The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-26
IA COMPOSITE.

tuua. 6he was also extremely pretty In the
JrSehy way, which IL perhaps the prettiest
vry In the world. Hu tatsc, the rector
vas Irish, and he and all his family were
genial, chcery folk, who laughed and grew
~
One September day the beaming rector
sAlled to Miranda from the study window:
"Chick, would you like to come to Lon
don with me for a weeky"
''Yes, papa" said she in little, languid
voice and with n dreamy gaze beyond him
into infinity.
The happy old parson, who did not often
@ye himself holiday, enjoyed it thorough
ly, and 30 did Miranda.
One morning the rector had to go into
the citv on business and left Miranda all
alone She thought she would explore the
thrce drawing rooms In search of curiosi'
tins, Of which her aunt was great collect
ar.
she came to the smallest room at the
end, and even as she crossed the threshold
her eyes fell on the photograph OF very
handsome young man stuck In the last leai
Of a photograph screen. In that moment
Miranda thought she foretasted the rap
tnres Of realized ideal She called him
Ferdinand.
Almost shyly she slipped the fateful carte
eat OF tho little screen without even
glance ut its companions there. Thereafter
Miranda spent much time I'm contemplation
sf that sun pictured face.
Miranda passed the winter In trembling
expectation, half hoping, half dreadine
that her aunt would in some of her letters
ssllade to the missing treasure and at the
sas,s tame tear the veil from it's mystery.
m Mag Miranda land her ideal) went t.
Issntion, where the pretty country girl was
y good deal admired and enjoyed herself
va7 much. One day at breakfast her aunt
read p letter that seemed to give her con
siderable pleasure. ''''.- ,''''., ~
my dear" said she, Charles com
ing"
"who Is Charlies" asked Miranda, wht
had never heard of him before.
my dear" replied her aunt rather sol
emnly, :. Charlie is the son Of my first and
snly love-the man should probably have
married IL he hadn't preferred some one
else" ......t...t.-t
"ADd Is he alive nows"
.No, my dear--both dead long ago. He
gst himself killed by tiger out in India,
and 1t killed her, too--not the tiger, but
tho Loss Of her husband. Indeed, then, she
was far fonder Of him than / ever was.
Some we'll off uncle looked after their boy
and got him into the,F. o. He's been in
Oanada these three years, and now he
WRITES me word he's coming home and
viii be In London next week. So, sit you
down. Miranda, child, and send him a card
far my dance next Thursday"
Thursday came, the guests came-mort
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 efrusively introduced to eacf
other they went off to the ballroom togeth
er. Nlrandas heart beat n little faster
when they met. For one moment che had
scanned to recognize the beautiful dark
eyes Of Ferdinand but, ah, no, no! That
round, foolish face inclined to be chubby
that nose inclined to be snubby; that wide
s4nouth forever widened by a schOolboy
grini
Miranda went to bed that night vaguely
disappointed and unhappy and had pain
ful dream Of distorted Ferdinand photo
graphed on n spoon. Charlie came tc
luncheon next day. Miranda was tired
and little cross. She found him horribly
.uninteresting. She was only half conscious
that Charlie was babblinR and Dragging oi
his exploits on the ice In Canada. Sht
only half heard what no said when hs
asked her aunt il she had ever got tn.
photos he sent her year before.
mine of our skating club, and the
what do you call it-you know
"A - I,
and put them all into "a photograph screen
IL used To stand ON table in the thir0
room up stairs. dare say it's somewhere
mp there. Let us go and look for 1t"
Photograph scrcen?' The words wok,
up Miranda like pistol shot. AT last, al
last And what was going to happeni
Was her sin TO find her outS No, sh.
would never confess, but she felt yer,
guilty and shook in her shoes. However,
she managed To walk up stairs in them bc
hind her aunt, with Charlie at her heels
In the third room her aunt pulled the
drawer of 10 cabinet Here il Is, saiO
she, folded up as fiat rs u pancake. And
she gave IL to Charlie, who unfolded It..
Yes" cried he, with his wide laugh,
"here we all are But, say, where's tn,
- the = combination - composite, what
you know--the new dodge. What's bo
come Of itP Awfully handsome fellow WE
made too. Bit of Brown, bit Of Jones, bit
of me- BY Jovc. What's the matterf Are
you illf Here, sit down. Where's the cat
de oologncs" l
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 i'm her CLOVER
nature" jumped up like "a jack in the box
on the phantom heels Of the vanishing
Ferdinand, and she went oil into peals or,
pcals OF incxtinguishable laughter. They
were rnther frightened. Her aunt slapped
her hands, Charlie empticd the bottle Of
eau de cologne over her, and I'm afraid sh,
slapped him.
My poor child, " said her aunt, she's
hystericalr'
I'm nothing of the sort" gaspcd Mi
rsnda, trying to stop laughing going on
again and speaking In spasms. "Oh, oh,
oh, it's too, too, too FUNNY Oh, oh, OH.
that could have fallen in loyc-lwith nine
inen--at once No, no. no. with nine
bits Of men! shall ever, ever stop laugh.
inei