The daily Alaskan., 1909-09-02
THE MIRROR TESTS.
By CHARLES GRAVES.


 Miss Mortimer, an orphan living with an aunt, was rich, beautiful and otherwise attractive. At twenty-five she began to think 1t 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 she knew she might pick. she settled on three Arthur Emerson, a young clergyman of the Episcopal church. Captain Win field DempSter of the army and Cam eron Wood. nobody, Mir Emerson was rising man among the clergy; Captain Dempster had distinguished himself in the SpaniSh-Amerlcan war; MT. Wood was chiefly notable for in- | dolence. Nevertheless he was attrac- tive to Miss Mortimer What 1t was that attracted her she could not her self tell He was not handsome, though If must be confessed he was to the manner born. He was not especially in- tellectual, though she was not sure of | this because he was too lazy Co think.
 Miss Mortimer always had friends staying with her at her country place in summer and decided Co invite the three candidates to visit her with a view to subjccting them to a certain test which she designed to apply. This plan was suggested by an old friend of her father.
 1t Is said" he told her, that no man is a hero to his own valet That is not true. Napoleou the Greats valet ador- ed him. But no man Is hero to him self At any rate, it he is, he is de ceived. will suggest plan by which YOU can discover what each one of your three candidates is in his own es' tImation. Set up somewhere in your house where your guests must occa- sionally pass platonized mirror. It is made by coating glass with very 1 thin liquid charged with platinum and raised to red heat. When it Is placed against dark surface It reflects; when light Is admitted behind 1t It Is trans parent. View your candidates from behind 1t In the dark"
 Miss Mortimer ordered the mirror made and placed In the door of a cloak closet at the entrance to her house. Behind it was a window opening into l a court with interior shutters. Before 1t ievery one entering the house must pass,
 The first candidate to arrive was the clergyman. When he entered Miss Mortimer was looking at him through the mirror, though he could not sec her. He gave a glance at his reaec- lion and passed on with evident self satisfaction. The soldier came next and deliberately paused to curl his muStache. Mir. Wood, seeing himself mirrored. stopped and uttered an un- intenigible grunt at his appearance. I There was not much In this, but 1t was beginning. The next day the host ess caught the clergyman making ges- lures before the mirror. Casting a quick glance about him and being sat Isfled he was unseen. he dropped on his knees. placing the palms of his hands together, practicing the attitude of J prayer. Yet it was evident that the, | object of his worship was herself Next came the soldier who, upon en- tering, stood before the mirror, per hitting his features to relax with an expression that was very repulSive to Mss Mortimer. It was evident that some unwNrthy thought was passing through his mind. As to the lounGer, she could get no definite information from the mirror except that he did not apparently consider himself a hand some man.
 Miss Mortimer dismissed Mir. Emer- son as too contcmptible for further consideration. One night when Cap tain Dempstcr was out late she fixed up dummy burglar behind the mir Tor and lit gas jet in the closet. When the captain came home and saw 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 MT. Wood further, but rather from GU rioSity than as a candidate for her hand. She sent him out one evening and while he was gone dressed herself and put on mask, representing a shrivelcd old woman. When the door | opened to her guest she was sitting ' behind the mirror illuminated and ! looking straight at him, He stopped short. looking steadily at the grim figure. True to his instincts as gen tleman. his hand went up to his hat, which he had never failed to remove fin presence of woman and which he now mechanically dofred. There was wonder in his eyes at seeing an old woman where he had been used to seeing mirror, but he did not seem 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 very good evening"
 His imperturbabiliy was too much ! for Miss Mortimer. With a laugh she threw o6 her cloak and her mask and