New Ulm review., 1905-06-14

FEBRUARY
ROSES
By CAMPBELL MACLEOD
Copyright, 1906, byD. C. Mcleod

4
| within. Suddenly there was stir.
| Nine. Lafayette drove up. Her gray
haired coachman climbed ponderously
down and threw open the door for mad
am to alight. In her ancient black silk
dress, with it's voluminous train and
decorations of rare old lace she might
have passed for a dowager duchess.
| She was followed by slim slip of
girl in white dress that bespoke mad
| ANS antebellum ideas Of style.
"Ah, there ees Lucien now,' madam
breathed in an agitated tone of relief
as an old man quickly pushed his way
| through the crowd to her side. The
three passed up the broad stairs and
disappeared within.
| None Of the carnival balls is more
gorgeous than Proteus. And to the
| girl who was seeing it for the first time
the scene was Of arabian Night"
splendOr. Shewas leaning on her elbow,
drinking in all the tropical beauty in
the ballroom below. The maskers fit
ted to and fro, bestowing favors on ex-
pectant maidens waiting to be 'called
out"
A very gorgeous young Romeo leaned
| against friendly column near the
throne on the stage below and sur
yeyed the crowd with Indifferent eyes.
| It was such an old thing to him; he
nf oil
he muttered to himself. "The years
come; the years go''-
Suddenly his eyes rested on stately
Nine. Lafayette. 1t was the first time
| in ten years that she had attended a
carnival ball. What did 1t mean?
Since Gerald, her youngest son, died
| ten years before she had not crossed
| her threshold to go out into the world.
| Gerald had been his dearest friend
He must hasten to pay his respects to
madam. And then his eyes fell on the
| girl beside her. 1t was face like a
wild rOse-a face that told it's own
story. This was her first carnival ball,
and she was living only in seeing the
others enjoy it. She leaned far over
the railing of the box and kept time IN
consciously with the music of the
waltz. Madam's old place had been
usurped. Ten years ago her box would
have been crowded. Now it was emp
| ty, except for the three-herself, her
ancient brother and the young girl.
Romeo saw at glance that madam re-
GREETED having come.
He forgot his ennui in the sudden
mind. He would make the little wild
rose enjoy herself. He beckoned to
/ an usher who knew madam and con-
/ fided in him. A whispered consulta-
tion provided for a possible disappoint-
ment. Then the sympathetic old man
who had ''called out" SO many bellies
wended his way upstairs to bring the
little wild rose down.
| Madam remembered him. Had he
not been on the committee for years
She presented him to her niece, Eu-
| genie Del Fete. He delivered his mes
sage. He had been commanded by
| Romeo of the most noble house of
Montague to come for the young lady
who accompanied madam. Surely she
would not disappOint so noble a youth
whose evenings pleasure lay in the
prospect of being allowed to honor her
with his attentions. Madam was all
smiles. The girl rose, half timidly.
playfully tapped by madam's fan, and
encouraged by madam's sudden rise Of
spirits to accompany him.
| But this is such an unexpected hon.
orr she murmured to the friendly old
guide as they descended the steps.
believe me, I came only as a specta-
) tor
! "1t is dattering to be singled out in
so much beauty" he replied. 'And
Romeo is considered connoisseur,
mann mselle. The queen herself would
be gratified at his admiration"
Romeo bowed low before her, and
more than one turned to smile induI-
gently on the contrast they made, he
splendid in lavender. velvet and pink
| satin and she so unconscious of her
| quaint beauty in her simple white
frock.
| "YOu will danceY he asked in an
eager voice that he might have recog-
nized as his own ten years ago, but
which now sounded strangely unfamil-
lar. ga person with your eyes couldn't
resist that music"
She hesitated, toying with her fan.
He understood her momentary confu-
sion.
1T is the privilege of a masker," he
explained quickly, ''to pay as many
compliments as he wishes so long as
they are true, Juliet. 1 may call you
Juliet, may 1 not?"
| Between the dances Tom McGrath,
blase bachelor that he was, had not
time to realize what was happening to
| his heart. Somehow this girl, with her
| soft gray eyes, affected him in a way
he had not been touched for a long
time. An hour ago he was tired of the
world. He was voting the universe a
bore and carnival balls in particular a
nuisance. Now he was listening-and
nterested-while the girl told him
| about madam'S Yellow rOcoc tbaf u-nra