Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-11-28

to do what he could to put stop tc
that pathetic expression. Then Miss
Ransom continued:
| II ran away to go on the stage
and father would never forgive me
whether | became famous or not, ant
he always keeps his word. And, oh
/ would like to see mother when
am so near 70 her."
Never mind, dearest" said Evans
''I'll try to take the place of parents
and husband to you. And now were
making an awful stage wait.
! He bent over for a final kiss, ant
when Ella removed the makeup she sue
ceeded also in hiding almost every
trace OF her recent grief. 1t was q
| smiling young woman whom he finally
| led to the head Of the great table
After all. he decided, as he glanced
from one cheerful face to another, he
would announce their engagement al
the close of the dinner, and the company
should drink their health, and it would
not be such bad climax.
But again were the plans Of Manager
Evans set at naught. With the salad
course came an urgent summons from
the box Office Evans rose with NUT
terings that did not portend happily
for the sender of the message.
When he came back, however, the ex-
preston on his face had undergone
a change. He was smiling in nervous
fashion. No one noticed two figures
which stopped in the shadow of the
wings.
Ladies and gentlemen" said Evans
impressively lit gives me pleasure to
introduce two unexpected but most well
come guests to this board, the father
and mother Of our leading lady, Mr..
and Mrs. Ransom"
A girlish cry that would have brought
the house to her feet could Ella Ran
som have given it on the stage, and
then she, too, was in the wings with
her mothers arms about her
When order had been restored and
the feast had progressed to the coffee,
old Mr.. Ransom rose and unf1inchingly
faced the merry crew.
II amt much at speech making, but
| want to say right now that I've made
a mistake My forefathers were of old
Puritan stock, and | can't get over the
idea that the stage is bad place, but
guess there's other business in this
world that's worse. Anyhow it's no
cause for father to turn against his
child, and I've lost five good years
by keeping up this i'll feeling toward
my girl | want to thank you for the
kind way you've treated her when she's
needed the comfort OF a mother and
father and If you're round this neigh
borhood next Thanksgiving come out
to the farm nd have dinner with us.
My wife's master hand at making
pies. | guess that's about all.
When the laughter and handclapping
which followed this speech had sub
sided, Manager Evans took the floor,
and in words not half so eloquent as
he had rehearsed in private, but soft
cned by the happy family reunion,
he announced his engagement to Miss
Ransom. While the members of the
had been making some pretty
shrewd guesses on the subject, they
were properly surprised and congrat
ulatory, and before Deacon Ransom re-
allied what had happened he was stand
ing with the rest drinking champagne
to the health of his daughter and his
son-in-law to be.
When the great day was over and
Manager Evans had tucked the robes
around Deacon and Mrs. Ransom for
their homeward ride and he had taken
a last Kiss from Elias happy lips, he
to himself
We'll the stage business worked out
rather different from the way | had
planned it, but the climax and the
picture were not half bad after all. .