The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-02-08
The Four-Leaved Glover.

Ny mother and were spending the
summer with my uncle, David Gregory,
at his home. The kind old gentleman
had written to me to bring one of my
schoolmates with me. "Some one ihe
wrote) who loves the country. I in
vited Elsie Ventnor. She was not a
scholar like myself, but lived with Nine.
Du Pois, teaching the children who were
day scholars.
One afternoon uncle came in where we
were all sitting over our fancy work, and
said, with smile
"Madge, put this in the Bible for me.
See, it is a four-leaved clover. l found
it just now. Some good fortune must
surely be coming to me"
When I had done as he asked he sat
down and unfolded new plan for cur
amusement.
We were to get up tableaux and invite
all we chose to help us, and conclude
with dance.
"Oh, uncle, how nice! When shall
it be?'
GAS soon as you wish. Twill have
everything done for you that is neces-
sary, and you may use anything in the
house you like for the purpose. l want
you to enjoy yourselves as much as You
can. 1t will be but dull house after
you are gone, and shall only have the
gay memories to enliven it. ;"
When he had left us I exclaimed:
ooh, mamma, isn't it a pity that un-
Gle never had any children? He is so
fond of seeing young folks enjoy them
selves"
"Hush, Madge ~ she hastily replied );
81 for mercy's sake never say anything
like that before your uncle"
"Why not, mamma p
because, my child, there are reasons
why you should not"
I wondered good deal in my mind
over that scrap of conversation, but l
did not ask any more questions. 1t was
no hard matter to get merry party to
join us, and such fun as we had, rum
maging in the attics, with Deb's assist
stance, for old fashioned things to turn
into use.
One afternoon mamma called Elsie
and myself into her room to look through
an eld trunk she had found slowed away
in the back of an unused closet.
"Here, girls, examine. I shouldn't
wonder, from the peep / have taken, if
we had found treasure trove.
We were both delighted. When we
had taken oxt its contents-old fashioned
dresses, feathers, laces, etc.-in tray,
all by itself, was a dress which would
have driven Queen Nab to envy, and
which was evidently more modern in its
fashion than the other articles strewn
around us. 1t was a long trained skirt
of the palest lilac silk, with an overdress
of lilac tulle, covered with embroidered
clover blossoms, as if some careless hand
had flung them in profusion all over the
delicate material. The rosettes on the
tiny slippers were decorated in the same
way, and a wreath OF white clover,
sprinkled with mimic dewdrops, lay with
them.
''I think, Madge," said mamma, it
must have belonged to your uncle's
sister, Hilda I have heard she was a
great belle in her day."
"Oh, mamma, well have tableau
called the Spirit of Good Fortune, and
Elsie shall wear the dress. Come, dear,
and try it on
Even the famous belle herself could
not have looked fairer than did my
friend, when we had arrayed her in the
beautiful costume Instead of the name
I had chosen, mamma thought it would
be Just as appropriate, and much prettier,
to call the tableau "The Four-Leaved
Clover"
The evening came, and all the tableaux
were successfully gone through with,
amid great applause, except the last.
When was helping Elsie to dress, she
opened case, and taking out massive
chain clasped it around her neck, saying:
81 will wear this tonight, Madge."
why, Elsie ! what an exquisite
thing"
eyes, it is all I have left of my moth
er's. l never wear it, as it would hardly
be suitable for my plain dresses. See. "
And opening the diamond studded
locket which hung from the chain she
showed me the picture within.
There, smiling at me, was face some
thing like Elsie's, only more rosy, more
radiant. 1t was the only time Elsie had
ever spoken to me of her mother, and I
wished she would say more. But the
bell rang. for the last tableau, and we
fastened to our places-I among the au-