Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-04-20

ten dream, and so thinking fell asleep,
and the whole matter passed from my
mind.
Next day was too busy arranging to
90 with Tom on a. visit to his home,
prospecting, to dwell on anything else,
when / had occasion to pass the large
glass press in which dead-letter articles
were placed, and there, just where I
had hung it, was the miniature. sLina!"
involuntarily exclaimed The likeness
between the two was as perfect as that
between a child and grown person
could possibly be, even to the pose of
head. My first impulse was to rush for
Tom, but remembering his banter, re-
solved to be less precipitate, but bring
him suddenly before the picture and
watch the effect.
"Tom, 1 wish you would come to the
office tomorrow; I have little bust
ness to discuss,' said.
sVery well-I will.''
He came punctually. Ipretended to
be too much occupied to attend to him
at once.
"Walk around and amuse yourself
for little while.'' Of course he went
to the press and began examining the
articles there. Presently heard long
drawn "Ahi" and saw Tom standing
before the miniature. turned to him.
He grasped me by the arm, pointed to
the picture and said, ssmy wife, He
was completely overcome.
Nonsense, my dear fellow" / an
swered, thoroughly frightened at the eff
feet of my stratagem; ssit is impossible;
look at the date, 1921. You see this was
here before your wife was BORN
eyes, see, but 1 tell you it is the
picture of my wife,
6 No, no; it is only chance resem-
blance, nothing more, my poor friend.
Come away, do"
l succeeded at length in convincing
him it could not be likeness of Fannie.
told him how the miniature reminded
me of Lima.
"Could in any way obtain the pic
ture? have no likeness of my wife, and
this is so perfect
81 fear not; you can not lay claim to
it on the ground that it resembles your
wife,
sis there no clue as to whose it is, and
whom?"
ALAS, no; do you not see it is Ia
beled, Found loose in the mall We
often come across these strays, but sell
dom their owners"
Sc She had just such cap as that. I
remember her wearing it to a fancy
ball short time before our marriage"
"Where did she get it?''
"I don't know, unless in trunk of
family relics which she had.'
"Have you the trunk now?'
"I suppose so. Martha can tell us.
She has the care of everything belong
ing to my wife,
"Shall we bring Martha and see if she,
too, is struck by the likeness of her mis-
tress?'
&c Yes, tomorrow.
The next day came Martha. No soon
er did she perceive the miniature than
she exclaimed:
"Lors save us, Mars Tom, eff dat amt
my poor young miss!"
care you quite sure?" 1 asked.
"Did'nt I nus her from a babyp"
she said, quite offended, s'and is likely
to be mistook nowP And Mars Tom, T
has de cap and de velvet body in de
old green chist at home. know dis is
de same cap, cause jes WHARF dat GU.
comes is leetle fine darn in de lacs.
You can't see in de picture cause de
curl covers it, but it's dar all de same,
and dat's how I know tits Miss Fam
Mes"
Martha's Identification would not have
convinced an enlightened jury probably.
We were too much excited to notice the
absurdity. Tom, poor fellow, was fairly
wild on the subject, and most anxious
to obtain the miniature. This, unfortu-
nately, he could not do, as there was as
yet no shadow of proof that the picture
belonged to him or his. Its whole his
tory, SO far as any one knew, was
summed up in the words: 'Found
loose in the mail" Tom wrote home
and had the contents of the old green
chest examined. There was in it cor
responding dress to the one in the pic
ture, but, as it was the style of that age,
it afforded little or no proof likely to in
fuence the department. A. ( e. 81
But among the odds and ends aoas
found, in the pocket of an old costume,
letter addressed to Thomas Lewis Ban
ming, and referring, to a miniature of
May Ranford Banning, sent at the
same time. At the bottom of
this letter in another hand was written,
Grandmamma's miniature did not
Gomez Suddenly it occurred to me
that there might be clew found among
the dead letters. But the difficulty was
in obtaining permission for their exami-
nation. need not specify the red tape
process though which we went; the in
vestigation of Toms pedigree, to prove
if he was the lawful heir of the Lewises,
Ranfords and Bannings, and therefore
entitled to said letters. Suffice to say
that all was satisfactorily arranged at
last, and Tom, armed with authority,
proceeded on his mission.
We were ushered into long room,
lined with great presses, presided over
by a solemn, gray-headed old mana fit
custodian of dusty relics. We told him
our Grand And how his slow, method
ical movements tired US it is impossible
to express.
s'We wish to ASK said Tom, sc if
you have in your custody certain letters
addressed to the following persons. :"
Then we handed our credentials and
list of names.