The evening Republican., 1902-05-26
.GUERD:O' !. OF | !.
]. ! THE ROSE.

Aunt Caroline"
The elderly lady glanced up from
her letter writing.
Every well, dear" she said pa
tiently. But couldn't we wait a
few days loRgers Albert has writ
ten that Count Hugo is coming home
in a week and"-
Helena curled her lip. "And as I
have managed to avoid meeting him
for month l am now to wait here,
in his own city until he arrives9 No.
That is too much like sitting on his
doorstep, thank you, aunt, and, be-
sides, don't care to meet anybody,
prince Or pauper. I'm tired Of
everything .
And with this rather vague state
ment the girl left the room abrupt,
ly.
Aunt Caroline looked at the bowl
of red roses on the table and shook
her head.
Ever since they had left Vienna a
month ago the girl had been a
changed creature. Even the Ian
guild interest which as a spoiled
beauty she had shown to her vari-
Gus admirers had disappeared, and
she had hurried from one place to
another, calmly ignoring Count HUI
COS efforts to meet her and quite
unmoved by the splendid red roses
which awaited her at each stopping
place.
In fact the roses seemed to irri-
tate her. She did not want to meet
Count Hugo and she wished that
her Cousin Albert, who was an at
tache at the legation in Berlin,
would not tell his friend the Count
every time Aunt Caroline wrote
where they were going.
1t was Albert who had first writ
ten and said that Count Hugo had
seen the beautiful American, had
found out who she was and had
asked to be presented.
Helena wrote that she was very
sorry; they were just starting for
Paris. Perhaps later, the letter ad-
ded.
That evening the red roses had
come, the Counts card with them.
But, although Aunt Caroline was
puzzled, although Albert swore at the
perverseness of girls, although Helena
assumed to be merely bored, there
was a secret reason for her inditfence
to Count Hugo or to anyone else who
might have appeared at that time.
1t had happened Oil the way over
from Bremen. AS the express drew
up in tile station at Hanover Helen
leaned forward little to look at the
passengers who were waiting to come
on board.
There was no one very interesting
"a lanky Englishman, a Cook s tour
ist party and the usual number Of
smart young officers.
Most of these hurried into the
train at once. One who did not was
young man in the uniform of an
rialguardsman. He walked up
and down slowly, looking at the
people in the carriages.
Helena noticed him because he
was SO different from most Ger
mans who were all thickset and
blends. This man was rather slen-
der and very dark and had an air of
distinction.
The guardslnan, too, had noticed
the lovely face at the coach window
and be had dared once or twice to
glance up at it as he walked to and
fro.
He was evidently not going by
that train, for as the guard blew
his warning whistle and looked at
him he smiled and shrugged his
shoulders.
At that moment the door of the
waiting room was flung open and a
stout peasant woman, staggering
under a huge basket of vegetables
and baby, rushed out toward the
train.
Ju at the edge OF the platform she
stumbled, and. catching at the baby
with both hands, lost hold Of the baS-
kct In moment caObages, turnips.
apples and smoked fish were every
where.
Tue poor creature was too stunned
to move at first. She looked from
her scattered vegetables to the train.
In u moment it would start. "Wait,
wait!" She cried, motioning to the
guard. II must co.
Suddenly Helen gasped. The tall
guardSman had rushed tc her rescue
The girl scarcely breathed as she
watched him, his long arms swOoping
down upon the fat red cabbages and
shiny apples, tho scahDard of bis
sword dragged upon the ground as he
reached after the much scattered
dried fish,
1t was SO surprising that before
the observers had time to realize
what was happening, everything
was back in the basket, the grateful
peasant woman had been hurried
into the train, the guard had blown
his whistle and they were starting.
Helena looked at the guardsman.
He stood there on the platfarm dis
heveled, breathless, scarlet faced,
realizing for the first time how II
diculous he had appeared, and then,
turning he met the soft black eyes
upon him and blushed redder than
ever.
Their owner glanced at her aunt.
That lady was fast asleep with
newspaper over her face.
A red rose was fastened in Hele-
mas dress. Still gazing at the SOL
der, she unfastened the flower, and
then, leaning little from the win
dow. she smiled and tossed the rose