Arizona republican., 1895-01-15

was a possibility or impossibility
of finding four blue china tea
cups. But our efforts were of no
avail Poor Mrs. Jennings rang the
bell for tea with tears in her eyes, and
the blue china was not brought forth
in my honor, for the dear lady said
she wasn't going to risk losing the
rest of it"
Mr.. Van Duyne returned to the city
the next morning, carrying with him
his easel, his palettes, his numerous
paints and brushes and the many,
many unfinished sketches, and Mrs.
Jennings and I turned our attention
to searching the pantry and china
closet for the seventh or eighth time,
but nothing came of it.
You don't suppose that Miss Lee
Ainsworth would have carried them
off for her collection" Mrs. Jennings
asked me.
"Oh, my, mol" 1 answered, Mortified
at the idea. "She's from one of the
best families in Philadelphia, and, any
way why WOu1u BIC pdhC 1Oul uClSupo
and not anything else?"
81 don't know, I'm sure" Mrs. Jen-
nings said, meekly; ''but folks do get
so crazy over china they'll do most
anything sometimes
When the day came for me to leave
Mrs. Jennings, 1 babe her good-by
and expressed the hope that her blue
china cups might be found.
But they never will be, Miss
Wright" she said, gloomily. 81
haven't any hope of them left" and
Farmer Jennings, who was waiting in
the buggy to take me to the station,
looked down upon us encouragingly
and said:
well, well, wife, 1 wouldn't give up
a hoping, for things sometimes does
happen in the most unexpected way"
And they do, as Mrs. Jennings will
testify now. l didn't hear about it
until the next summer. Mrs. Jennings
said: 'They meant to write me, but
they never got at it"
had hardly alighted at their door,
and Mrs. Jennings still was holding
my hand in cordial welcome, when she
exclaimed triumphantly:
''Well, found them"
"The china teacups? You did
where?" l asked breathlessly.
cpl show you,' she said, and she led
me into the parlor up to large, hand
somely framed picture on the wall.
looked at it in wonder. Dolly Briar-
ley was looking on at me from the
canvas with her dark, mischief-loving
eyes. 1t was beautiful spot, with
overhanging trees, and festoons of Gle
mats and wild grapevine, and under
1eath the trees in striking contrast to
the deep green of the grass, white
cloth was laid, and on the cloth-did
not my eyes deceive memo, there
were Enthusiastically Mrs. Jennings
faring little blue china teacups There
were also cookies and tarts and little
pie in the way Of viands, and to par
take of the feasts were Dolly's four
dolls, propped bolt upright on each
side of the cloth.
Mrs. Jennings and l stared at each
other for d moment, and then burst
out laughing. At last Mrs. Jennings
wiped her eyes and endeavored to stife
her peals of merriment.
1T was that Mr.. Van Duyne," she
said. 'You remember how wild he
was over that china set the night of
Mrs. Briarley's birthday?"
YES" answered, land he told me
once he meant to make picture of
Dolly's playhouse, but l never thought
that he would"
Just let me tell you all about it,
continued Mrs. Jennings. After you
went away it went along, l guess, two
months anyhow it was getting quite
goldfish weather. One night after the
milking and the chores were done, Mr..
Jennings drove up to the Center to
get the mail, and to have the oilcan
filed, and at the post office they told
him that the man over to the express
Office left word for him to call for q
package. Well, he went over and got
it, and it was such big, queer pack
age, and he not having sent for any
thing anywhere, he drove home fast
to see what it was, and where it was
from. He tied the horse out to the
hitching-post and came right il
with it.
Il hurried up and got the shears
and Josiah out with his jackknife ant
we got it open and the papers off from
around it, and it was picture. An(
we set it upon the dining-room tabl'
and Josiah held the lamp up over m.
shoulder and we just looked at it
There was Mr.. Van Duyne's carr
stuck in one side of the frame, but
didn't see that at all at first. / wa
looking at the picture, and Josial
didn't say word, for he was looking