New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-20

part OF the drawlng-room tney VIII NC oceh W
They are .hideous things" said Lucilla pcut,,
| ing; they had much better remain In the deal
ave will look at them, at any rate said
| Mr.. Field. lie was hard-worked curate and had
| very few varieties in his life. Luciiia was de-
voted to him. 1t occurred 10 her while lie was
out that the excitem0nt Of opening rather small
| deal box might be good for hfm. She determined
push sae a Rsr about s she Ii
candles in the drawing room, and placed pretty
shaded lamp in such a position as to show on
| the tiny but tastefuly furnished room TO the
! best advantage. Between them, Jessie and she
| pushed the case which contained the vases into
Tbs USaS SsSs ap o ptoS
of expectancy by the time her husband returned.
He took of his coat and made q fuss ABOUT ABOUT
he lifted the lid, and LucilIas mirth was no longer
forced =, 40,
The vases had been packed evidently with
| great care and Field lifted them tendery out
OF their receptacle. They were tall-9uite two
feet high-their shape was very peculiar, their
cCGrne deep and RI, rich amber III The dragons Sss
something brilliant about their coloring. which
gave them the effect of being set in jewels. -,
h s as1 'q sS@ NOT Be- icy G1s K
valuable. When Powers comes will ask him to
aohl it is hideousl" said Lucilla; at is not
Il don't know that replied her husband; but,
valuable or not it is very quaint; \ tnink ~
will give our drawng-ronm decidedly unique ap.
pcarance. 1t will just fit too on that carved OAK
| shelf which put mp last week You Know Lu.
ella, | told you that the ornaments whicn YOU
put there were altogether inadequate to the sRc
and depth Of the shelf Now, these vases VIII
furnish il to perfection"
Lucila made no further comment. and the vases
were deposited with great care on the she'll. fieJu
busted them when he put them up, ana tnen
walked away to the other end Of the drawing
room to contemplate the effect.
They are very quaint" was his solitary remark
AS time went on Lucilla got accustomed % inc
vases in the course Of n few months she got so
accustomed TO them that she absolutely forgot
| their presence The fact was she had other ana
more important things TO occupy her attention
Field was q very poor man. and that thing
presently happened to him which is always dis
agreeable but especially so when II comes In the
train of empty purse. Arthur Field get INTO
bad health: he was not dangerously i'll, put ne
began to suffer from what may be termed " the
complaint of the are his nerves got out OF order
Like most curates in large towns, he was over
worked. and in process Of time overworlS began to
tell on him His tired nerves made him irritable;
he slept badly, he ate little he had always pale
face, the lines round his mouth, although sweet
were painfully So Field, although in the prime
of life, began to look old He was Just in the
condition when, had tho purse been full instead
of empty. his health might be completely restored
to him by 2 long sea VOYAGE by three or four
months in Switzerland, by change OF scene and
rest Of mind The poor man can neither. take
change Of scene nor do his cares often slip OIL
his shoulders. Field was obliged to stay in town,
and whether he liked it or not. whether it was
good for him or not. he had TO work.
Luclla frettcd good deal in private, but she
was brave young woman. and she never allowed
any of her secret anXieties to become apparent 10
her husband. She did not allude again to he, her
discussed between this pair
One day Field came in and said with a. shadow
of his former brightness
"By the way. Lucy. ran up against Power to-
day in Highest: he is staying here until to.mor
row. asked him to come in this evening and
look at the vases"
"What vases ?" asked Lucilla. She had abso
lutelv forgotten her old aunts yellow dragon vases
Those that your aunt left you, my love-" re-
piled her husband. I" The more look at them the
more certain am that they are irresistbly quaint
and uncommon. Power is q judge OF china.
and should like his opinion of them"
"Very we'll" said Lucilla; "only nothing will
ever change my view with regard to those ugly
Ugly / grant said Field; but in their
ugliness also lies their charm"
Lucilla raised her brows-she said nothing
| further-she was making a mental calculation with
| regard to ways and means; she wanted to have
| something very nice for Mr. Powers supper, anu
she had scarcely any money to buy delicacies
| with 49,
| At the appointed time the guest arrived. He
face face and a bright, brisk manner He and Field
| had been at Trinity College, Cambridge, together.
Power was much more successful man than Field
| i'm his profession He lived in London OF course
After = few words of conversation. FIELD fetched
q step-ladder, and, mounting IL, carefuliy removed
the two vases from their shelf. lie took cut a
silk handkerchief and busted them tenderly then
he turned to his friend and looked anxiously at
him for his verdict Lucilla, seeing the solemn eX-
preston OH her husbands face, began to laugh.
Arthur is quite romantic over those frightful
things" she said to MIR. Power. Pray, put him
quench false hopes. The things are hideous, are
Not at ALL" said Power. He lifted one of the
vases In his hand, turned it to the light, tried to
discover some sort of inscription on the base OF
the stem, twisted it. round and round, and finally
replaced il on the table.
"Well ?" said Field
they are valuable" said Power. suddenly.
to take them up to Christie's."
Lucills claSped her hands.
What" she exclaimed, her color coming and
going DO YOU mean-do you think those-those
Mr. Power turned and looked hard into the face
They may" he said slowly Yes, am in
But how much? Do-do tell me-"
| at is impossible for me TO say"
"a ten-pound mole, perhaps?" queried Arthur
Power gave him a lightning glance. =.
! Il feel confident you may reckon on that sum,
| he said If they are valueess from q collector s
point of view, the coorng is so rich that they are
| sure to be bought for purposes OF dseoratlon.
"Oh Arthur" said Iucila. She went up to
her husband and impulsively laid her hand on mis-
Field smiled into her eyes. -.
! do you want to sell them, my love-" he
! asked. ne,
Yes, yesl" she replied i they fetch flo we
| can 40 away for little holiday"
you are certain to get 60" said Power. Field.
YOU do not look well. Are you in need OF hell-
| day?'
MY wife says So" replied Field.
| Then why not go? -,
| Field made no answer at all to this but, leaving
the room. he returned in few moments with the
! wooden case in which the vases had been sent
! from Red Cross House some months ago. The
| two men packed them with extreme care. and the
next day they travelled up to LONDON unoer inc
| care Of John Power go . -,
| There was a good deal Of illness In the large
manufacturing town where Field worked, and he
was 20 busy lust now visiting the sick, and seoth-
| ING the agonies of the dying and Of the bereaved
L cnlonrrN MI