| Show I Daily Short 0 Fiction Story The Man and the Miracle By ALLISON BURR I Copyright 1916 by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate Well Nell eli Ive I've Invited Wilbur Kirk and hi mother his ii m mother ther for the the week end encl Mrs l Ames m gave her niece a sidewise glance Yes Aunt Lucy answered Nell Neli without enthusiasm Well Vell be going back to town week after next next and I wanted to have th them m mso so you could meet Mrs 1 Birk Kirk informally r- r mally here N Dear Aunt Lucy I wish 1 could make you see how impossible it is forme for forme forme me to like Wilbur Kirk Kid in the way you want me to like me him And I wish I could make you see that he is far superior to any young youn man who has paid you marked attention attention attention atten atten- tion since you came out last fall tall But auntie even if I saw aw all the superiority that you seem to see in him it would make no difference It will be something more human than such superiority that will win my I heart I suppose youve you've got some romantic notions about cavemen or some such nonsense Not Nat at all auntie I like men who are modern and well groomed but who make no special parade either of their mental moral or physical superiority and that lets out Wilbur and the cavemen cavemen cave cave- men too Nells Nell's brown eyes brightened brightened bright bright- ened mischievously And some day I Ill I'll present you a nice nephew built along those lines So dont don't you worry Mrs bars Ames shook her well waved and tightly netted gray head as Nell daintily pretty in a white gown and a floppy rose wreathed hat started down the boardwalk toward the postoffice postoffice post- post office with a handful of letters to mail As Nell came out of the little frame postoffice she caught the tinkling sound of Hawaiian stringed Instruments instruments instruments ments playing a lilting melody that was soothing to her restless mood Following the sound she went down the boardwalk and found that the musicians musicians musicians mu mu- were stationed in the center of ofa ofa ofa a large refreshment pavilion which she often patronized So many other people e had been heen attracted at attracted attracted at- at by the music that nearly all the tables in the place were filled but the itie he bu bustling manager found Nell a small table over near a corner of the pavilion where she had a glimpse of the water front With the th menu card cardin cardin cardin in her hand she sat for a moment dreamily listening to the music and watching the frothy little white caps follow one after alter another to the waters water's edge She was thinking that somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where there was just such a man as she had pictured to her aunt and she was wondering when and where she should meet that man She had quite I forgotten about ordering anything until un until until un- un til she became conscious that a man had paused expectantly beside her table I Without looking up she gave a careless careless care care- less glance at the menu card and asked Do you still serve that care I delicious delicious delicious de- de licious peach miracle I beg your pardon said a mans man's full toned voice and looking up she saw not a waiter walter as she had expected but a much tanned young gentleman in a blue serge suit that covered a awell awell awell well proportioned proportions figure six feet in height It was Nells Nell's ells ell's turn to beg pardon pardon pardon par par- don now and she did it in a state of very pretty embarrassment This seems to be the only seat left said the young man indicating the vacant chair at Nells Nell's small table Have you any objection to my occupying oc- oc o oc occupying it ht Not at all said Nell and she be beI began began be- be I gan studiously to scan the menu card The hurrying waiters walters passed easily back and forth among the crowded tables ta tn- tn bles but one of them with a tray of ot ices held flat in his upturned hand looked over his shoulder to catch an order called out by an impatient patron patron pa pa- tron just as he rounded a corner and the next instant his tray struck the shoulders of the waiter who was leanIng lean lean- leaning ing forward to take Nells Nell's order A ball of well frozen pink ice cream tumbled from the tray and went rollIng roll roll- ing lug across Ithe table straight for Nells Nell's lap When it was on the very edge of the table and Nell and the waiter were watching it in wide eyed helplessness helplessness help help- the sunburned hand of the tall young man opposite shot across the table and grabbed it so firmly that it heroine became a flattened mass of or pink mushiness While the penitent waiters waiters wait wait- ers replaced the cloth and provided wait wait-I a Nell and the young man laid aside reserve and laughed lightly about the awkward incident A moment ago I asked you whether you served peach miracle said Nell but youve you've made it very evident now that you can even stop a miracle already al already already al- al ready in progress Is that pink stuff sturt peach miracle he asked Yes Did it look the part I I cant can't say its it's my first experience with miracles and I had no idea I could get on with them so well He I was saying to himself that Nell herself was a member of the miracle tribe and his eyes gave out so much of his thoughts that Nell was glad the waiter reappeared then to finish taking her interrupted order I She decided afterward that silence would be more embarrassing than conI conversation conversation con con- I so as they ate their ices they chatted and enjoyed the music to toI to- to gether That music certainly strikes my ear I pleasantly said the young man for Ive I've been four months in a mining camp w where ere a metallic grinding out ragtime was the only thing that even pretended to be music Immediately Nell attributed the sunburn sunburn sunburn sun sun- burn to the outdoor life of at a mining engineer and drew a pleasing mental picture of the young man opposite in m corduroy and puttees And as other women have done she had jumped to the right conclusion Of course one would miss much in such a life liCe she she said yet it must be heavenly to miss many of the complications complications of a more formal life life life-I I mean the things that are little Youre right about that His eyes flashed responsively My aunt who kindly assumed charge charge of of me when my I parents died was disappointed that I j didn't take to one of the learned professions pro- pro I I Maybe Mabe its it's my tendency to tobe I I be little that makes me want to dodge 1 the little and irritating details de details details de- de tails of a complex life but Ive I've found I out this if a fellow cant can't grow big in inan inan inan an outdoor life he hasn't the capacity for bigness I Nell was sure now that she had met the man of her dreams and she could have wept because her ice cream was all gone and she had no further excuse for remaining as the musicians were silent for the moment You shouldn't even oven think the word maybe when speaking of a man who surmounts miracles She smiled as she said this and the man smiled back but back bacle of both smiles was a yearning look that told of regret that the time for parting had come When they rose from the table Nell Kell extended her hand to the young oung man as a la gentle way of saying that their acquaintance was atan at atan atan an endI endI end I I shall shaB not forget your coming tomy to tomy tomy my rescue she said sweetly And I shall not forget you he lie said Her Tier eyes fell before the wistfulness in his and she ahe withdrew her hand and left the place without either of them speaking another r word When she reached her aunts aunt's cottage Mrs Ames was enthusiastic over a telephone call Just received from Wilbur Wilbur Wilbur Wil Wil- bur Kirk saying that he and his mother would motor out that evening instead of waiting until Saturday morning Nell couldn't even manage a polite In Interest interest interest in- in terest in Wilbur Kirk now and throughout the dinner diner er hour and the two hours that followed when they sat on the front porch waiting their guests she was so silent that Mrs Ames finally finally finally final final- ly gave up trying to carry carryon on a conversation conversation conversation conver conver- with her Nell NeB looking lookin at the moonlight on the water was dreamily going over o in her mind every glance of the eyes and every tone of the voice that had come cometo cometo cometo to her that afternoon from the tho young man who seemed the embodiment of her ideal There the they are exclaimed Mrs 1 Ames delightedly as a car drew up at atthe atthe atthe the curb Im afraid were we're dreadfully late said Mrs Kirk when th they y were all in inside inside inside in- in side the drawing room but we we- stopp stopped d at the hotel for a little visit with my nephew Jack Tack AInslee who is just in j from Sou South America merica Jack insisted upon being a mining engineer instead d of a minister or lawyer as I wanted wante d him to be and when I see his fine fin fin e physique and his tremendous ous manliness manliness manliness ness Im I'm glad he had his way about it it By the way Mrs Ames Ive I've asked him hi hito m to call tomorrow So glad you did said Mrs 1 Ames Ame s effusively and Wilbur wondered wh why sy y Nell turned suddenly to the window windo w just then and gazed outside He would woul d have wondered even more if he ha had d heard her ecstatically murmuring g something about another miracle |
