The Opelousas courier., 1891-11-28
THE %CL0VER'BAG
BY MARY KYLE DALLAS.

LHat L daTsen Z ask MIN Tor a new box of
colors. should have liked to make you
= handsomer present, but you will have
to take the will for the deed, Jasper
at is very pretty, indeed, and 1 shall
never look at it without thinking of
you," said Jasper. ''1ll hang it up
where | can see it as soon as I open my
eyes. What shall | keep in it"
"Weil, it will hold photographs"
said Dotty.
"And | have a hundred" said Jasper.
give OF you, mother and father, all nv
brothers and sisters, Aunt and Uncle
Brown, Aunt and Uncle Jones, the men,
bers of the choir at Allentown, lots of
girls"
"Of girls2" repeated Dotty, solemnly.
"They always give their photographs
to me. / don't know Why" said Jasper.
II never ask for them
"You begged for mine, . said Dotty.
"oh, you are Different" cried Jasper.
II needed yours. The only one but
yours | ever
"Oh, you confess, eh?' cried Dotty.
II didn't ask for that. l only said I
thought it pretty" said Jasper.
1t was plain from the sudden fading of
Dotty's smile that he had not bettered
matters, and he stopped.
but whose was it2' asked Dotty.
"Oh, it was only Jennie Graham said
Jasper. ut was the way it was finished
of-the toning and touching up, I
meant, that was pretty. It was fine,
don't you see, as a photograph, and /
was doing a good deal in the amateur
way just then, and was interested in
methods. It was not as Jennie Ora.
hams portrait that I cared for it,"
Dotty was occupied in pulling out the
bows Of ribbon that adorned the bag,
and said nothing. She had never seen
Jennie Graham, but she had heard her
spoken Of as beautiful, and she did not
quite believe Jaspar.
In later years a woman comes to know
that it is not always the girl he thinks
the handsomest that a man loves best; |
but she cannot believe that while she
is still very young.
Dotty was aware that she was only nice
looking, and she could notesee herself |
as Others saw her, especially Jasper
Meredith, and know just how nice
Jasper had been paying her attention
fer a long while, but as yet they were
not actually engaged.
After Jasper had gone away with his
bir hday present, and she had betaken
herself to her own room, she felt a little
plqued to think that Jasper had told her
about those photographs of other girls
that he should keep in her presence.
Particularly she hated to think Of
Jennie Graham's portrait lying in that
bag of heliotrone silk, on which she had
a four-leaved clover. which she
1ad stitched with the tiniest stitches,
ind shirred So carefully and lined so
with pale green silk, quilted in
diamonds and ~perfumed with heliotrope
:achet powder.
She did not dream of making a bower
or Jennie Graham's picture l beauty. If
had said, II will keep it for your
ohotographs-Yours Alone" that would
been q pretty speech.
Suddenly she remembered that she also
nad photographs-those of her boy
the likenesses of two young men
who were engaged to her dearest school
who had sent them to Ter that
The might see what charming persons
hey were to marry.
Then there was the photograph she
lad bought in a s~tationer's store when
ne was only fourteen years old, aud was
an aunt in. New York-the pho.
osraph Of a young actor, who had played
part she fancled at q matinee perform
nee.
oh, she had teni Some were in her
,ureau some in her trunk; her cousins
. the album the fascinating actor on a
op shelf, with some old stereoseopic pic.
ures she had tired of long ago.
She would hunt them all up and show
hem to Jaspsr the very next time he
anne, and give him a pang Of jealousy.
lie deserved it for even dreaming of
Jennie Graham's photograph in
ne bag that was her love.gift.
Dotty did not sleep for some time after
oming to this resolution, and she cried
little and said to herself that nothing
life was quite satisfactory.
Such resolutions are often swept away:
ut Dotfy Tome awoke to find hers quite /
J firm by daylight as it was when the
Don shone in at her bedroom window. {
After breakfast she hunted up a pretty
box that Jasper had given her i
II her note-paper, and collected her por- |
ats. Bluff Cousin Hal and jolly Cousin
hilip, Ann Moreland's ~financee and /
Iartha Green's ssdarling Tom,'' gentle !
Y. Mlldmar, the minister, who had q
life and FIVE children. His wife had
wen her this picture to show her how +
: looked as a college boy. {
The young actor, VIyiaa ST. Claire, I
bat great eyes he was making, to-be-
Irel Exactly as he did when he said. !
must part now, bat we shall meet ,
,aiD, when be babe farewell to the (
vely maiden of the Rlay she saw him /
The others were nobody in particular
cept Simon Todd, who used TO be a
ig clerk in tie towa, and who had !,
Tered himself and been declined with Z
anks. !,
These, all arranged carefully in a box, !
placed il the front parlor, and when
sper next called, Dofty was examining \
EN- with q sentimental expression, aud
deeply absorbed in her occupation :
At. really, she did not hear him enter. !
asHula0 Dofta ho 9aid ,~l,ftsrn ~. y
nk ear softly. !,
'sOn, you'll she said hooking up.
)ear me- was miles asv3sfs ].