The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-03-18

thev were that lived there. Taking q
long breath and a firm grip of her
blanket and muttering a prayer that
whatever she might flush should be Of
the feminine gender, Miss Boyd pushed
her shoes cautiously out into the hall,
rang the bell and turned to fee TO the
shelter of her own doorway; but the
discrepancy between her foot gear and
her feet hampered her movements. She
barely whisked into her own flat, as the
opposite door opened, and she left on
the field one OF the misfit shoes. AS
she went she gave little squeak OF
dismay as obviously feminine that the
opener of the other door couldn't easily
reconcile Il with the number relic
before him. This he picked up and ex-
amined. Then he listened. 1t seemed
to him that he could hear hurried
breathing from behind the opposite
door He was mildly amused, and he
laughed softly
With an ear strained to the crack in
the door, Miss Boyd heard the laugh,
but couldn't quite make It out. While
she was thinking what she had better
do. nature solved the problem for her.
and she snee2ed. Thereupon Il voice
from without coughed discreetly. Sex
is not easily discernible in cough but
the ice was broken and Miss Boyd de-
cided to speak
\ DIALOGUE.
Are you a man?" she said falter-
ingly.
II am" said the voice. "a man and
a brother. In fact I'm the Prince"
The startling announcement was fol-
lowed by a subdued chuckle. Between
amazement, alarm, cold and indigna-
tion Miss Boyd sneezed again and cried:
OH Then she added, Il don't know
what YOU mean"
I'm the Prince" repeated the voice,
and if you're the Cinderella who Just
dropped her glass slipper. I'm waiting
to fit ii on"
1T is a man. said Miss Boyd, almost
| in tears. Go away, please. / don't
want man. DO go away"
Under those circumstances" said
the voice I'm not a man. I'm your
grandmother's ghost or a prize guinea
pig or tailor's dummy if l can be Of
| any service to Cinderella"
mo. no. Please go away aud call
somebody else"
1T isn't in the book" protested the
Nuice."I ought to come in, you know,
and go down on one knee and say.
There is only one ladys foot in the
world that this slipper will 1T And
I guess that lady lives in Chicago
added the voice with another chuckla
1T isn't my slipper-shoe, rlean."
said Miss Boyd Indignantly. "Won't
| you go away, pleaSe?"
There was Il long pause, tnan Miss
Boyd's door ratified a little.
GU needn't try to peek through the
keyhole, Cinderella" said the voice
composedly. THE prince is at present
invisible"
Il didn't. 1t was the wind tnat rat
tied the door"
There was another pause. Then said
the voice persuasively: Wont ylu
tell me your story, Cinderella all about
the ashes and the dust and the little
bird in the tree that brings you the
beautiful clothes which / know you
have"--
This was too much. Miss Boyl in
terrupted with a hysteriCal laugh.
Beautiful clothes." she gaspei. "If
you could see them! No, no. I don't
L
any"
But when the slipper fitted' said
the voice, the two wicked sisters were
a drug in the market and the cruel
stepmother committed hari-kari in the
drawing room. and the prince took
Cinderella away and they We're mar
ried, and she had so many clothes that
she contracted brain fever keeping
track Of the rotation and the
will you please stop?" interrupted
the subject of the disquisition. "Oh. 1
suppose / might as well tell you all
about it,"
That's what l ventured to suggest"
said the voice.
well, 1 was taking-that is. the
servant girl has run away with every
stitch of clothing in the fiat" burst
out Miss Boyd desperately. Now vii!
you stop calling me Cinderella ana call
the police"
There was a choking, gasping noise
in the hallway, as of man striving
to suppress his emotions with a p1 ,lIet
handkerchief. Then the voice SAID, in
muffled tones Certainly, I'll send
help"
SAVED.
Departing footsteps passed along the
hallway, and Miss Boyd retired to bed
expecting to die of pneumonia, In the
course of an hour two detectives came
and the lonely inhabitant told her story
through the transom. The detectives
wanted to come in and look over the
ground. They suggested that Miss
Boyd might fit from room to room and
thus keep out of their way. She firmly
declined to do any more fitting. They
then examined the shoe with interest
and went away. Subsequently they az
rested the clothes-collecting Addie in a
pawnshop whittier she had gone to dis
pose Of few duplicate skirts In York
Vile court yesterday Mrs. Fisher lp-
peared against her and she was held
in $1,000 bail for examination. The COM
plainant who had the most 10 complain
of didn't appear,
The remarkable thing about the
whole performance is that Miss BOYD
has recovered from the grin. The en-
citement and exercise cured her. she
is now receiving visits fror7 dressmak-
ers. Up to date the prince has not re-
Vealed his identity