San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-09-18

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Mrs Roosevelt felt the need OF hasten
ing the departure from the pocket"
but Notwithstanding her efforts it was
toward the middle of February when
everything was ready. There had been
many things to do. Colonel Chenier's
library, so rich in medieval poetry and
romance, was sent away in large boxes
to Savannah. Rosalie assisted in the
packing and peeped into the old French
tones and manuscript rolls with some
thing like her former relish. 1t seemed
to her that every one Of these contained
some half suppressed allusiOn to the land
of her dreams. No doubt it was quite
natural for her thus to cheat herself, for
all the old romances were full of cha
teaux and olive groves and vineyards,
where knights rode in pleasant lanes be-
side their lady loves, or played the lutte
under the walls by moonlight, or gal
loped away to the wars with a warm
kiss tingling ON their bearded lips. And
had not her father been reading these to
her from her childhood and telling her
about Chateau Chenier and her knightly
ancestors who dwelt in the land of the
mistral and the troubadour?
What vivid pictures, too, the strong de-
scriptive talks of Edgar Julian had given
her of those crumbling walls, those fer
vid skies and those orchard crowned
| breezy hills! Her visions were none the
less fair and enticing seen through the
| haze of her sorrow.
She did not go to the spring any more,
| for though she felt sure that Ellis had
gone away, she shrank from seeing even
| the spot where she had witnessed his
awful passion.
When the time at last came fer going
back to Savannah, it was not with any
well defined regret that she babe fare
we'll to the mill and the little crisp val
ley. Adelaide seemed much affected,
and quietly wept all the way over the
mountain Colonel Chenier suffered
too, but he sternly controlled himself,
even calmly talking with Aunt Mar
guerite as the carriage bore them through
the devious way among the hills and
gray-green groves of oaks and pines.
The Roosevelt mansion had grown to
be Rosalie's home, and she was like a
child just returned from long journey
when she again found herself i'll her
stately and spacious room Adelaide
was quiet and sad, but Colonel Chenier,
taken unawares by Mr. Roosevelts cor
dial friendliness and hospitality, was
tempted out of his gloom He was nat
uTally a companionable man, generous
and courteous, and it required very little
to draw out all his latent good qualities.
He and Mr. Roosevelt met as though
nothing dlSagreeable had ever existed
between them. they talked over all their
past lives. saving that they quietly ig-
nored that unfortunate quarrel
One thing cuio2sly affected Rosalie.
1t was tine absence Of Edgar Julian. She
had expected 10 find him at Roosevelt
Place. AMI she had counted much on the
pleasure his descriptions Of Provence and
Chateau Chemer would give her father.
70 find that he was gone was a real blow
to her
He would not stay any longer" said
MIR. Roosevelt as they all sat at dinner;
Il tried TO prevail on him to make his
home in Savannah, offered him a big
salary. with leave to do general practice
besides. but he seemed to have grown
homesick or tired of the south He got
i4to difficulty with young Ellis, too,
and that made him miserable"
Rosalie asked no questions-she did
not care to hear further. but Mildred
Fain told her all the particulars when
they met Poor Mildred! she looked
like shadow. The physicians were
still hanging over Colonel Talbot, and
still declaring his recovery quite posi-
BILE, though as yet he had not regained
consciousness. Rosalie felt herself in
some sort to blame for all the suffering
of Colonel Talbot and Miss Fain, and
keeping the secret of that moonlight
walk inclosed in her breast had gener-
ated a sense of guilt which gnawed at
her conscience.
"If Colonel Talbot dies" she some
times thought, Il shall be accessory to
his murder-if not in purpose, still in
fact"
1t rendered her extremely wretched to
hear Miss Fain talk, for although she
rarely mentioned her lover directly, all
her thoughts tended toward him, and
she evidently bore all his suferings with
him.