Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-03-30
cadet ROUSELLE"
By THEO GIFT

weary ordeal of the custom house and
the vigorous inspection to which the of
tlclals-gu guessing her to be a French
lady's maid-subjected her poor little
bag, she found civil young workman
outside. who was not only willing to give
her quite elaborate directions for finding
the London train, but offered to 90 on
ahead and secure a seat for her by plac-
ing her bag in it-otherwise. as he ex-
planned, the crowd who had hurried on in
/ advance might have filled it.
lie took the bag from her as he spoke.
and adding that he must go round by the
/ porter's entrance, but would meet her on
the platform, pointed in the direction he
had previously indicated.
But when Bebe reached the right plat
torm-which was not until she had been
twice redirected-it was in quite diff
ferent part from that to which she had
frst bent her steps, and there was no
/ sign of the obliging young workman. nor
OF the bag, aud though she waited for
some minutes, looking about on every
side, and making inquiries of various of
ficials, she could find no trace of either.
and was obliged at last to come to the
conclusion that she had been robbed, and
resign herself to proceed on her journey
without it, having left a description of
it with the station inspector, who prom
| ised to forward it, if found, to the cloak
room at Victoria. He did not seem at
all hopeful on the subject, however the
thief having had nearly quarter of an
hours start already; and as the train
started off Bebe felt that she had cause
| for thankfulness that her purse was safe
in -af nj l.,
| The bag, with her nightdress brush and
comb, her fathers miniature, and an
other, set in pearls. of her grandmother,
together with a few other treasures and
trinkets of no great value, she felt in
stinctively she would never see again.
And this was England, her fathers
country, the home of her ancestors
''the isle of the brave and the free"-to
which her heart had so often and so low
ingly turned-this gray, sodden country,
whose leaden skies seemed to scowl at a
stranger. and whose greeting was rough
ness and robbery!
Alas, Trompette, we should have done
better in Calvados! Cadet Rouselle told
us so, when he laughed at our enthu-
siasm for home and made us angry by
doing so. All, poor Cadet Rouselle,
whatever bad things he may have done,
he was kind! He would have been sorry
for us now" she whispered to the dog,
ana the tears trickled over her cheek as
the train raced on over the blurred land
scape.
At Victoria it really seemed as if
heaven had sent her true friend. Half
stunned and wholly bewildered by the
noise and confusion around her, she was
trying to explain to a porter that her
bag had been stolen, and that she want
ed-nO not a hansom-that was a word
she did not know-but an omnibus, that
would take her to house in-she paused
to read her guardians address from the
envelope in her hand-when hoarse but
amiable female voice in the dear French
accent which had suddenly become so
homelike to her, said
"Mademoiselle is a stranger? She does
not understand English well enough-no?
Can | be of assistance to herr"
Bebe turned eagerly. The speaker was
stout, elderly lady fairly web dressed,
and though not of very refined appear
ance, and with rather more of roll and
glitter in her black eyes than the girl
liked, was wearing the aspect of we'll
TODD matron of the respectable middle
class.
"Lansdowne road" she said. glancing
at the address which Bebe, with a sense
of relief which banished all thought of
shyness, held out to her. But, how
strange! That is where l go myself this
morning! Oh, no, not by omnibus! 1t is
a long journey-oh, and difficult one
from here! You do not know London?
What, you have never been in England
before, and already these wretches of
English people have robbed you? Ciel,
quelle infamie! Mademoiselle, permit
me. By good fortune l come here to
meet young friend who has not arrived.
YoE will allow me to offer you her seat
in my cab as far as your destination?
So shall have the pleasure of seeing
you in safety to your home-you who
arc too young to go about this terrible
city alone. As for me, you will not
incommode me in the least, since we go
to the same part"
With one large fat hand she had taken
Bebe's little trembling one, with the 9th.
er she was signaling to a four. wheeler.
In another moment the girl was inside
the cab.