Marion Marlowe in Washington, or, Meeting the President — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Ls MY QUEEN. danger of bursting! Gee! what an honor ~ you have had, but you deserve it, girlie!” “Do tell us all about it, Marion!’ cried Miss Allyn. “We are so anxious to hear that we have actually postponed our dinner! Was the President nice, and did you see Mrs. Mc- Kinley °”’ Marion answered their questions as fast as she could, but there was something in her mind that was puzzling her terribly. She waited until her friends had exhausted their enthusiasm and then turned to Bert, with the bewildering question: “What is Colonel Appleby’s first name, Bert?” Bert thought a minute before he answered: “T think—yes, I know it 1s, Horace Rich- mond Appleby.” “Then can there be two?” she asked again, the look of bewilderment in her eyes grow- ing a little deeper. “Not that_I ever heard of, but why do you ask? Has our impromptu host developed a double ?”’ “I’m afraid he has,” said Marion, slowly. “Anyway, there were two Colonel Applebys down in the parlor. One was the gentleman who treated us so beautifully to-day, and the other was the delegate that escorted me to the White House!” 3 “Gee whiz! that’s queer! I'll investigate!” said Bert, quickly. “Tl go down to the office and ask the clerk. A hotel clerk, you know, is a walking encyclopedia, with an almanac appendix and a time-table supple-. ment.” , He disappeared instantly, and Marion shook her head. “T can’t believe there are two—but, of course, there may be. It’s a Southern name, hat it would be strange, indeed, if there were two colonels and two Congressmen by the name of Appleby.” [n less than five minutes Bert came run- ning back. ae “Here's a note for you,” he said, breath- iessly, holding out an envelope toward Mar- ‘on: “and, what do you think, there’s only one Appleby in town, and that’s Colonel Hor- ace Richmond Appleby, the one who is _re- ported to be in love with Miss Emilie Mac- (,regor y “Then vour delegate must have been a fake.” began Miss Allyn. “Or your ‘mash’ is a masquerader,”” broke “1 Miss Ellis, quickly. “One or the other of them 1s bogus, all rieht.” muttered Bert; “but I'd awfully hate i think it was the gentleman who took us in his carriage! It's mean to be suspicious of a man who has done you a favor. “Oh. but the other Colonel Appleby was exactly as nice,” said Marion, quickly. “In fact, I almost think he was a little nicer, There was something so refined and so deli- cate about him—something, I hardly know what, but it was different from the other. I think I would trust him qutcker—there, that exactly defines it!” “Well, we're up against a mystery, but that’s nothing new,” said Bert, laughing. “But we can solve our riddle at the ball to- night. The one that escorts Miss MacGregor will certainly be the original.” 7 “It is to be hoped that she knows them apart,” remarked Mr. Temple, dryly. “But, anyway, it doesn’t matter which is which, does it, Marion? You had the ride in the carriage and you saw the President!” ‘‘That’s about the size of it!” laughed Bert. “What’s in a name, anyway, when you are out on a lark. A Congressman is a Congress- man the whole world over—and, besides, we were’ warned about those ‘silk hats’ in the first place, Marion.” The young girl tried to smile, but she was still sorely puzzled. She disliked to think ill of a person who had been so kind to her. Suddenly she re- membered the note Bert had handed to her, and which she had laid carelessly on the corner of the table. She picked it up eagerly and looked at the address. The handwriting was the same as that on the card which she had received just before leaving the hotel to so to the White House. “That may explain. Do hurry and read it.’ said Miss Allyn, as Marion broke the seal. Then they all waited in silence until she had read it. “Colonel Appleby, our colonél, wishes the pleasure of escorting me to the ball. He will call for me at eleven, and hope’ I will not disappoint him. He says he has canceled several other engagements in the hope of re- ceiving this honor.” “Well, that don’t look much as if he was desperately smitten with Miss MacGregor,” began Bert, a trifle angrily. "Or else he is throwing her down hard,” broke in Miss ElIhs. “Shall vou go with him, Marion?” asked Miss Allyn, a little curiously. “Better beware of a combination of silk hats and borrowed names, Marion! That is what we fellows would call a ‘tough proposi- tion. ” urged Bert, warningly. “T'm sure T don’t know what to do,” was the young girl’s answer. “If he is the gen- tine colonel, I hate to offend him, but, of course ‘ “Hold on a minute! T'll ask the clerk what he looks like. I forgot to do that be- comicbookszcom ’