The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-03-23
"a Cl0IiiMPOsITH,

Miranda was charming little gifl d "
She was also bundle Of aditiens-s
cultured and crude, clever and foolish, SON.
timental and very much alive to the ridiou.
lous. She was also extremely pretty In ths
Irishy way, which is perhaps the prettiest
way in the world. Her father, the rector,
was Irish, and no and all his family were
genial, CHEEKY folk, who laughed and grew
fat
One September day the beaming rector
called to Miranda from the study window:
"Cbick, would you like to come to Lon
don with me for week."
ayes, papa" said she in little, languid
voice and with dreamy gaze beyond him
Into infinity.
The happy old parson, who did not often
give himself holiday, enjoyed 1t thorough
ly, and SO did Miranda
One morning the rector had to go into
the city on business and left Miranda all
alone. She thought she would explore the
three drawing rooms In search of curiosi.
ties, OF which her aunt was great collect
or. - &. rs r. .
She came to the smallest room at tho
end, and even as sho crossed the threshold
her eyes fell on the photograph Of very
handsome young man stuck in the last leaf
of photograph screen. In that moment
Miranda thought she foretasted the rap.
lures Of realized ideal. She called him
Ferdinand.
Almost shyly she slipped the fateful carte
out of the little screen without even
glance at its companions there. Thereafter
Miranda spent much time in contemplation
Of that sun pictured face.
Miranda passed the winter in trembling
expectation, half hoping. half dreading
that her aunt would In some of her letters
allude to the missing treasure and at the
same time tear the veil from its mystery.
In May Miranda land her ideal) went to
London, where the pretty country girl was
good deal admired and enjoyed herself
very much. One day at breakfast her aunt
read letter that seemed to give her con-
siderable pleasure.
"My dear" said she, "Charlie's COM
ing"
"Who is Charlief" asked Miranda, who
had never heard Of him before. ,y
my dear, ;" replied her aunt rather SOL
emily, "Charlic is the son of my first and
only love--the man should probably have
married If he hadn't preferred some one
else"
'"And Is he alive now?' ~
mo, my dear-both dead long ago. He.
got himself killed by tiger out in India,
and it killed her, too-not the tiger, but
the loss of her husband Indeed, then, she
was far fonder Of him than l ever was.
Some well off uncle looked after their boy
and got him into the F. o. He's been in
Canada these three years, and now he
writes inc word he's coming home and
will be in London next week. So, sit you
down, Miranda, child, and send him card
for my dance next Thursday"
Thursday came, the guests came-more
than could ever get up stairs Charlie ar
rived early and did get up stairs. His
hostess, glorious In green velvet and dia-
monds, pounced on him, took both his
hands and kissed him before the assembled
multitude.
Presently Miranda made her appearance,
and being effusively introduced to each
other they went off to the ballroom togeth-
err. Miranda's heart beat little faster
when they met. For one moment she had
seemed to recognize the beautiful dark
eyes of Ferdinand; but, ali, no, no! That
round, foolish face inclined to be chubby;
that nose inclined to be snubby; that wide
mouth forever widened by schoolboy
grinl
Miranda went to bed that night vaguely
disappointed and unhappy and had pain
full dream of distorted Ferdinand photo
graphed on a spoon. Charlie came to
luncheon next day. Miranda was tired
and little cross, She found him horribly
uninteresting. She was only half'conscious
that Charlie was babbling and Dragging of
his exploits on the ice in Canada. She
only half heard what he said when no
asked her aunt If she had ever got the
photos he sent her year before.
Mine of our skating club and the
what do you call it-you know
"Oh, yes, said her aunt, 81 got them
and put them all into photograph screen.
1t used to stand on table in the third
room up stairs. / dare say it's somewhere
up there. Let us go and look for it..
Photograph screen9" The words woke
up Miranda like pistol shot. At last, at
last And what was going to happenp
Was her sin to find her outp No, she
would never confess, but she felt very
guilty and shook in her shoes. However,
she managed to walk up stairs in them be-
hind her aunt, with Charlie at her heels.
In the third room her aunt pulled tho
drawer Of cabinet. Here 1t is, said
she, "folded up as fiat as pancake" And
she gave it to Charlie, who unfolded it.
Yes" cried he, with his wide laugh,
there we all are! But, say, where's the
- the - combination - composite, what
d'you call it2 Nine of us blended into one,
you know--the new Dodge. What's be-
come of it? Awfully handsome fellow We
made too. Bit of Brown, bit of Jones, bit
Of me. BY Jove What's the natter Arc
you illp Here, sit down. Where's the eau
de colognep"
Miranda sat down. She did feel little
faint for an instant while she realized the
truth, and Ferdinand melted into space,
but then the suppressed fun in her Clover
nature" jumped up like jack in the box
on the phantom heels of the vanishing
Ferdinand, and she went off into peals on
peals Of inextinguishable laughter. They
were rather frightened. Her aunt slapped
her hands, Charlie emptied the bottle of
eau de cologne over her, and I'm afraid she
slapped him.
my poor child" said her aunt, "shes
hystericalW
I'm nothing of the Sort" gasped Mi
randa, trying to stop laughing, going off
again and speaking in spasms. ooh, oh,
oh, it's too, too, too FUNNY Oh, oh, oh,
that could have fallen in love-with nine
men--at oncel No, no, no, with nine
bits of men! Shall ever, ever stop laugh
Ing?
Miranda went home in July merrier
and n wiser girl. In October she married
her fnithful curate whose only rival had