San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-28

position IN Ine World 10 Wnlcnsne
belonged-that delightful world in
which few men are trying to, get
rich, and in which many aren't even
trying to make a living. His heart
was not open to envy or malice;
but color found entrance, beauty,
gaiety, mischief, moonrises and sun
sets.
Once or twice In his young life
he had been we'll off. But the hur-
ricane of the proceeding summer had
destroyed his little crop of Sea Is
land cotton, and left him destitute
Of ready cash. He had resigned
from his clubs, climbed high upon
the water-wagon, eschewed poker,
sold his little automobile to pay his
debts, linked the worn places on his
second best suit Of clothes, and con-
tinued to enjoy life, the respect of
men, and the admiration of the
ladies.
II there was In his heart no BIT
terness, rancor or jealousy, It was
not because there wasn't room for
them. He measured forty-five inch
es around the. chest. And he stood
six feet and five inches in his bare
feet-feet too small, high-arched
and full of springs.
A blossom Of the sour orange
leaned to him through a gate of del
icately wrought iron. He "afford-
ed' the truant for his buttonhole,
saying, "she was doing her best to
escape from that garden anyway"
He slipped finger between his col
lar and his neck. No, he had not
been walking too fast. He felt for
his watch, and laughed; he might
and his seal-ring which were also
as well have felt for his scarf-pin
at the pawnbroker's. TIE inquired
the time Of a policeman; but this
one, too, came away empty handed
from his watch pocket. Chiffon
strolled on laughing.
He reached the station, twenty
minutes before Miss Gardeners
/ train,
The smell of cigarette and cigar
smoke about the place made him
very uncomfortable, since, and only
quite recently, he had been obliged
to give up smoking. He remained
therefore upon the sidwalk in front
Of the station in the sunshine, not
pacing impatiently up and down as
a Northerner would have done, but
standing perfectly still, out of peo-
pies way, and enjoying himself.
"How did you know me?"
"Mrs. Peabody told me to greet
the prettiest girl that stepped off
the train" he answered. "She's a
wonderful hand at description, Miss
Gardner" He spoke very serious
ly, with a certain humbleness. 81
hope your journey has been enjoy
able. have a carriage waiting"
"But couldn't we walk"
"0f course" he said. But the
fact that her wish had, you may
say, coined fifty cents for him had
no part in the smile that radiated |!
from his handsome face. She was
not only the prettiest girl that had
stepped" off the train, he thought;
she was the most beautiful girl in
the world. If then she elected to
walk to the hotel, he would be the
longer in her company. They
walked a little way. And for the
first time Chiffon thought of the
fifty cents which had been saved
for him. And he could not deny
that the sum might prove useful IN
an emergency. And the thought
suffused him from head to foot with
a delicate pink of shame. To let
the pleasure of being "the longer"
in Miss Gardeners society be in
creased by any consideration Of a
mercenary nature was antagonistic
to his whole code of what should be
expected of a gentleman's heart.
Therefore passing a slotted box on
which was written "For the Blind"
he dropped fifty cents into it, and
felt as if he had been cured of some
unclean disease.
care you especially interested in
the blind, Mr.. Chilton?" /
EYES," he said.
"May ask why?"
"Of course" he said. "If l had
been blind l could never have seen
YOU"
Miss Gardner had come to Char
lesion forwarned against pretty
speeches. "All the men," Mrs. Pea
body had written, will make pref
ty speeches to you at once, without
preamble and you mustn't mind"
/. foy1uorff- |