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Show THE MISSION OP klRHNOn met the Stanleys. She and tho girl had much in common more than MiS3 Miranda. ; approved. She continued eager in 'giving' uer "unsought advice. She garbed herself quite' gorgeously, :and: she indulged .in; ' vanities .' sh would have deemed, criminal a few months previous. Four " meaths passed. The Stanleys, were going to their summer, home' at' Waukesha. Hiss- Miranda "might HaW acconrpm-ied. acconrpm-ied. them were it not for a. treacher-.otisjly treacher-.otisjly early attack of her Annual complaint com-plaint hay 'fevei Stall"1 went with Ive Stanley, however. The girls had a delightful Ume together. StelTs appetite ap-petite tor' beauty, 'was Insatiable.- Sje -drank" in. with joy every hour' of' the radiant' days. Watching herpl-aSra in all things fair, sweet: and -gracious, Roderick Stanley felt himself grow' young again. The night of their return re-turn to the city the: young ' fol'xs had a fine frolic. ' " The curtains In the library were drawn, the mimic. log3 under the tiled mantel were blazing bravely. The place was' a little world of flickering ! gleams and warm, wavering shadows when Roderick Stanley opened tie i door. He stod amazed amused, Jeok-! Jeok-! in? at his son. Iva, and a few of their ' .rrtep., whether, with hope or' whether with dread My strength came back with a leaping leap-ing thrill, .Though my lips were close to her golden gold-en head 'K. ' '-'.. 1.: . . ;. I would not move till I knew her Wllir:- - ,! I: :i, ,.... ,., ' ' '-' -'.' ' -!y- -r-Anon. .. Stell used to wonder If all women who had a mission were as intolerant is her Aunt Miranda. . Stell's father was a traveling man and seldom at home. Stell's mother was absorbed ta her club duties and her aspirations toward authorship. So Miss,-Miranda Baxter, 'who was quite old enough to fcave a daughter of her own had a not perverse fate prevented this possibility, possibil-ity, took upon herself much of the tare and- training of her wayward niece. At least Miranda considered miSsIori.-- Barring .'that, she wished cne might, after a brief stage of the ! ailment, enjoy immunity. j Roderick Stanley, ex-Senator and , former cattle king, still good to look luparii. arid .comparatively young, gazed in astonishment upon the picture-which picture-which presented itself to him on the foli.owihg' evbIiig ' In" his1- library a matronly. Jgok'.ing womrj :with a pale, brick-dust skin," was reading aldud to his children. And the youngsters were looking decidedly uncomfortable under the Infliction.. . ? ' : .. ' . "Papa!" cried the boy, dashing to meet his father. "This Is Miss Baxter!" Bax-ter!" The girl made explanation with a fine courtesy, delightful in one so young. "Miss Baxter lives directly opposite. She has heard mamma i3 dead. She is kind enough to wish to help us." Stell wayward because she never could be brought to see the doleful side of ixistence. "But I don't want to go slumming," ihe would declare. "The only time I Jid go with you I cried half the night ifter. It seemed so dreadful to go Into people's houses without being isked. I was afraid of hurting their feelings. Then, I'm not wise like you. ( don't know anything about sores and rheumatism, and bottled no, bottle babies. I seemed to have been only Impertinent when I couldn't help. Sou may take all my month's pin money for the poor people. It will help them more than being visited by ah ignorant girl." Whoront Miea Mir-inda would hea3 ine pale brlckdust of Miss Baxter s complexion became a deep brickdust as fehe volubly explained the benevolent benevo-lent and disinterested nature of her attempt. Roderick Stanley concealed his astonishment as well as possible. His charming manners stood him in good stead In such good stead. In- deed, that Miss Miranda went home with a warmer glow in her left side than a fly-blister could have caused. That night she put up her hair in kid curlers. - "I'm thinking of having my three front teeth put in on bridgework," she confided to Stell. "A plate .is so old-fashioned. old-fashioned. And I'm thinking, too, of getting a new gown. I U3ed to wear lavender nicely but perhaps that's companions circling around the flgurs !n :he middle of the room a cautious, cau-tious, groping figure with outslreteaed arms. That sound near the door! The blindfolded victim stood transfixed. trans-fixed. Suddenly she dashed in the direction di-rection whence the noise had p:o-ceeded. p:o-ceeded. "I've got you!" She had flung her arms around the man standing smiliag there. "It's Paul you're "it," Faul!" And she strove to tear the handkerchief handker-chief from her eyes. There was a commotion a boisterous boister-ous shout. - . Stanley laid a restraining hand upen the bandage. He stooped until his lips touched the fragrant bronze-gold ha r. "Having me; will you keep me, Stell?" he whispered eagerly." "0!" she answered. "O! It is you!'1 "You're fooled,. Stell!" shoutsd Paul Stanley. .."It's only papa. You're 'if yet." But Estella, her lovely fac3 lifted, was looking up into the pleading eyes of her lover. "You don't you can't want me!" There was a ring of mockery in her happy voice. "I'm only the silliest kind of a girl!" "Your laughter sunshine all things sweet!" "Come on!" shouted the impatient young people. "I haven't any rnissloa. I'm not like Aunt Miranda." The quizzical violet eyes laughed up at him. "Thank God for that! But, bless Aunt Miranda! But for her I might never have won you!" ' VThen Miss Miranda heard the new3 t. i.i.,..l Ho,.;,1orllv rnirle-Moniia a gentle sigh of resignation. "I have always supposed that every individual has a Epecial mission to perform in this world. I cannot discover dis-cover whj-yours may be. You do not admire gCed pictures " "Not the shocking ones, Aunt Mi-MEda. Mi-MEda. Not some of Dore's, nor those 6y that Russian artist with the long name. They are appalling!" "You do not read the papers, do not keep abreast of current events." "I read the papers in in spots. I ean't read about murders, and mutilations, mutila-tions, and dreadful things like those. I should be sure to dream of them." She was wondering if, to have a ' mission in life,' it was necessary to have a nose shining like a well-powdered door-knob for lack of a puff of pearl powder. "One must confront the unpleasant facts of life. Only last week I spent an hour' reading an instructive book ratner quiet. Mr. Stanley seems grateful grate-ful for my assistance. You must become be-come acquainted with the young girl. You children may have interests in T rn-iava in rpmark that anger and perturbation. "The men are fools!" she declared. "All fools'." "But. be is so dear!"- Insisted Stell. j "And I love him so much! And I nevwr dreamed of being so happy! And he says if it were not tir you " "That's the worst of it!" groaned Mis Miranda Chicago Tribune. on the early history of the Abyssin-ians Abyssin-ians to a woman who was dying of a cancer which " "O," please don't!" entreated Stell, who had gone white as a snowdrop. Miss Baxter shook her head. Stell wondered how that scant drab hair wonld look if it were softly waved instead in-stead of being strained back in so uncompromising un-compromising a fashion. "There! You shrink from human suffering!" ' "Don't you ever?" "I face it unflinchingly. I fear, Estella, Es-tella, that your sensibilities are blunted blunt-ed You don't even enjoy music." "Don't I though?" cried Estella. "Not the dreadful, dreary things, of course. Not the dismal music which makes me wonder why God made flowers, and singing birds, and waterfalls water-falls and rainbows, and little chi.dien, and 'everything beautiful! But the gay happy music which makes one like you she is disposed to be frivolous. frivo-lous. My influence will remedy this, I trust Do you think I had better get a tailor-made gown boned? Or an organdy pink, say. An organdy is so feminine." "Whom did you see there, Aunt Miranda?" Mi-randa?" "The staff all of them. I explained to the governess the desirability of including moral advice with mental instruction. The boy's tutor seemed somewhat indifferent. He is elderly, 40 perhaps. I made plain to the housekeeper house-keeper -that the improper cooking of cereals was responsible for many serious seri-ous ailments of the young." When Will Baxter got back from a trip he remarked to his wife that Miranda Mi-randa was becoming "downright giddy." gid-dy." Mrs. Baxter murmured something some-thing about second childhood, and went back to the paper she was preparing pre-paring for the Fortnightly. Stell had want , , Miss Baxter's weary gesture checked the impetuous speech. "I fear you never will find a worthy mission in life, Estella." I Stell irreverently hoped she never, would "if such discovery necessitated going corsetless. Perhaps her aunt ; looked well enough when her form ; was trim and young. But now that ; .tirfv.spvi'ii blustery winters naa , drifted over her head one fancied her bulky proportions would be Improved by properly applied restraint "What is yours. Aunt Miranda? "To do good to all with whom I come in contact. Now, I mean to offer of-fer my assistance to that gentleman who has moved in across the street His two motherless children shall have the advantage of my instruction-of my advice." ' Stell gasped. "You mean the Stanleys Stan-leys The people who have bougnt that place .of Vanbarlhyn's! Why-he Why-he boy is 14, the girl 16. They have governess, tutor, and I know the housekeeper is a most capa - -To accomplish my mission In life I shall look after the welfare of tho youthful souls at present confided to the care of hirelings." "But the girl is almost as old a. I Stell was aghast. "?.Not by four years. You are almost 20, Estella, and you still require guid- T was Stell's turn to sigh. She eouM not help wishing one could b. raccinated against the conviction |