The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-12-01
Sweet DIaphne's
Hope Box
By MURIEIL BLAIR.
e~~c~e~~~ee~sS~~e~~~~~e~@s

'sThe lace Es exquisite, spoke
Daphne, glancing with taste and pleas
IRE over the neck collar neatly done
up In tissue paper with dainty
sachet bag beside 1t. Nellie Is very
thoughtful"
They had been great friends. those
three. ALI through Nellie's engage
nnent Mary and Daphne had been clos
est to her Of her many acquaintance
She had promised not TO forget them
when she reached the city ON her we'd
ding tour. Now Nellie had redeemed
her promise
II shall wear the collar at the reg
uiar club party next week" said
Mary. aYou will be there, DaphneT
II think not. My aunt Is not very
well, ron know, and needs me most
Of the time. Besides and Daphne
gave a nervous laugh. II fear | am
getting past the party age, Mary"
Nonsense r. cried her devoted
friend. 'Twenty-three and you look
like sixteen"
81 shall put the collar away In my
hope box /" said Daphne.
Just here Mary made a pretense of
clinchlng her pretty pink and white
Asts and grinding her pearly teeth in
a feint Of the most dreadful rage.
Daphne Willis" she scolded Sc
verely, Eff ever / happen across that
hope box Of Yours. T'll-I'lI stamp on
it; yes, WILL"
That's enough" retorted Daphne.
closing the CHEEKY lips Of her staunch
champion with q kiss-"I know am
beginning TO feel very old. and think
II duty TO be prepared II any likely
old bachelor-why, yes, even some re-
spectacle widower-shouId happen
along, you know -
It was all a joke, Daphne's hope
box" q feminine conceit that APP
pealed to Daphne because it led to
pleasant quip and gossip among her
bright girl friends. In her own mind
Daphne felt pretty well convinced that
she would never marry.
Her hope box was a satin-lined
cedar chest, given TO her by dear
girl friend one birthday.
It was nearly a year after the we'd
ding. of Nellie that Daphne received a
letter from a cousin who lived at Mer-
ton. She had been In correspondence
regularly with this relative, and sew
eral times Miss Dalby had referred to
q neighbor, Mr.. Paul Barnes.
81 have great news for you,
Daphne" this Lash letter ran. 81 have
often told you what fine young man
Mr.. Barnes was. His parents left
him quite an estate, and / suppose he
got lonely in the old homestead. At
any rate, he is about to marry, and
what do you think he has picked out
the poorest girl In the village. 1t lie
one Lima Temple She is so poor her
folks cannot afford any kind of an
outfit, and very quietly some friends
and myself are helping her out. II
you have any little tribes to contrib
ute, shall be glad"
Good-hearted Daphne had something
Of q struggle with herself. Then heI
generous soul impelled a sacrifice.
81 shall never marry" she said to
herself. 81 shall be making some one
happy" and the hope box went to
Miss Daily.
Two months later Daphne's aunt
died. II was natural that Miss Daily
nhould ask her TO make her home
win her. This she did, and Daphne
found herself installed at Merton.
'T have often thought OF the wed
ding you wrote me about" observed
Daphne, the first evening Of her ar
rival.
"Oh, did / never write your ex
claimed Miss Dalby. ''The match was
broken off, We got up quite a hand
some outfit for Lima Temple She
never used 1t, for she eloped with q
circus performer two days before the
date for the wedding"
"And Mr.. Barnes? 2" inquired Daphne
81 think, secretly, he was relieved
for the girl was not of his class
headstrong. capricious, all for tinsel
and glitter"
OF course, Daphne met Paul Barnes
and there seemed to spring up a mu.
tual interest between them. One eve
ming as he stood at the garden gate
the tender influences OF the sweet
June night seemed to bind him lin
geringly to the spot.
'You are good friend. Miss VIII.
u.s." he said. "T never told you, but
have heard of your kind thought &c
make happy the young lady ! at one
time thought to make my wife. Shall
we walk to the lake and back7 1t is
such beautiful evening" he sug
gested. and there was a strange. visit
ful tremor in his voice.
Daphne listened to words that rang
30 true their echo thrilled and lin
gered. even as she came back to the
house. her heart beating with the joy
of a new-found happiness. her face
radiant with telltale bushes.
She went up TO where Miss Daily
sat and put her arms around her, and
hid her conscious face on her shout
der.
Dear cousin. she whispered, 'you
told me you had stored my old hope
box IN the garrett"
'Yes. dear" replied Miss Daily
smiling wisely.
Il should like TO have 1t hack again
~ you please said sweet Daphne
willis.
A pitchfork with removable tines
which can be replaced, If broken. has