The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-05-17
A COMPOSITE.

cultured and ccudc, clever and foolish, sen.
timcntal and very much alive to the ridicu
lOus. She was also extremely pretty in the
Irishy way, which is perhaps the pretticst
way in the world. Her father, the rector,
was Irish, and he and all his family were
genial, CHEEKY folk, who laughed ana grew
fat.
One September day the beaming rector
called to Miranda from the study window
"Chck, would you like to come to Lon
don with me for a week."
Eyes. papa said she in little, languid
voice and with II dreamy gaze beyond him
into infnity.
Thc.happy old parson, who did not otter
give himself holiday, enjoyed it 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.
She came to the smallest room at the
end, and even rs she crossed the threshold
her eyes fell on the photograph of II very
handsome young man stuck in the last Leaf
of Il photograph screen. In that moment
Miranda thought she forctasted the rap
lures of realized ideal. She called him
Ferdinand.
Almost shyly she slipped the fatoful carte
out of the little screen without even a
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 drcading
that her aunt would in some of her letters
al FL ntt I,s
Same time tear the veil from its mystery.
In May Miranda (and her ideaD went tC
London, where the pretty country girl was
n good deal admired and enjoyed herself
very much. One day at breakfast her aunt
read II letter that seemed to give her con
siderable pleasure.
My dear, " said she, Charles com
ing"
"Who is Charlie?" asked Miranda, who
had never heard of him before.
My dear, " replied her aunt rather sol.
EMMY, "Charlie 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 nowY"
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 +. o. He's been in
Canada these three years, and now he
writes me word he's coming home AND
will be in London next week. So, sit you
down, Miranda, child, and send him n care
for my dance next Thursday"
Thursday came, the guests camc-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, bounced on him, took both his
hands and kissed him before the assembled
multitude.
Presently Miranda made her appearance
and being effusively introduced to cacf
other they went off to the ballroom togeth
err Miranda's heart beat little taste
when they met For one moment she hGt
seemed to recognize the beautiful darl
eyes of Ferdinand; but, ah, no, no! Tha
round, foolish face inclined to be chubby
that nose inclined to be snubby; that wild
mouth forever widened by schoolbo.
grim
Miranda went to bed that night vaguel,
disappointed and unhappy and had pain
full dream of a distorted Ferdinand photo
graphed on spoon. Charlie came L
luncheon next day Miranda was tirct
and n little cross. She found him horribl,
embarrassing. She was only half consciou
that Charlie was babblinR and Dragging o
his exploits on the ice in Canada. Sh
only half heard what he said when h
asked her aunt if she had ever got tn
photos he sent her year before.
mine of our skating club, and the
. -l,,t Il l.
/ "Oh, yes, " said her aunt, 81 got then
and put them all into photograph screen
1t used to stand on u table in the thirt
room up stairs. l dare say it's somewher
up there Let us go and look for it,"
photograph screen?" The words wok
up Miranda like pistol shot. AT last, II
last And what was going to happen
Was her sin TO find her out? No, sh
would never confess, but she felt yer
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 tn
drawer of cabinet Here it is" sal
she, folded up as fiat as pancake, =" An
she gave it to Charlie, who unfolded it.
Yes" cried he, with his wide laugh
here we all are But, l say, where's tn
= the = combination composite, wha
d'you call it? Nine of us blended into on,
you know-the new dodge. What's bt
come of it? Awfully handsome fellow W
made too Bit of Brown, bit of Jones, hi
of me. BY Jovel What's the matter? Al
you i'll? Here. sit down. Where's the ca
de cologne?''
Miranda sat down. She did feel littl
faint for an instant while she realized tn
truth, and Ferdinand melted into space
but then the suppressed fun in her "lowc
nature" jumped up like n jack in the DO
on the phantom heels of the yanishin
Ferdinand, and she went off into peals o
peals of ineXtinguishable laughter The
were rather frightened. Her aunt slappe
her hands, Charlie emptied the bottle {
eau de cologne over her, and I'm afraid 81
slapped him.
My poor child" said her aunt, she
hystericalW
I'm nothing of the sort, gasped NJ
randa, trying 10 stop laughing, going o
again and speaking in spasms. "Oh, oil
oh, it's too, too, too funny oh, oh, oil
that | could have fallen in love-with mir
men-at oncel No, no, no, with nine