San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-18

Art and artfulness! Another hour
passed.
Within the house all was quiet.
Tina's room was fairly large
and the quaint bedstead faced the
window so that she could stare
out at the blue-capped hills as she
Law in bed. The furniture COM
prised the bed, a couple of cane
seated chairs, painted washstand
with broken or Clipped toilet
ware; on the walls were a few
prints of biblical subjects and the
bull ring hung in crazy juxta-
position. Above and beneath the
frames of these pictures were re-
lies or souvenirs of the bullring,
for Carlos. like most of his coun-
trymen loved to shine in the re-
hected glory of the cavalleiros.
After preparing for bed, Tina
blew out the candlelight and drew
aside the curtains - that the
moonlight should flood the room.
She lay with her head slightly
propped up so that she might
gaze on the dark ridge of hills IN
the far distance. She wasn't
sleepy, in spite of the lateness of
the hour. Her thoughts of Hum
phrey and her reflections on the
crowd to which she had paid alle-
glance so long, kept the brain ac-
tive.
Tina's was not the mind to rea-
son slowly and carefully; once, she
arrived at a conviction she had
tendency to go straight in off the
deep end" making "a big splash"
as her brother Dennis had vulgarly
nut it on more than one occasion.
She curled one arm under her
head and was lying there in SEMI
blissfulness when she heard the
soft pad. pad, of slippered feet IN
the corridor outside. She wasn't
nervous of night sounds: Tina had
been brought up in a healthy
atmosphere at home-at least, all
that is meant by healthiness in a
house where Tagging" brothers
EXPECT their sister to be as game
and As sporting as themselves.
There was nothing in the nature
of nervous apprehen ion" about
Tina, none of that feminine fear
which has always been associated
with a mouse and a maid. Tina
had been brought up with two
brothers who taught her to share
escapades inseparable from a
country life; She had managed
horses that might have broken the
patience of a groom; she had
braved a thousand and one pre-
dicaments which would have sent
an earlier generation into hyster-
les. -.
There came a tap at the panel OF
her door. She raised herself on
an elbow and inquired;
"Hullo! Hullo! who's there!"
"Tina"-in a whisper.
"What do you want? I'm IN
bed?"
Eyes, I know. It's Charl-
ton"
"Slde off to bed. . Has the
crowd returned?"
mo, Tina. Don't speak so
loudly"
The handle of the door was
turned, and the door opened (she
could have sworn that she had
locked it before getting into bed).
She reached for the matches
which she usually kept near the
candle on the small table near the
head of the bed. The box was
empty.
The door opened wide md ne
came in, closing the door quietly
behind him.
There was nothing like fear in
her heart; only Indignation. The
moonlight showed up his form as
he stood, hesitating, his back to the
door. He was more nervous than
she. The moonlight, pouring
through the window. gave his face
a ghastly pallor; his black, oily hair
gli-tened in the beam. He looked
at her as >he half-raised herself int
bed, sickly, ingratiating smile on
his lip.
"Tina, beloved"
II his own mind had not been so
chaotic he would have shrunk from
the expression on her face. The |
girl-thc laughing, care-free girl,
Of a few minutes ago had given
place 70 a hard-faced woman who
had suddenly realized the shallow
ness Of human nature, the mean
ness Of passion, the artificiality Of |
those who were supposed to stand |
for more than chivalry.
Charlton was in his pyjamas-
pale blue silk pyjamas; she hated |
the color for the rest Of her life.
"Tina. say, Tina! Il
thought ! heard you CALI" I
She -ld out Of bed, into the
shallow on the other side Of the
room. Fear? That lively imagi
nation Of hers was working now to
her salvation She was saying TO
herself: Here Is a mad dog that
las broken into the house and it
isn't "a bit Of use to squeal and
shout for help because it will be at
your throat before anyone can
come 70 your assistance"
Innn She changed the analogy.
u Va creeping, loathsome adder
thai mus, be handled quickly. No .
IDEA Of calling for the assistance
Of Carlos, the innkecper. Some