The Monticellonian., 1895-01-04
A STORY OF TEACUPS.

There Is almost always in every fam fly some one thing that is it's special pride. In yours it may be choice bit of painting; Tn mine, let me whisper, 1t is q rare old book with illuminated covers, and in the Jennings family it Is, andihas been ever since have known them, delicate set of blue India china.
 The Jennings live in roomy, old fashioned farmhouse, with d broad porch and high pillars, fronting on the lake. It was this that suggested their taking summer boarders. Mir. and Mrs. Briarley discovered them first and knocked at the door and begged to be taken In, and Mir. and Mrs. Jennings hadn't the heart to send them away Next year they told their friends, and l was one of them, and all their friends told their friends, until now every summer the Jennings house l is so crowded that the gentlemen talk about hanging themselves mp in trees for the night, and some of them have gone so far as to hang themselves up In hammoelSs out on the broad veranda.
 Although Mrs Jennings is proud of her blue china she does not Haunt 1t before the eyes of her less fortunate boarders, whether for fear of exciting their envy or that aosent-minded Mr 1 Van Duyne, the artist, should tip over | his tea and knock off the handle of his cup, or that Mary in the kitchen should crack q plate with too hot water, do not know Certain it is that it is only on tittingly rare occa- sions that the rare china is placed at our service.
 The first time saw it was on Mrs, Briarley's birthday. When the bell rang for tea, and we all came rushing in from the orchard, the rocks down by the lake and the hammocks on the veranda, every boardcr stopped short and gazed with delight upon the white cloth, and the dainty. aristoeratie blue and white china with it's flaring cups, deep sancers and flat little plates. Mrs Briarley looked pleased us Il girl, and Dolly, who is her seven year-old daughter, seized Mir Van Duyne by both hands and they pro- ceeded to execute some sort of wild fantastic dance across the whole length of the dining-room.
 really don't know what would have become of Mir Van Duync if it hadn't been for Dolly. ltis my honest opinion that he would have starved to death, He never. under any circumstances heard the bcll-hc was always toe deeply engrossed in "A Study of the Rocks or "The Coming Twilight. Dolly had constituted him her special charge, and at the first sound of the teabell she started forth to hunt him up. Dolly was u general favorite with all of us, and the only child about used to wonder somet times If she didn't get lonesome, but she seemed very well content with us grown-up folks and at times would take her dolls and go off by herself to her play house, she called it, in a field somewhere ad joining the orchard. Mrs. Jenning. frequently gave her cake and cookies for tea parties to be held with he dolls in her playhouse. Mir. Val Duyne was, l think, the only "rea live" person who had ever been in vited to attend. He told me when h, came back that he meant to make picture of it" But, dear me! if Mir Van Duyne had painted all the pie lures he meant to paint or, for thai matter, finished all those he began there would have been sufficient tc furnish an art gallery.
 l I(ut r4iattraS nY. mo r,iatt,rac ba a T, I Dolly were the best of friends, and the night of Mrs. Briarley's birthday vied with each other in their lavish admir-. ation of the blue china tea set.
 Either there were no birthdays after 1 that or no one of so much importance as Mrs. Briarley, for ordinary china sufliced each meal. Then Mir Briarley was suddenly called home on business, and Mrs. Briarley and Dolly went with him.
 It was rather lonesome after this, and every thing moved along in very calm, uneventful sort of way until the how in the world they found out that it was my birthday, un- less Mir. Van Duyne saw it in Dollys "hirthday book But, as fourd out afterwards, Mrs. Jennings had been planning surprise for me. There was birthday cake baked for me, and the blue china was to appear in my honor -until-but see here, I'm going to tell it to you just as it came to me.
 l was sitting on the veranda in the hammock, feeling pretty hungry, for it was just half an hour before tea time, when Mrs. Jennings came bust ling out the front door, looking very hot and worried. and sank down in the chair at my side.
 Miss Wright" she exclaimed, what do you suppose has become of four oi my blue china cups?'
 -Four of your blue china eupsr' echoed, staring at her. Cant you find them?"
 No can't" she answered. in a voice that sounded as if she was just ready to cry.
 "oh, we'll, never mind," l sait soothingly, the girl must have mis placed them"
 Do you think sop she asked, bright ening up little, and then in tone O despair: "But I've looked just abou everywhere I've been hunting for straight hour"
 Let me go and help you l said