Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-07-17
Epening Story
THE. JAPANESE JUG.

THE JAPANESE JUG.
.. sy Sylvia Turner.
Copyright 1917, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
But there's no place for it, pro.
tested Evelyn. 81 am so sick and tired
of these baby white elephants that
people call wedding gifts l don't know
what to do, and it's blue and white.
Imagine that with Jacobean furniture
and dull olive decorations. think III
put it in the bathroom. 1t goes beauti.
fully with the white thing"
You poor fish"
"Bennie-?
Il mean goldfish darling. Don't
you know the value of that thing?"
The recent bridegroom stood before
the long dark oak table beaming on
the object that had just emerged from
many wrappings. It was nearly two
feet high-a jug of blue and white
porcelain. About it coiled In sinuous
folds most engaging dragon.
Uncle Barnaby has collected
Chinese porcelains ever since can
remember ;" informed the young hus.
band. Liam sure it is worth its
weight in gold. Well have to make q
place for it somewhere. II were III
your place would get pedestal"
What kind of a pedestal?' asked
Evelyn scornfully.
"Oh. a sort of white one Ben
tried TO make his tone genial. You
know what l mean. The kind they put
them on up at the museum"
Il know she said gloomily. Par
ian marble. Just bring me half doz-
en- when you come home, dearest"
Ben eyed the jar appraisingly.
I'll bet l could bring hundred il l
had what that is worth" he said.
"You know, Eve, Uncle Barnaby's tho
queerest old duffer. He lives all alone
at Crag-y-More up on the Hudson. His
name is Barnaby Wynne-Jones. and
he was born in Wales. haven't seen
him since I was i'll knee brooches. l
believe he has general susof"ion
that everybody ia after his money.
and that has sort of alienated me
family. bet if he could see my bride
he'd be glad that he sent such a gift"
THE dear old thing" Evelyn said,
happily. Lets invite him down for
week. Perhaps he'd take fancy to
you, and do something wonderful"
The following month Uncle Barn
ably arrived. He was little, light-eyed
alert man. with not very much to say,
but nothing escaped his ken. Almost
the first thing he spied was the porcc-
lain jar on its pedestal in the sunny
dining room. Evelyn had put tall
sprays of Towering almond in it and a
Japanese print on the wall behind it.
The pedestal was of ivory white, after
all, but 1t really made very attract
i've corner.
'.Humph!" said the old gentleman.
.Looks pretty good, doesn't it,"
1--WE prize 1t highly" Ben answered
reverently: And Eve added:
'.1've been up to the library and
read up all about Japanese and Chi.
nese porcelains."
"You did, did you? Then you prob.
ably found out that this is an imita'
ton
The silence in the dining room for a
moment was unbroken. Eve did not
dare look at Ben. She was thinking
very rapidly. An almost irresistible
temptation stole over her At least
she had kept Ben from buying an ex.
pensive pedestal to put the jar on.
YES Uncle Barnaby went on
pleasantly, 81 flatter myself it's one Of
the best limitations have seen. had
a lot of them made before l started
disposing OF my collection don't sup
pose you heard. Ben, two Of the COM
panies had stock in went up in
smoke. so to speak. I've been riding
close to the wind for good many
years. One reason why came down
hers was to look around quietly for
tidy little job of some sort. haven't
told anybody else in the family about
this, but you've always been a steady
going sort OF boy, and you were coun-
try bred. too. I'll tell you, Ben, Chi
nese porcelains and Japanese jars
can't satisfy man when he's lone
some"
1.-THE worst of it is Ben told his
wife that night. you can't tell
whether he's joking or in earnest.
He's regular old Bre'r Rabbit for
cleverness. He's just as liable to tell
us all that just to see how we'll take
It and how Well treat him. | don't
believe he's lost everything he had"
''Well. I'll tell you. Evelyn was
braiding her long brown hair thought
fully. as she sat before the three-fold
mirror of the dressing table. Let's
treat him just as II we believed every
thing he said There's one comfort. IL
the old thing does get broken now
it doesn't matter I'm rather sorry
invited Miss Rutherford up for tea to
look at it,
Don't tell her." advised Ben.
''Oh but she'll know, she's con-
noisseur on porcelains.
TI,a Soll1u,;po SATURDAY. Ann NIL