The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-07-16
THE MIRROR TESTS,
81 cHARLEs oRAvEs.


ciation.l
Miss Mortimer, an orphan living
with an aunt, was rich, beautiful and
otherwise attractive. AT twenty-five
she began to think II time to cease
declining all the offers Of marriage
that continued to pour in on her and
take a partner Mentally passing IN
review the men from whom see knew
she might pick she settled on three
Arthur Emerson, young clergyman
Of the Episcopal church, Captain Win
field Dempster Of the army and Cam
eron Wood. a nobody Mr.. Emerson
was a rising man among the clergy;
Captain Dempster had distinguished
himself 10 the Spanish-Amerlcan war;
Mr.. Wood WAS chiefly notable for in-
dolence. Nevertheless he WIS attrac.
tive to Miss Mortimer What 1t was
that attracted her she could not her
self tell. lie was not handsome, though
II must be confessed he was to the
manner born. He was not especially IN.
tellectual, though she was not sure Of
AAAN NEtAuHt At MNr wv may " AAiAAt
Miss Mortimer always had friends
staying with her at her country place
In summer and decided to invite the
three candidates TO visit her with
view TO subjecting them to certain
test which she designed to apply. This
plan was suggested by an old friend
Of her father.
1T Ii said, be told her, shat no man
IS hero to bis own valet That is not
true. Napoleon the Greats valet ador
ed him. But no man is a hero to him
SELF. At any rate. If he IS. be Is de
ceived. VIII suggest plan by which
you can discover what each one Of
your three candidates Is In bis own es-
timation. Set up somewhere ia your
house where your guests must coca
sionally pass a platonised mirror. II
is made by coating a glass with very
thin liquid charged with platinum and
raised to red heat When ii IS placed
against dark surface It reflects; when
light IS admitted behind It II IS trans
parent View your candidates from
behind 1t In the dark"
Miss Mortimer ordered the mirror
made and placed IN the door Of cloak
closet at the entrance to her house,
Behind II was a window opening into
a court with interior shutters. Before Il
every one entering the house most pass
The first candidate 10 arrive was the
clergyman. When he entered Miss
Mortimer was looking at him through
the mirror. though he could not see
her. He gave glance at his refec-
ton and passed on with evident self
satisfaction. The soldier came next
and deliberately paused to curl his
mustache. Mr., Wood, seeing himself
mirrored. stopped and uttered an IN
ineligible grunt at his appearance.
There was not much In this. but Il
was a beginning. The next day the host
ess caught the clergyman making ges
lures before the mirror Casting al
quick glance about him ana being sat
isfed be was unseen, be dropped on his
knees, placing the palms Of bis hands
together, practicing the attitude Of
prayer. Yet it was evident that the
object Of bis worship was herself
Next came the soldier, who, upon en-
tering. stood before the mirror, per-
hitting bis features to relax with an
expression that was very repnlsive to
Miss Mortimer It was evident that
some unworthy thought was passing
through his mind. AS 20 the lounger,
she could get no definite information
from the mirror except that be did not
apparently consider himself a hand
some man
Miss Mortimer dismissed Mr.. Emer-
son as too contemplate for further
consideration. One night when Cap
tain Dempster was out late she liked
up a dummy burglar behind the mir
ror and Pit 4 gas Jet IN the closet
When the captain came home and saw
a man pointing an improvised weapon
at him he went out the front door
and was later advised that he need not
return.
Miss Mortimer was disposed to test |
Mr., Wood further, but rather from GU
riosity than as candidate for her
hand She sent him out one evening /
and while be was gone dressed herself |
and put on a mask, representing "a
shriYeled old woman. When the door
opened to her guest she was sitting |
behind the mirror illuminated and |
looking straight at him. lie stopped !
short, looking steadily at the grim
figure. True to bis instincts as gem
tleman, his hand went up to his bat, I
which he had never failed to remove /
in presence Of a woman and which he /
now mechanically doffed. There was
wonder in his eyes at seeing an old I
woman where he had been used 70
seeing a mirror, but he did not seem I
disposed to be shocked. Perhaps he
was too lazy. Miss Mortimer sat mute,
looking at him through the two holes
in her mask Finally he spoke:
Madam, I wish you a very good |
evening"
EIis imperturbability was too much I
for Miss Mortimer With d laugh she \
tnfeW on her CLOAK ahu Het ihdeh anu 1
stood before him In her own person. /
Then, opening the door between them,
she stepped forth, gave him her hand /
and said
II devised this mirror, transparent l
when lighted from behind, to observe
you and two other men when you sup
posed yourselves alone. You Of the
three have stood whatever of test
there is in It The others may be fine
men toward the world. You are not