The Portland daily press., 1881-07-09
THE PRESS.
Four Blue Plates.
Showing How Nice 1t is to Tell Story to
a Girl Who Knows the Last Chapter.
[Harper's Weekly.l

[Harper's Weeklyl
SCENE: Drasring-room in Mrs. Hollen-
er's country house Gabrielle, her only
child, One-dnd-ttcenty, exceedingly pretty,
lo,c-bro,oed, dark-eyed and Hght-haired,
sitting before small table, on ghich are an
old fashioned silver tea set and four cery
old fashioned blue plates. She Is
lodking at the plates. The sound of
merry voices floats IN from the garden as
Os,cdld Queens, utree-and-taoenty, tall and
brodd-shouldered, blue eyed and dark-hdired
enters the room and advances t0acdrd her.
She drops the spoon aDith which she has been
toying, In momentary confusion, and looks
up ,cith q faint blush.
Miss Hol,ener-Not playing croquet, Mr..
Owens?
Mr.. Owens-'Not playing croquet'', Miss
Hollener. came to seek you. They are
asking for you in the garden.
Miss Hollener-I hope if they continue to
ask they will continue to ask at that safe
distance. Idon't want to hear them. Mann
ma is there, is she not?
Mr.. Owens-Yes, enacting the role of
hostess charmingly, as she always does.
Miss Hollener-Then l certainly shall not
go. You look as though you thought me
remss in daughterly duty. On the contTa-
~ his expression is one Of intense dpproba-
tion am not. This is entirely mammals
party and she likes croquet. As for me,
boldly avow detest it, and never could I'M
derstand the wild enthusiasm with which
so many people whack unoffending wooden
balls about, and then run wildly after them.
/ only promised to pour out the tea,
and having done that, prefert to sit here by
myself
Mr. Owens Hat turning dway) By
yourself? l beg pardon for my intrusion,
and will remain no To- ger.
Miss Hollener-I had not finished my SEN
tence, Mr.. Owens. By myself or with pleas
ant companion.
Mr. Owens And am / fortunate enough
to be regarded by you as pleasant compan-
ion?
Miss Rollener (,ciM demure snite) Well,
/ do not think you are so very unpleasant.
Mr.. Owens (edgerty)-Then may stay?
Miss Hollener-H you promise to be enter
tanning.
Mr.. Owens Taking seat on the opposite
side Of the tablet promise to try but am
afraid my powers of entertainment are but
small. Are you interested in scientific sub
jects?
Miss Hollener-Not at this moment, I'M
less old plates are scientific subjects. was
puzzling over these directing his attention
FORM as you see, a series of pictures. Nam
ma bought them at a sale The other day,
and they are ever so ancient, and conse-
quently ever so interesting. Are you learned
in earthernware lore? l hope you are and
can read the pictured story, for | am dying
it to know what all means. This one evident
ly represents an incident in the early youth
of the. hero and heroine; and this
Some one outside calls, "Ga5fieJle! Ga
- In Ill
Of her shoulders, tedres her chair, and takes
q .feac steps in the direction of the roice,
achen the caller, apparently satisfied that
the called is not acithin hearing, retreating,
she returns, and resumes her seat. Now,
if you please, commence, Mr. Owens.
Mr. Owens-You take it for granted, then,
that l am learned in earthware lore?
Miss Hollener-I do. | hear that you are
extremely clever, and have invented some
thing that the world has long been in need
of. You may, by and by, if you will be SO
kind, tell me all about it; but now am just
in the mood to listen to story.
Mr. Owens-And l, to confess the truth,
just in the mood to tell one. But trust ii
will not disappoint you. 1t is barely posi-
BILE, you know, to invent something the
world has long been in need. Of" and YET
lack cleverness as story-teller. But you
are growing impatient, and l hasten to be.
gin. The first plate, if you please. she
hands it to him. He studies 1t a moment
Once on a time Will that do for begin.
ming?
Miss ENTHUSIASTICALLY well. It car
ries me at once back to the days ofmy child
hood. They were happy days, Mr. Owens
doubt if have ever known happier.
Mr. Owens la gloaD of pleasure lighting
his facet Once ON time there lived in
the big house" of beautiful village a
lovely little girl with fair curls and the mos;
wonderful dark-gray eyes. She was an on.
ly child, and adored by her father and
mother and all the rest of the household, as
she well deserved to be, being the quaintest
brightest, and most generous little creature
that ever sang and danced through a merry
childhood. In the smallest house in the
village lived boy
Miss ENTHUSIASTICALLY boy?
Mr. Overs (grarely)-His mother thought
Miss Hollener-His eyes and hair?
Mr. Owens-Blue and black. if my memo
ry serves me Alright. He was the son of
pretty little woman, who, having at the age
of IL married for love poor German geolo
gist, found herself at 20 a widow with NO
money and baby boy. An old aunt tc
whom she applied for assistance offered hel
and her child home. That home was
the diminutive cottage to which 1 have al.
ready referred. Here she managed to make
living by the aid of her needle, the lady al
the ''big house" being her chief patroness
And the fact of the lady of the "big house,
being the chief patroness led to the two chill
dren growing up, as it were, together
From the very first the boy constituted him.
self the guardian and protector of the little
girl. He guided her first toddling steps
His was the first name she ever spoke. Anl
when she grew old enough to lead, he fol
lowed her faithfully. Never was knight in
older time more devoted to lady fair. YOU
see them here on the plate gathering black
berries. Her basket as you will observe, il
trimming over, while his is still empty.
Miss Hollener looking at the plate avitl
an appearance of great interesi)-Yes, so i
is. Pity everything is SO blue, including
can't see the loneliness of the little girl. HI
nose, am sure, is crooked, and her arm.
much too long. And the berries look lik,
pears. But perhaps berries did look like
pears in those days.
Mr. Owens-Well, time went or, and th,
playmates met almost every day, the par
ents of the grey eyed girl thinking only O
the blue-eyed boy as the son of a faithful de
pendent who had inherited his mother.
faithfulness, when one day--she was thel
II and he 14-they quarreled.
before?
Mr. Owens-Oh yes, many time. But thi
was the first serious quarrel. He had pre-
suned to reprove her for something she has
done.
Miss Holener-Had he never "pre
sumed to reprove herr before?
Dir Owens-Often. But this time he ad
ded to the reproof the remark that her con
duct had not only been unkind, but unlady
like; she had snatched her skipping rop
from the hands of a young darby who wa
surrepttiously enjoying q skip with it
The picture on the second plate represent
the quarrel. She is turning away from him
with flashing eyes, while she says: "Ant
yet am lady. But you seem to forge
what you area sewing-woman's boy, m,
mothers servants sonp'
Miss Hollener-Extremely rude and un
kind, after so many years of devotion on hi
part; but l dare say she was very sorry di
rectly after her ungrateful speech, and NJ
doubt regrets it till this day. But really
now, Mr.. Owens, do you think this illustra
ton good one? To me it does not lool
like quarrel at all. She is smiling sweetl