Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-17


forth. She is to visit America in care of
Mrs. Stuyvesant-Knox (Ndrs Ess Kay), a /
leader of American society and the lat
ter's cousin, Miss Sally WOODBURY., in or
der that her elder sister Victoria's pro-
spective fiance, Sir Gilbert Manten. may
not be attracted by her
CHAPTER lion board ship Betty
is attracted by young American steer
age passenger, who saves a child from
drowning. Mrs. Ess Kay, who is very
exclusive" objects to Betty's interest
In the young man. Betty. also meets
Tom DoremuS. cousin of Mrs. Van der
Windt, of New York society.
CHAPTER 8.
rye always been very sensitive TO
smells, which can make me joyful or
miserable. just as music does. Vic
says l oughtn't to tell people this, as
1t signifies I'm still in close touch
with brute creation. But l don't much
mind If l am, for so many animals are
nicer than we are-dogs and horses, for
instance; and then one has to acknowl-
edge, whether one likes or not. that a
monkey Is u kind of poor relation
Each place I've ever visited has its
own smell for me and even houses
and people. / would know the smell
"
there by winding ways, with my eyes
blindfolded. It's the smell of old oak
and potpourri, and books and chintz,
and autumn leaves and pine trees,
mixed together. Mother smells like
a tea rose and Vic like wax doll
London has a rich, heavy scent, which
makes you feel as If you had great
deal of money and wanted to spend it,
but not in a hurry. The smell of Paris
makes you want to laugh and clap
your hands and go to the theater. The
smell of Rome makes you feel as if
you wished to be very beautiful and
move to the slow accompaniment of
a magnificent church organ, with the
vox humane stop drawn out. But
New York-the smell of New York.
How shall 1 describe the sensation it
gave me, as Mrs. Ess Kay's electric
carriage smoothly spun me up town?
The heavy feeling of homesickness
which 1 had had on the ship for the
last few days was gone, and instead
/ felt wild sense of exhilaration, as
If I'd come dashing home after a glori-
into cold bath with two bottles of
eau de cologne poured into the water.
1t was amazingly hot, but the breeze
gave hint of the sea, and every shop
and house we passed seemed TO keep
spices stored away, for the breeze to
blow over.
Even the old fashioned houses. no
= frrhA AI,n,, ~, 7 4 s,-
different from ours as possible, and it
was extraordinary to see people-nicely
dressed women and pretty girls-perch-
ed on the front steps under awnings
without so much as Il pocket handkel'
chief lawn between them and the
street. Persons of that class at home
would be far too shy to lounge about
and be stared at not only by the neigh
bors, but by twenty strangers a min
ute, yet here they sat on rugs and
read or did embroidery or swung back
and forth in chairs that rocked like
cradles, paying no more attention TO
the passers than If they had been flies.
By and by we came out of the quiet
streets walled in with monotonous
rows of red brick or brown stone
houses into a scene of terror. 1t was a
street, too, but what street! / thought
that I'd grown accustomed to motor
ing through traffic, for once Stan tSck
me i'm his car all the way from Battle
mead to Pail Mall, where he stood me
very jolly luncheon at the Carlton
hotel, but that experience was nothing
to this. l felt little jumpy with Stan
when we shot between omnibuseS In
space which looked twice too narrow
and once when l thought frightfully
tall horse was going to bite off my hat
but soon got used to it.
If were driven every day of my life
for year through this terrible street
In New York, though, / should be nc
more used to it on the last day than
ON the first. The only change in me al
the end of that time would be in my
hair, which would have turned snow
white and be standing up permanently
all over my head like Strumpel-Peter's
only worse.
London roars. monotonous, cannon
balfs-in-the-cellar roar, with just a light
tinkle of hanson cabs sprinkled oveI
the top of the solid sound, but thai
great straight street into which we
suddenly flashed had no solid sound
1t shrieked in short, sharp yells, made
up of dozen distinct noises, each one
louder and more insistent than the
other.
There were trans and tram bell.
and motors and carriages and over al
an appalling thunder of trains rush
ing to and fro above our heads on line:
roofing the entire street built upo1
iron stills. Every minute they swoop
ed by, running north and south, and
trembled lest they should leap thei
tracks and crush us into powder
Its only the elevated, deah,' sail
Sally, plying my agitation, land it,
never fallen down yet, so don't be
lieve it will today. You shall take
ride with me if Cousin Katherine vii
let you, which she probably won't
You can't think what fun it is shoot
ing past the windows of the houses
just like glancing into an exciting
story book you know you'll never hav
chance to finish. You do get pee