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---from the Colonel himself, a part from one or other of his friends familiar with the facts:
"Colonel Roosevelt became aware, immediately after election, that some sort of change had taken place in Mr. Taft's mind and attitude. From election day on to inauguration all the trouble arose. At first, of course, the change in Mr. Taft, as discerned by the then President, was very slight, almost insensible. It would perhaps be unfair to designate it as a case of 'swelled head,' but it bordered on that. There was very early what seemed a determination on the part of the new President to map out a course for himself regardless of the policies or wishes of the President who was retiring.

[[Bold]]SMALL BREAK AT FIRST. [[/Bold]]

"The first tangible causes of offense were relatively trivial things—pin pricks." The President-elect appeared in Washington long before the inauguration and set up at the Boardman residence what was known as 'the little White House.' He held a sort of court there, receiving members of the Senate and House, and for a time this new political center somewhat overshadowed the actual White House in public attention. Mr. Roosevelt did not regard this as a matter of great importance; it was not a cause of quarrel; but in his opinion, frankly expressed at the time to a few of his intimates, it was on Mr. Taft's part an unnecessary, tactless, inconsiderate procedure. 

"About this time there came another pin prick, particularly annoying. Mrs. Roosevelt's management of the social and domestic affairs of the White house had generally been regarded as model. There had been no criticism of it, only praise. Hence the surprise was great when gossip carried to the Roosevelt family the rumor that an important member of the Taft family had said: 'After March 4 you will see a great change at the White House; the social regime is to be completely reorganized and put on a basis of dignity and good taste.' Inquiry developed the fact that this statement, with some elaboration of details of the proposed reformation, had actually been made. The joy with which it was received in the White House may be imagined. 

[[Bold]] PREDICTION IS RECALLED. [[/Bold]]

"When this was discussed in the Roosevelt family—as of course it was—it presented an opportunity for recalling a prediction uttered nearly a year before by one member of the family who had habitually kept well in the background, but who had nevertheless watched always with keen eyes and great intuitiveness the characters passed in review in the political activities of the administration. The prediction had been that if President Roosevelt picked Mr. Taft for his successor, that gentleman would not be found measuring up to the standard of loyalty and true friendship which the Colonel himself expected and that in the event of Mr. Taft's nomination and election trouble would come in a  way which Mr. Roosevelt did not then dream of. This prediction was recalled with an interrogation as to whether or not it was not already becoming true.
"In this period there were not as many conferences between President Roosevelt and President-Elect Taft as people naturally supposed there would be. And the few conferences that did take place concerning the policies of the coming administration were not as frank and full as would seem natural and right under all the circumstances. The lack of frankness and the disinclination to engage in discussing change in their relations was visible. But as a matter of fact the change was very great. Mr. Roosevelt, who was puzzled, sore, hurt, disappointed, proud became more and more reserved. He more and more felt that he was 'out of it'; that the new broom was to sweep him. He was too proud to show his hurt and disappointment—and he met Mr. Taft's good comradeship with the best imitation he could make of the same on his part. So well did Mr. Roosevelt play his part, so well did he disguise his actual feelings that Mr. Taft, overjoyed with his good fortune and full of his own plans, ideas and importance, never suspected what was on the mind of his friend. This continued to the day of the inauguration. 
"It was in this same new but on one side not comprehended change of spirit and feeling that Cabinet appointments were discussed between the two men. There was not nearly as much discussion of this sort as people have supposed. In fact, there was very little. It has been said and generally believed among Colonel Roosevelt's friends that the real cause of the break between the two men was this: That Mr. Taft had promised Mr. Roosevelt to keep Garfield, Meyer and Straus in his Cabinet and to put Mr. Loeb into the Cabinet; that he broke these promises except as to the case of Meyer, and kept that part only because Senator Lodge, fearing Meyer would return to Massachusetts  and supplant his son-in-law, Gardner, as Representative from the Gloucester district, camped on Taft's trail till he got Meyer kept; that Mr. Taft afterward apologized to Mr. Garfield for not keeping him, intimating that he had incurred obligations in the campaign which made it impossible for him to do otherwise, and these obligations were construed by Mr. Taft's critics as meaning a debt to the Guggenheim interests which had to be repaid by the appointment of Mr. Ballinger. 

[[Bold]] INJUSTICE TO TAFT [[/Bold]]

"But this story, which has had wide circulation in gossip, does an injustice to Mr. Taft and is not the truth. Mr. Roosevelt, of course, never asked for the retention in the Cabinet of any of his friends. He carefully avoided making any such request or anything that could be construed into such a request. The most he did was to suggest the value of the services, as he looked upon it, of such men as Garfield, Meyer, and Straus, and in the case of Garfield particularly he laid stress upon the fact that the young man had not only done great work but had made great sacrifices and that it would be only a matter of personal justice to keep him. As to the others Mr. Roosevelt did not care so much; they were able to take care of themselves; he did not ask that Loeb be promoted to the cabinet, only suggesting that Loeb should be taken good care of, and in fact Mr. Loeb himself wanted to get away from Washington.
"Now, Mr. Roosevelt did not think it necessary for him to make a distinct request for the retention of any of his friends. It seemed to him, under all the circumstances, considering the great debt Mr. Taft owed him and the fact that Mr. Taft was his grateful friend and a true gentleman, it would be respected. It seemed to him that Mr. Taft would make it his business to ascertain what things there were Mr. Roosevelt had a special and particular care about and then do them without a word of question. Notwithstanding the change he thought he saw in the mental attitude of his successor, for a long time Mr. Roosevelt had not the slightest doubt Mr. Garfield was to 
[[???????]]

[[Bold]] TAFT SMILED [[/Bold]]

[[???]]

President-elect Taft had made a peace with the Speaker and the th[[??]] represented by the Speaker, which included the Cannon-Aldrich regime to the country as standpat, react[[ing]] anti-progressive.
"With this fact before him, President Roosevelt reached a definite conclus[[ion]] the man he had placed in the pre[[sident]] chair had forgotten his ante-[[???]] pledges and gone over to the [[enemy??]]. [[In]] fact, his enemies made their boa[[sts??]] while they had not been strong en[[ough]] to stand against the influence of R[[oosevelt]] and nominate one of their own num[[bers]][[???]] President, they had done the nex[[t]] thing, which was to capture the n[[???]] President did nominate and elect. 

[[Bold]] CLIMAX AT LAST [[/Bold]]

"President-elect Taft's treaty of [[???]] with the Cannon forces was the las[[t]] [[thing]] needed to break down the friends[[hip]] between the outgoing and the in[[coming]] President. From that moment Mr. [[Roosevelt]] had no real confidence in Mr. [[Taft]] and felt that he had been betrayed [[by his]] protege both on personal and p[[olitical]] grounds. Again Mr. Roosevelt w[as]] [[too]] proud to show his hurt; ostensibly [[the]] friendship was unbroken, and [[amongst those??]] who never suspected the truth was Taft himself.  
"Colonel Roosevelt left Washington [[??]]
oughly disgusted and was glad to pu[[t]] [[it]] behind him and sail for Africa for a [[???]] outing. The day he sailed occurred [[one of???]] the most extraordinary incidents of A[[meri]]can politics. A messenger from the [[White]] House brought him a little gift fro[[m]] the]] President, accompanied by a farewell wishing the Colonel a pleasant vo[[yage]][[,]] thanking him for his favor and cone[[???]] with these words, quoted verbatim:
"'Next to my brother Charles, I th[[??]] [[I]] owe more to you than any other man.'
"Colonel Roosevelt's anger over this [[???] to my brother Charles' was very great [[??]] [[And he??]] took it as a personal affront. To be second to a man who had merely put [[a]] sum of money, he who used the pow[[er]] [[of]] his office and his party leadership an[[d]] personal prestige and skill to make one [[of his]] lieutenants his successor, and then to [[play??]] second fiddle, in the estimation of that [[suc]]cessor, to one who had signed a few [[checks]]. 

[[Bold]] NEXT TO CHARLES [[/Bold]]

"It was with this last cruel thrust o[[f]] gratitude-- 'next to my brother Charl[[es]][[']] ringing in his ears that Colonel Roose[[velt]] sailed away to Africa, thoroughly con[[vinced]] that from both the personal and the [[public??]] viewpoint his selection of Taft to be [[his]] heir was the greatest blunder of his p[[ublic??]] career. 
"During his sojourn in Africa Mr. Ro[[ose]]velt received a great number of letters [[from]] his friends at home telling him that the President had forgotten his pledges to st[[and]] by the Roosevelt policies and had, in [[the]] belief of the writers, gone completely [[on??]] to the opposition. After his return to Am[[er]]ica Colonel Roosevelt became convinced t[[hat]] this was in a large measure true. Asked [[that??]] day for his opinion of the Taft administ[[ra]]tion, Colonel Roosevelt replied: 'Mr. T[[aft]] has been a failure as President. He had [[his]] chance, wabbled and lost it.'"

[[Bold]] TAFT IS SERENE [[/Bold]]

The Taft side of the story given here [[???]] also a composite narrative [[??]] composed statement made by the President himse[[lf]] or by some of his close friends:

"It was not till after Colonel Roosevel[[t's]] return from Africa in 1910 that Predid[[ent]] Taft had [[?]]

Transcription Notes:
Some words cut off due to scanning/holes. Possibly words are recommended in [[]], typically along with ??? or continuations of visible letters. Outside of these gaps and basic revision, this transcription is complete