The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-10-02
CONTINUED. from last week.

with the hawklike face of jew, and
the bearing of an old time southern
gentleman. He took Rosalies hand and
held it caressingly as he offered some
warm, informal salutary phrases, his
voice winningly cordial in its gravity
and depth. He hurried them into the
car. one of those sumptuous structure
which our railroad magnates affect
where he held quiet interview aside
with Mrs. Roosevelt.
"To Chicago!" exclaimed Aunt Mar
guerite in response to his first sentence.
"Yes," he added, Eyes, to meet rep
resentative of the Dutch bondholder
and my coadjutors in Chicago. 1t vii
be pleasant trip for you and Mis-
Chenier."
Aunt Marguerite lifted her vinaigrett
and reflected. Here was swift turn il
her affairs.
GLOW long shall you be therey' sh'
presently inquired.
81 cannot say, possibly month,
even. two months" replied Mr.. Roose
vest, "but in any event it will be pleas
ant. You have never seen the grea
west Chicago is wonderful city, and
the way from here to there lies through
a chsfming Countrywide great prairies
and all that"
sOh, there's no argument" replied
Aunt Marguerite, half ruefully, "if you
must 90 we must go too, and there's the
end; of it,"
It thrilled Rosalie when the train
began to move. 1t was her first ex-
perience in railroad travel Through
the window she saw the houses of the
little town slipping away to the rear. A
current of cool air came in and momenta
rily. strengthened.
Mr.. Roosevelt sat down by her and
gradually drew her into conversation as
they went gathering along between the
sweet duslzy summer hills.
An exhilaration took possession OF her.
All traces of her recent tears disappeared.
Her cheeks glowed and her eyes took on
their wonted depth and clearness with an
added intensity which was not lost on
this strong, healthy old man.
'That's charming girl, Marguerite,
he said to his wife, when the opportunity
offered; lit does one good to be near her.
She's like some rare blossom or-or-
or something. See what profile ana
what hair, and then that half wild grace
and that Incompatible air of innocenceF
How you rave!" exclaimed Aunt Mar
guerite; but she was greatly pleased that
her husband should like Rosalie.
The young girl was few feet away,
still utterly absorbed in watching the
changing landscape as it fed past.
It was long after nightfall when they
reached Chicago Mr.. Roosevelt had tele-
graphed for rooms at one of the great
hotels, whittier they were driven through
the broad streets, amid bew!ldering
lights and in a hoarse conflict of sounds.
The air from the lake had amost decided
chill in it. 1t was as if they had sud-
denly reached the true north. Over
head, the thin, high clouds seemed to
scud across the great black blue abysms
of sky into which no starlight could
penetrate. Rosalie had grown used to
sudden changes and this last only served
to impress her with the vast distance
which now lay between her and the
drowsy little mountain valley, where,
in the dear old mill, father, mother and
sister were at this moment talking OF
her. She could hardly wait until she
got into room with Aunt Marguerite
to cover her face and cry.
Next morning she and Mr.. Roosevelt
took breakfast together in the great
crowded dining room, but they had
small table quite to themselves. Rosalie
| found it very amusing to watch all those
| people from behind the morning newspa-
per that Mr.. Roosevelt had given her.
Only a few women could be seen, and
most them were ready with hats and
wraps to continue their journeys, being
mere transient. shoppers. The men were,
as rule, we'll dressed, well fed looking
persons, apparently in great hurry,
and each on good terms with his neigh
Dor. They all ate rapidly, some of them
dividing their attention between their
beefsteak and their newspapers, taking
q mouthful and paragraph alternately.
Rosalie quickly noticed that Mr.. Roose-
welt was the object Of much attention
from many persons in the room, and in
glancing through the newspaper she
found the following:
"Mr. Auguste Roosevelt, the great
southern railroad king, Is in the city,
stopping at the Grand Pacific. He has
with him his wife and daughter"
She smiled delightedly, thinking how
this would please Aunt Marguerite, who
had not come down, but had ordered her
| coffee served in her room. She did not
/ for a moment suspect that she herself
was an object of much more attraction
for the masculine eyes in that room
than Mr.. Roosevelt, though it was plain
enough to every one else that she was.
Her freshness and beauty of face. her un.
consciousness of self, the 1.-the grace OF
her figure, which Colonel Chenier used
to say was svelte despite its plumpness,
her rare gray eyes and pale gold hair,
the perfect poise of her rather large head,
all were emphasized in their effect by the
combination of gray and blue in her ele.
CANT morning dress, and by the indie
scribable something which was moi
timidity nor yet bashfulness, but sort
of birdlike shyness, is if on the slightes>
provocation she might fly away.
| A rumor Of her beauty spread at once
with that mysterious rapidity which we
all have wondered at. That evening al
the opera all the glasses were leveled
upon the Roosevelt box, and many lip:
/ ,npr,nured praise of the ssbeautiful young