The Penn's Grove record., 1888-07-28

one the portraits OF my father and
mother"
as it possible?" 1 exclaimed. Then
I thought to myself: "Is 1t Dora's "
subtle, far off resemblance to her
father and mother to one or both
has been haunting me all this whiieF
But what | said aloud was:
sThen 1 understand that Mr., Gold
Ing has simply blended together, by
the process you describe, the portraits
of himself and his wife, and that this
likeness of you Is the result?"
mo, nv poor Arthur, you are not
| to understand even that; and l do not
wonder you are m~ystlfed."
"W hat then can you meanr"
She was silent a moment; gave me a
long, searching look, then, putting her
hand in her pocket. took out another
photograph of the same size as the n
l held. She glancec at it for a moment,
then extending it toward me. ex-
claimed:
'rLook!"
1 looked and saw the portrait of a
young man-but a young man so pre-
cisely like Dora that, but for the side
parting of the hair, the difference of
sex would not have been suggested.
the portrait revealed nothing distin-
guishable in the dress. l glanced from
the portrait to Dora and from Dora to
the portrait, and finally, lost in amaze
ment. calculated:
"What is the explanation?'
"Do you remember Mr.. anu Mrs.
Glasgow Thirkle?" asked Dora. 'Do
you remember the woman who parted
her hair like a boy'sp This" picking
up the portrait l had just examined,
''is the portrait Of their son.. And
this" resuming the photograph she had
first shown me, us the portrait Of their
daughter"
l need not dwell upon the scene that
ensued. l need not relate at length
how l took Dora in my arms, kissed
her over and over again with ELUSIVE
tenderness and assured her that it was
she whom l loved, not her parentage,
and that she was Just as dear to me as
the daughter of the Thirkles as she had
ever been in the much higher social
position to which we had believed her
birth Eentitled her. Tie behavior of
comprehenslble-their periodical visits,
the kindness with which they were
treated, their furtive glances, in which
1 now remember affection mingled
with admiration, the jealous w%rathful-
ness of Mr.. and Mrs. G~olding-all was
now easy to be understood, excepting
Mrs. Thirkle's suggestion that she
should endeaver to part her hair in the
fashion ordinarily adopted by women.
S%crutinizing Dora's photograph again,
| now observed-what had escaped me
at first, that it betrayed a slight way
wardness of the tresses at the point
where the parting me the centre of
the arch of the forehead. Perhaps Mr..
Golding had had the caprici0us desire
to see whether a composlte portrait Of
the daughter could be made as perfect
as the composite portrait Of the son.
Meanwhile Dora explained that she
had made the discovery while Mr..
Golding was recovering from his at
tack. The Photographic instrument
had been overturned in his fall. She
had discovered the photographs OF Mr..
and Mrs. Thirkle, one Of them pinned
in front of the other; and, hard by, the
photograph OF the young man, with
these words, which l had not observed
before, written in Mr.. Golding's hand
across the back: ~"Composite photograph
Of Mr.. and Mrs. Thirkle's son, result
ing from the blended photographs of
h s parents" The photograph of Mrs.
Thirkle showed the hair parted at the
side. Dora's curiosity and amazement
thus excited, a brief search had enabled
her to discover another photograph of
Mrs. Thirkle, which showed the hair
normally parted, and from which
Dora's composite photograph, so
strangely revealing her ~parentage, must
have been educed. L say nothing OF
the many emotions which hutter in our
hearts and expressed themselves forci-
bly, In mutual caresses when we real
lZed that these unteward circumstances
had left us dearer than ever to each
other. 1 appreciated Dora's cruel
position-bound by infinite gratitude
to her reputed father and mother, who,
childiess themselves, had adopted her
from the Thirkles probably because the
latter were too poor to bring up more
than one of the twin children born to
them; bound by the in~dlssoluable ties
of blood to parents humble and unedu-
Gated, and to a twin brother who,
handsome though his portrait proved
him to be, was probably as uniformed
as they in manners and in mind.
While we were thus debating, a car
riage drove up, but ere w0 could see
who had al'ghted the parlor door was
violently opened and Mr.. Goldlng broke
in, followed by his wife.
poor child! what have you done?"
exclaimed Mr.. Golding.
"Doral Doral we meant to keep it a
secret from you," exclaimed Mrs.
Golding.
"Why did you not tell us?" said Mr..
Golding. "Why did you leave it to us
to discover, that you had found the
portrait which proved that Mr.. and
Mrs. Thirkle lad a SOM"
Before the question could be an
swered the arrivals in the carriage had
asserted themselves in the room, and
looking up l saw Mr.. and Mrs. Thir-
kle, accompanied by a young man
whose full tawny beard and thick mus
tsche did not altogether conceal a re-
mote likeness to Dora.
AS Mr.. and Mrs, Golding turned to
say a word of welcome, they uttered
inarticulats expressions of surprise.
Mr.. Thirkle braced himself as if to
make a speech. We all, as though by
common consent, took seats, and lis
tended to him. l afterwsrd learned
that never before had he said so many
words on one occasion. They were as
follows:
"Mr. Golding. ladies and gentlemen.
all-here's our Frank come back to us.
He was stole from us when he vas a
baby, and you know ito Mr.. and Mrs.
Golding) why mt and Mrs. Thirkle
used to like to come here now and then
to have a look at her Indicating Dora
by a turn Of the thumb). Frank was
stole, but them as took him COPYRIGHT
ened and left him at the door of a
founding hospital. All his little clothes
were on him and his little name was
on them. And he was adopted from
the asylum by a kind-hearted, rich
lady, who brought him up as her son,
and never told HIN the truth till the
other day when she was dyin'. And