Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-10-29
CHAPTER XIII
"The Maid of the Mtstral."

THE Maid of the MtstrGt."
Edgar Julian arrived at Savannah and
was installed as member of the Roose-
welt household day or two before the
time of Mrs. Roosevelt's party He i'm.
mediately began searching examina.
ton of the situation of his employers
affairs, and found it grave Ellis had
done his work well, and precisely in such
way as to close up the very doorway Of
their success Julian could not see any
immediate escape Of course the plans
of Messrs. Roosevelt and Largely had
been kept profoundly secret, 80 that Ellis
and his New York coadjutors could have
had no counterplan In view, but their
operations had effected quite the same
thing as if directed 90 that end. The fact
was that Florida had suddenly attracted
the eyes of capitalists and land specu-
lators in both Europe and America Ger
tain vast draining schemes were begin
:. ming to take shape, and their features
Nand probable results to be bruited about.
The orange fever, the jute fever, the
early vegetable fever, the LIE Conte pear
fever and the pine and cedar lumber
fever had started a rush of emigration;
this advanced the price Of land enor-
mously; the consequence was that the
state authorities offered large grants Of
the public domain as subsidies to induce
the building of canals and railways
Many schemes had been projected; some
OF them had failed, others had fallen
into lifino+ina II
nearly all of them were of doubtful va
idity Out of this sort of chaos Edgar
Julian was expected to bring order. For
two days he buried himself in Mr. Roose-
velts Office amid heap of books, pam
phlets and documents, plodding slowly,
step by step. through the history of pre-
vious schemes and litigations.
In the meantime he scarcely more than
spoke to Rosalie, who was longing to
hear all he could tell her about Provence
and le Chateau Chenier.
The evening for the party at the
Roosevelt mansion arrived; charming
weather with cloudless sky, and the
moon at its full; breeze from the ocean
just cool enough to make open windows
luxury
The company was not large, between
Fifty and one hundred guests, but it was
an exceptionally brilliant one Julian
passed from room to room in the course
of the evening" finding himself once in
the conservatory where wilderness Of
tropical plants and trees were kept in a
state of luxuriant confusion. Here he
came upon Ellis and Rosalie Chenier
standing under a palm spray by noisy
little fountain. They were engaged in
earnest conversation. He turned away
and left them; but not before swift
pang had cut through his heart. How
divinely sweet she looked standing there
before the dark fellow, her rare face up
turned to hist She wore dress of some
Eich, clinging blue stuff that followed
the outlines of her form; there was old
lace about her throat, and she wore
pearls in her pale gold hair; single
great ruby, the gift of Aunt Marguerite,
shone like a big drop of red wine on the
fair space at her throat,
Mrs. Roosevelt was acharming hostess,
easy, affable, not seeking homage, as
busy among her guests, and quite as un-
assuming, as bee among flowers. She
took great pains to introduce Julian,
and always with some politely elusive
suggestion of his distinguished character
Few married women were present,
and most of them were Of the younger
class, stately and reserved, as became
southern matrons, but bright and inter
esting on occasion.
Toward the close of the evening Ed
gar Julian found Rosalie disengaged and
offered her his arm.
won't you take turn with mer he
said in low tone; "all your guests seem
happily fixed just now, and may not
have 30 good chance to talk with you
again soon am off for Florida to-
morrow"
$50 soon2" she exclaimed, taking his
arm; ''but you will not be gone long:
you will return
81 cannot speak with certainty. i
shall have to go to Jacksonville and Tai
lahassee, and then away down through
the wilderness to Ocala and Tampa /
may be gone month.
He enunciated the word month as if it
had been century or aeon.
II should think you would enjoy that
trip have always imagined l should
like Florida" she said
s.But have been travelling so much.
and 80 rapidly" he replied, carelessly
taking from table, as they passed it. a
spray of heliotrope.
''And you have not told me what you
saw, she quickly said "Ido so much
want to hear more about our old chateau
In Provence call it ours, she added,
looking up and smiling archly, because
am so far away that the true owner
cannot be injured by the assumption of
title; and then papa has been fastening
the fancy in my head ever since my first
Eecollections.
'It ought to be very pleasant fancy,
was charmed with Provence" he said
with something like evasiveness in his
! tone; 'but one would not care to live
there: 1t is all. 90 different from what one