Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1895-01-24
"A STORY OF TEACUPS.

of painting; IN mine, let me whisper,
it is rare old book with illuminated
covers, and in the Jennings family it
them, delicate set of blue India
china
The Jennings live in roomy, old
fashioned farmhouse, with broad
porch and high pillars, fronting on
the lake. 1t was this that suggested
their taking summer boarders. Mr..
and Mrs. Briarley discovered them
first and knocked at the door and
begged to be taken in, and Mr.. 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
is so crowded that the gentlemen talk
about hanging themselves up in trees
for the night, and some of them have
gone so far as to hang themselves
up in hammocks out on the broad
veranda
Although Mrs. Jennings is proud of
her blue china she does not faunt it
before the eyes of her less fortunate
boarders, whether for fear of exciting
their envy or that aDsent-minded Mr..
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 plate with too hot
water, do not know. Certain it is
that it is only on fttingly rare occa-
sions that the rare china is placed at
our service.
The first time l saw it was on Mrs.
Briarleys 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 boar}er stopped short
and gazed with delight upon the white
cloth, and the dainty, aristocratic
blue and white china with its faring
cups, deep saucers and flat little
plates. Mrs. Briarley looked pleased
as a girl, and Dolly, who is her seven
year-old daughter, seized Mr.. 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 Mr.. Van Duyne if it hadn't
been for Dolly. 1t is my honest opinion
that he would have starved to death.
He never, under any circumstances,
heard the belize was always too
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 general favorite with
all of us, and the only child about.
used to wonder sometimes 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 playhouse, y
she called it, in field somewhere ad-
joining the orchard. Mrs. Jennings
frequently gave her cake and cookies
for tea parties to be held with her
dolls in her playhouse. Mr.. Van
Duyne was, l think, the only real
live" person who had ever been in
vited to attend. He told me when he
came back that he meant to make a
picture of it" But, dear me! if Mr..
Van Duyne had painted all the pic
lures he meant to paint, or, for that
matter, finished all those he began,
there would have been sufficient to
furnish an art gallery.
R11t of hn n
Dolly were the best of friends, and the
night of Mrs. Briarley's birthday WED
with each other in their lavish admir-
alton OF the blue china tea set.
Either there were no birthdays after
that or no ole OF SO much Importance
as A-rs, Briarley, for ordinary china
suficed each meal Then Mr.. Briarley
was suddenly called home on business
and Mrs. Briarley and Dolly went with
him.
1t was rather lonesome after this
and everything moved along in a very
calm, uneventful sort Of way until the
day of my birthday. 1 don't know
how in the world they found ou
that it was my birthday, I'm
less Mr.. Van Duyne saw it in Dolly
birthday book" But, as I found GU
afterwards, Mrs. Jennings had beef
planning d surprise for me- There wa
a birthday cake baked for me, and tn,
blue china was to appear in my homo
-until-but see here, I'm going to tel
it to you just as IL came to me.
I was sitting on the veranda in tn
hammock, feeling pretty hungry, TO
it was just half an hour before te
time, when Mrs. Jennings came bust
ling out the front door, looking YER
hot and worried, and sank down in tn
chair at my side.
''Miss Wright" she exclaimed, "wha
do you suppose has become of four @
my blue china cups?"