Marion Marlowe in Washington, or, Meeting the President — page 8: what you’re looking at

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CHAPTER IV. A GLIMPSE OF THE PRESIDENT. This was a pleasure that neither Marion nor her friends had dreamed of—to be riding in a Congressman’s carriage upon this reat occasion. As they drove slowly through the crowded streets, they gazed eagerly about, while their host pointed out important individuals and explained every detail of the panorama be- fore them. Bert Jackson was too much interested in the scene to think much about his father’s friend, so the tricky colonel escaped without much questioning. = Captain Hobart’s name was perfectly fa- miliar to him, and as he, too, had been in the war, he did not feel at all alarmed at betray- ing himself, so he could enter heartily into his ruse to outrival the real Colonel Appleby. He loved Miss MacGregor, and h: had de- termined to win her. It mattered little how the game of hearts was played, so long as he was victorious, If he could only succeed in arousing her jealousy one point would be gained, and here was a golden opportunity, for Miss Marlowe was a genuine beauty, before whom even the lovely Emelie paled. It was a risky thing to use the colonel’s name, for the Southern pride of his rival would never brook such a thing, and Bob Hinckley knew he was treading upon dan- gerous ground when he did it. But he was desperace, now that his secret was out. Before all Washington was laugh- ing at his position in the matter, something must be done to win a smile from Miss Mac- Gregor. With aim in view, he made himself as agreeable as possible, and as they passed and repasssed the Executive Mansion, he kept a sharp lookout for Miss MacGregor, ‘whom he expected to see in her carriage at this any minute. Just then a carriage passed them, contain- ing a quiet party. It was ¢ hief Justice Ful- ler and three members of his family. “Te’s on his way to administer the oath, I staring. flushed a suppose,” said Bert, Marion's little as turned from watching the carriage. cheeks she » ‘MY QUEEN. “T knew a lot of the late Chief Justice Waite’s relations,” she said, with a trace of pride. “I lived near them in Connecticut. He was a great man, wasn’t he, and he had such a nice daughter. Why, when I was a little girl, Miss Mamie Waite was my ideal! I used to think if I could be like her I would be perfectly happy!’ “Humph! You were a thousand times prettier than she was,” said Bert, quickly; then he turned to the Congressman _with a brief explanation. “You see, both Miss Marlowe and myself came from Connecticut, Colonel Appleby. She was a farmer’s daughter, while I was an orphan, and a pauper. | was brought up on a poor farm, and Marion helped me to run away. I went to New York, and a little later she came, too, and since then we’ve been just like brother and sister.” “Yes, I feel responsible for Bert, in a way,” laughed Marion. “He ran away one dark night with nothing between him and starva- tion but my poor little five dollars! That was an awful night! The worst I ever ex- perienced! It was the night my twin sister, Dollie, was lured away from our home by a mesmerist, and I really think, between that and poor Bert’s danger, I very netrly turned gray headed. You see, any one else would have advised him not to run away. He was almost ragged, and barefooted into the bar- ;gain, yet I did all I could to induce him to go! Anything was better than the life he was living at the poor farm!” “Vou bet!’ was Bert’s reply, as he itis at the colonel. “But you say Captain Hobart Canfield adopted you,” said that gentleman, quickly, “Now, why in the world didn’t he adopt Miss Marlowe?” “Oh, he’s dead stuck on boys! I guess that’s the reason for his preference,” said tert, laughing. “I was a clerk in a swell grocery store, and the old gentleman used to come in oceasionally, and the upshot of at was that he got an idea in his head that I was a full-grown cherub, and as he was dying for an heir, he promptly adopted me.” “And now he lets you go on the stage,” said the colonel, a little wonderingly, “Sure! He'd let me ride on the moon, if I Comicbookscom