The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-06-02

IcI purse anu LAoh@J "N 00
gone!
Her waiter stood beside her with
outstretched hand, faint smile of in
credulity on his smooth countenance.
People who could not find their purses
were by no means rare.
"But have lost itl'' faltered poor
Nan, pale and trembling with terror
and distress, cor else someone has
stolen it from me-my purse with u
sovereign in it,"
Curtis Van Tassels had heard every
word. He looked at Nan critically,
and at the same time sympathetical-
Iy.
A brilliant idea came to him.
STOPPING down, quick as thought he
distracted sovereign from his own
pocket.
Nan had not seen the action, but
the quick witted waiter had.
81 beg your pardon" Curtis said
quickly and courteously, "hut / think
this must be the missing coin. Doubt
less you have taken it out Of your
purse, laid it beside your plate, and
then forgotten it. Very lucky !
chanced to look down.
"How can l ever thank you, sirv
Nan exclaimed, while the waiter gave
Curtis slight wink, and discreetly
kept all knowledge Of the little ruse
to himself.
But diligent search on Mans part
aided by both the Waiter and Van
Tassels, brought no purse to light
and she was compelled to go home
without it. How the money could be
there and not the purse was a mystery
she was unable to solve.
Only day or two later Curtis was
passing Harrison's picture shop when
a painting in the window attracted
his attention. It's execution was grace.
full and vigorous, but it was the cen.
tral figure in it that he noticed. 1t was
the very girl whom he met at the
cafe.
II am a fool" he thought, as he
entered and asked the price of the
picture.
But for all that he bought it, pay
ing twenty pounds for it, though Mr..
Harrison thou Lght that the artist would
consider ten pounds a munifcent
sum.
"Very fine indeed" Mr.. Harrison
said, volubly, glad of chance to
make a bargain even if it brought nc
money into his own pocket, "and q
perfect likeness of the artist--Miss
Kendall, sir. Ifshe wasn't as poor as
church mouse the world would have
heard of her long ago. I'll be bound.
Curtis though so too, and wanted
very much to know Miss Kendall's
address, but be did not say so.
"My mother has long wished to
have her portrait painted" he said
artfully, "but wants it to be the work
of a lady's brush. Do you think if
sent Miss Kendall photograph she
would copy an oil portrait from it?"
"She would be only too glad, Mr..
Van Tassels" said Mr.. Harrison, eff:
fusively, "and couldn't get q lady
better fitted for the work than She"
And Nan worked diligently and
happily on her first order, never dream
ing by what chain of circumstances
the loss of her purse had brought all
this good fortune.
She knew nothing about Mr.. Van
Tassels, except that he had purchased
"Under the Lilacs" and was so pleas
ed with it that he wanted his mothers
portrait from the same brush.
II hope he will like it," she said, on
the very afternoon when Curtis Van
Tassels was coming for the finished
picture. 81 have certainly done my
BEST"
Mr.. Van Tassels did like it, and he
liked the little artist, too-so we'll
that he came again and again on one
pretext or another.
And before many months he had
asked Nan Kendall to marry him, and
she had answered eyes"
"Nan,' said Curtis quizzically, one
day, "did you ever lose a sovereign"
Nan stared and laughed.
"What do you mean, Curtis,' she
said. mo; but thought l did, last
Spring"
"Thought you did!' Curtis exclaim-
ed. "Why, didn't you really lose it?''
"Curtis, you are not the gentleman
who-"
Nan stopped.
"Yes,' nodded Curtis Van Tassels,
with smiling lips.