The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1901-09-03
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THE OLD
BLUE JAR
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NilltOwn for the summer she made up
her mind that she would bend all her
energies TO whccdlc Aunt Phrhc out of
the old blue ginger jar that Uncle
Julius had brought home from China,
little thinking that the old slant eyed,
fat sided mandarin would take such
iocdlar interest i'm her joys and sor-
rows.
The old blue Jar had perched for
many years on the corner of the high I.
mantelpiccc in the old fashioned coun- |
try parlor and Aunt Phoebe knew that .
IF she gave it TO Clcmcntinc she would |
have n dreadfully lonesome feeling |
evcr4 time she stood on n chair to dust |
the ,lld clock, the shells the peddler |
vases. the leather fans ana other com |
panons Of It's lofty abode. But Glenn |
entne was an accomplished wheedlcr,
and the fond old aunt finally said she
might have her wish.
When Aunt phUbe gave over 10
Clemcntne her right and title to the
old blue jar, Randall was leaning in
the window and idly sitting rose leaves
from the old climbing vine through the
meshes Of his tennis racket lie sympa-
the antique and unique IN china and
was glad that she had attained her
hearts desire but n more absorbing in
terest possessed his manly breast
Clcmentne was going home in the
morning. and he had been trying In
vain for several days 70 get the feeble
courage Of his ardent convictions up
to the declarative point. She was such
a lively. fun loving girl, and love, you
know. is such intensely serious busi-
ness. Several times Randall fancicd
he had found her IN sober and prop
erly receptive frame of mind, when
with a trinIng jest she would defeat
his intention and put the little god to
flight.
Now, however. when the slant eyed
mandarin on the blue jar winked at
him through the vines, Randall said TO
him5lf enthusiastically:
"Well, old boy that's the very thing!
Thank you for the bright idea, Are
they all as clever as you are over in
ChnaY
That night. In his room under the
caves, ne constructed an eloquent let
ter to Clementine and In the early
morning sncakcd into the parlor and
deposited it i'm the robust bosom of the
old plue mandarin.
'It she finds ii before she goes home,
IL is all right" said the timorous, ador-
ing fellow. "and If she doesn't find II
until afterward it will be all right too -
But the mandarin felt a little funny
that day, so when Clementine packed
I...,. e..
ginger jar full of her silken hose, that
the precious article might take no risks
of breakage In its voyage. SO Whe'
Randall parted from her at the station
she made no sign of knowing anything
I'm particular, and his hopeful heart de
clded that she would surely find tn,
letter when she reached home, ana h'
would then hear from her.
Now. Clemiutine was a girl who aS
ways had a great many things on he
mind. and when she had unpaclled tn,
treasured jar and placed it on n daint.
table in her pretty parlor-with sci
congratulatory thought that it was 81
respectable TO have things that one
relative had brought from China-sh
wholly forgot the curious load that th
mandarin had on his breast. She misse,
her silkcn hose, Of course and pestere
Aunt Phoebe with messages abOu
them.
In Mnltown, as you may imagine
Randall waited for the answer 20 hi
letter. Awhile he waited patiently
then impat.guty awhile, and the
dlved into his l'w books with tina
"composurc Of settled distress" whic
lovers have known in every age an
cline. lie did not dream that the Sian
eyed mandarin would be guilty of IN
ungentlemanly trick Of intercepting
love letter.
But the fun loving mandarin kneV
what he was about. He was not will
out experience in these matters. an
he wanted to punish Clementinc
trihe and bring her to the proper COZ
'dtion Of seriousness.
And Clementine was feeling the sitl
otion with all the sobriety that was d'
slrable She had suspected all sun
mer that Randall had tender feelin
for her which she felt qualified 10 n
cprocate, but she was proud girl an
could not by a feathers weight INIT
ence the balance of his attention
Wherefore behind her smiles she Ia
been not n little wounded that he ha
allowed her to come home without ha'
J ing given expression to his sentiment
So she, too, now took on Il sob'
countenance and banished thought an
regret by Joining several new clul
and taking membership in two or thr'
more charitable organizations.
lust before Christmas Randall OF
day experienced IN his breast a sort