Stella Rosevelt — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

THE UNWELCOME GUEST. 103 He laid his hand in a tender, caressing way on her head; then went out with Mr. Richards, whom he enlightened still further regarding that eventful voyage which he and Star had made together. She stood still in the door-way looking after them, a puzzled expression on her face, a gleam of indignation in her large _ blue eyes. She had overheard Mrs. Richards telling Josephine some- thing about ‘‘Uncle Jacob,” that afternoon after leaving her husband, The name had made her think of Mr. Rosevelt, and he had been in her thoughts most of the time since; but she had not imagined that they were referring to him, or that he was a relative of the family. Now she saw that he was the ‘‘Uncle Jacob” to whom she referred, -ut she could not understand his being sent out of the house to sleep. ‘“No room in the house! What can they mean?” she mur- mured, with tingling cheeks, for she knew of three unoccupied beds that he might have had as well as not. To be sure they had been made up for company that was expected, but the visitors would not arrive for a day or two, and it seemed such an inhospitable thing to send that old man away down to the lodge, with its close, small rooms, to sleep. ‘‘T hope I shall never be rich if it would make me hard- hearted like that,” she said, with indignation. ‘‘I would prefer to struggle all my life with poverty, and have a kind and generous heart—one that can feel for others in trouble and sorrow. How tired and ill he looked, too,” she went on, re- caliing his pale face and drooping attitude, ‘‘and he is sucha splendid man !” ‘“‘It makes me think of those other words,” she said, the tears springing to her eyes: ‘‘ ‘And there was no room in the inn,’ and of One who, in consequence, had to lie in a manger. That could not be helped, for there was no room; but this is GComlchbooksne