importance OF
their estate by joining her own TO it.
When she laid down her scepter, Adrien
and Adrien's children would lift it up.
To the ex-governor, plantation affairs
were secondary aud incidental State
| affairs were absorbing
my daughter in laws steward was
the facetious way in which he referred
to Eben Martin among the neighbors.
Eben Martin and his wife and his sons
We're among the many things that were
simply tributary to the fuller, freer life
of the big house Therefore it presented
itself in the light of duty that Mrs
Strong should see that the domestic ma
chinery of her overseer's house was kept
in smooth working order.
AS a conscientious sovereign she was
minded to look into everything fearless
ly She was seriously disturbed about
this vivid. esoteric girl. who was given