The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-12-03
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rhe Bfoeade Bag.
lnxKATE EpMoAns.

brocade in peacock shades Larry
Deane had given 1t to her on heF
Birthday, shortly after their engage
ment, and she cherished It above
all her treasures save the beautiful
cluster OF diamonds on her finger
Because she was quarreling WIN
Larry, she had willfully included
the bag In her wrath and twisted
It mercileSsly on the end OF its
golden cords.
THE cord will break and ypu
will lose the bag" cautioned LarTy'
with a mans regard for values.
TT is quite strong" retorted
, Olive, quite unpleasantly.
~ don't suppose 1t would matter
II you did lose IT," went on Larry
IN q frigid tone.
Olive pondered proVokingly'
There arc some really precious
things in II = my vanity case, my
gold purse, the philopena gift JOG
Watterson gave me, one of his
letters, and
.'Isn't that enough?" glared Lar
ry, for they had been dIsaGveetnS
about Joe's attentions to olive:
Enough letters from Joe? Well.
he Is interesting, Larry-so good
tempered. One enjoys him, you
know"
II know one who doesn't enjoy
him-although he's a cheerful sort
OF an idiot"
THE cheerful ones are the incest.
Just the same" tossed Olive
G her shoulder as his little gray
roadster turned into the driveway
of her fathers house.
"Hmmmnll" remarked Larry dis
agreeably.
released her hand, he discovered
that She had left the CluBter-of-
dlEmond ring In his palm. He
grew white and stared at her.
hYou mean that, Oliver"
"Of course"
WHY"
you do not trust me-you are
Jealous"
/ said nothing until you criticised
my dancing with EIla-well. what
does 1t matter? II you really cared,
you could not play with happiness
+ in this way. GoOdby." he said.
! and jumping into the little gray
car, which had been their com
panton on so many joyful occa-
sions. and which had been the
scene Of their betrOthal. Larry
drove madly down the drive.
On the yeranda. OLIVE watched
him with unbclievIng eyes; as he
vent the gray car became q blur
because she was crying. When her
mother Inquired why she wept.
olive confessed that she had lost
her beautiful brocade bag.
How Careless" chided Mrs.
Dare. Perhaps it Is In the car.
"No-no-plense do notI I have
given Larry back his rIng-aud
I've lost his bag-and-I-ne-vsr
want any Of them back again." an
nounced Miss Dare in a w~avering
tone.
"You havo lost something very
precious" remarked her mother
sadly.
iFhe bag didn't have much In 1t
Just a Observation-Disclosures note from
Joe Watterson and a few other
things"
II did not mean the bag - I
meant Larry" was Mrs. Dare's quiet
reply.
"some bird!" calculated Larry.
as the little gray a Poked along
through a>pleasant byway on the
road home. His gaze was fixed on
a BIT OF brilliant blue-green perched
in a shnd bush beside the road.
The sun caught the sheen Of gold
and tossed back the briIlianCe OF
a peacock's plumage.
"Slive's bag" he calculated. rec
oEnizfng 1t with a pang. and the
little gray car stopped abruptly.
Larry took the bag from It's perch
aud studied the gorgeous peacocks
woven into tho fabric. The golden
cord that served as q handle was
broken and he realized that, in the
heat OF their argument, Olive had
unwittingly swung the bag once
too often and lost It. Perhaps she
had done It Intentionally, some.
thing whispered in his ear, but he
dashed suspicion aside.
Jealousy came to take Its place.
She had said Joe Watterson's letter
was there-ruthlessly he pulled the
bag open and looked; tho golden
purse, the foolish pencil Joe had
given her-it looked like o stick of
peppermint candy some letters
which he recognized as his own
and one penciled scrawl which
might be Joe's. Suddenly, he did
not care about Joe. His own let
tiers made the bag precious to her
naughty little thing. He must
bear with her! He had not touched
the contents OF the bag, and now
lle dropped the engagement ring
inside and drew the cord tightly.
Just then he heard footsteps. hurry
ing.
Larry hung the bag on the shad
bush and tho little scampered
to a bend In the road and waited
breathlessly. Larry peered through
the underbrush.
1t was Olive.
She was hatless and quite pink
with running. There were traces
Of tears on her soft cheeks and her
lips were very pathetic.
When she saw the brocade bag
she uttered a soft cry Of pleasure,
and snatching It from the bush.
Rugged 1t to hor lips.
"Fou dear, dear thtngl" she