Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-04-28
CHAPTER W.
Twin Starr,

Twin otars.
Another week has passed, and the
police still report mo progress" on
the wade-Hanska murder case. now .
back number with the newspapers-a
story laid aside. Tho week has been
equally quiet at the select boarding
house maintained by Rosalie Le
GrangeAa quiet overlain with gloom
and yet Illuminated with human sym
pathy and even saisty.
Out of the shadows twinkle two
stars-Betsy-Barbar and Tommy
North. Rosalis In Jest, and Professor
Noll In earnest, call Betsy-Barbara
"the little household fairy" Engaged
though she II In q tragic guardianship.
she II also young and sprightly and .
village girl fresh to the wonder Of
New York. Rosalis IL the quiet force.
but Bstsy-Barbara the visible focus.
which draws them all together. She
Jones on hsr autumn clothes. In her
spare moments she sews industriously
with Rosalie Le Qrange-dropping
meantime those condolences which
now at sewing-bees. The orphan Of .
country clergyman and q sohoolmis-
tress. she has at her nngertips all the
arts of play. Whenever the household
stays in of nights. she gathers them
together over hearts or bridge: when
cards grow stale. she 10 capable OF
getting contagious fun out of oharades
or anagrams.
More and more the boarders take to
staying at homo. This charming life
dom estio II q novelty in New York. 1t
seems, they revel In the fad. Mr.. Es-
trilla has developed q way of Joining
them after his evening visits to his
sister; and he brings such a spirit of
Latin gaisty that they quit their for
NAL games, and take always to music
and conversation when he enters. Ro-
sale especially delights In him. He
has q quick turn of the tongue which
matches her own; and they fence with
good-natured repartee. Whenever Es-
trilla enters the room his eyes travel
to Bstsy-B Barbara and they two play
In q boy-and-girl spirit very charming
and amusing-to every one but Tom
my North. All speak we'll OF Estrilla.
T guess he's regular man all right.
II he In a wop." says even Tommy.
Miss Estrilla alone never Joins the
group downstairs. Though her eyes
are better. though she can bear some
light, she shows q state of debility puz-
cling to her physician and alarming to
her watcher and attendant, Rosalis Ls
Grange. The doctor advises her to re-
turn to . warmer climate before the
New York winter sets in-like all
transplantsd Latins, she IL . very
shivsry person. She answers that she
cannot; her brothers business lies in
New York, and she would be unhappy
away from him.
The time came when Rosalie Le
Grange determined to visit Inspector
McGee; she wished to unload some
theories of her own concerning the
Hanska case. Such visits must be
made with all due preoaution Of Sc
crecy. She chose an evening when. a.
happened seldom nowadays, nearly all
the boarders had engagements else
where. As q step preliminary to her
diplomacies, she telephoned to McGee
and made with him an appointment far
from the ONCE. Then she approached
Betsy Barbara.
I ~ . oShAh8 Aoe Va yous my aoeAs
she said, but I've been SO busy gettin'
this place shook together that I
haven't had time to mind my own af-
fairs. I've a cousin In town an Jest
haven't had time to pay her any at
tention. Miss Estrilla is kind Of nerv-
GUS tonight, an hate to leave her
alone until her brother comss-any-
how. he misses some evenings. Just
sit by her-an' II he shows up you
don't have to do even that"
Betsy-Barbara accepted the new re-
sponsibility.
I'D love It," she said almost cheer
fully. Constance is going. to try to
get some sleep tonight. and I'll put her
to bed right after dinner. And I've
been dying to meet Miss Estrilla-"
Miss Estrilla's appearance appealed
at once tc Betsy y-Barbara's quick SYM
pathies. Her eyes were shaded;
further she wore heavy colored glass
es. She was n rather tall and slender
woman. Betsy-Barbsra decided. There
! was @ kind of exquisite shynesa about