San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-01

Ichants who for the main part com.
posed its custaSQ:
Mrs. Quinn had coy glance fol
the Colonel as he stalked through. II
was not long before she followed him
into the little parlor at the back
where she found him stretched at his
case on his favorite seat under the
window. having cast aside sword and
hat. He was in the act of loading
pipe from a leaden tobacco jar
Lord. Colonel! Here be dreadful
news" she told him.
You'll have heard?" she added. at
is the talk of the town."
He shook his head. 'Nay, heard
nothing dreadful. l met friend, an
old friend. over there by the Flower of
Luce, and I've been with him these
three hours. talked to no one else.
What is this news?"
But she was frowning as she looked
at him scrutinizingly with her round
blue eyes. Her mind was shifted by
his light words to her own more i'm
mediate concerns. He had met n
friend-an old friend. Not much in
that to arouse. anxiety, perhaps. But
Mrs. Quinn moved now in constant
dread of influences that might set the
Colonel ON sound worldly footing
likely to emancipate him from his
dependence upon herself. She had skill
fully drawn from him enough of the
details Of his interview with Albemarle
to realize that the help upon which he
counted from that quarter had not
been forthcoming. He had been put
off with vague promises. and Mrs.
Quinn knew enough of her world not
to be greatly perturbed by that. None
the less she would have set all doubts
at rest by leading tie Colonel into the
rela tionship in which she desired to
hold him, but that as yet the Colonel
manifested no clear disposition to be
led. And she was too crafty hun
tress to scare her quarry by prema-
ture and too direct an onslaught. The
only anxiety, yielding to which she
might have committed that impru-
dence. was on the score of the unex-
will sometimes happen, and this men
ton of a friend-an old friend, with
whom he had spent some hours in in
innate talk-was Cisquietiny. She
would have liked to question him on
the subject of that friend, and might
have done so but for his insistent repe-
tition of the question:
What is this news?"
Recalled to it thus, the gravity of
the news itself thrust out the other
matter from her mint.
"That the plague has broken out
in the city itself-in house in Bear
binder Lane. 1t was brought by q
Frenchman from Long Acre. where
he lived, and which he left upon find
ing the pestilence to be growing in
his neighborbood. Yet it seems he
was already taken with the disease,
which now the wretch has brought
to our threshold. as it were, without
benefit to himself"
The colonel thought of Tucker
and his scaremongering emissaries.
perhaps it is not ture," said he.
"Aye, but it is. Beyond a doubt.
1t was put about b va preacher rogue
from the steps of Paurs today. At
first folk did not believe him. But
they went to Bearbinder Lane, and
there found the house shut up, and
guarded by command of the lord
mayor And they do say that Sir
Tohn Lawrence is gone to Whitehall !
10 take order about this. to concert |
measures for staying the spread of |
he pestilence they are to close play +,
houses and all other places where
people come together. which will like
y mean that they will be closing tav-
rms and eating houses. And what |
should l do in that case?"
NAY. nay" HOLES comforted her. |
1T will hardly come to that. Men
must eat and drink or they starve,
md that's as bad as the pestilence.
"To be sure it is. But they'll |
never think Of that in their zeal and |
their sudden goliness-for. they'll be |
n n muck-sweat o godliness now |
that they see what visitation has |
been brought upon us by the vices |
IF the court. And this TO happen at |
such a time, with the Dutch fleet. as |
hey say, about to attac kthe coast!" |
She rallied on. Disturbed out of |
her self-ccntered existence into con-
sideration of the worlds ills now that |
she found herself mcnaced by them. |
she displayed prodigious volubility !