The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-10-11

ing able TO encompass lne Stars! Ieut-fieIre
thought not of these things. The lady, for it was
thus he designated her, appeared to him radiant and
beautiful, wha pencil of gold in her hand; and he
adored her with the tender and fervent devotion
of the catholics of the middle ages for the Holy
Virgin.
One day, he heard sounding upon the stones the
gallop of a horses Fidele commenced loud bark
ing, and, in few minutes, he saw the lady car
ried by fiery courser which she lashed with blows
in order to bring him again into the road; but the
unruly animal, being without doubt carried on
by some fright, neither yielded to the bit, the
wbp, or the rein, aud, by violent gambol, before
Petit Pierre, who 'leaped from rock to rock from
the top of the hill, had time to arrive, he rid him
self of his rider whose head struck violently upon
the ground The force of the fall caused her to
swoon, and Petit Pierre still paler than the lady,
went TO get from the track of wagon Wheel where
the rain had gathered to the great fright of little
green frog which had there established its bath
house, some drops of clean water which he threw
upon the cooress face of the lady. In his great
terror he perceived some red drops mingling with
the blue veins of her temples, she was wounded
Petit Pierre took from his pocket poor old cross
barred handkerchief and set himself to staunch the
blood which broke through the curls of her hair,
as piously and with as much respect as the holy
women who wiped the feet of our Saviour Once
she opened her eyes and cast upon Pett-Piere
vague look of recognition which pierced even to
his soul.
The noise of feet made him understand, that the
rest of the cavacade were in search of the lady:
they raised her up placed her in carriage and all
disappeared. The shepherd clasped to his breast
the andkerchiefimpregnated with blood so pure.
and in the evening was in the town TO gather in
telligence of the lady. The wound was not dam
gerous. That good news afiittle camed Petit
Pierre, to whom all seemed lost since he had seen
the young lady carried away pale and inanmate
as a corpse
The season was advanced; the inhabitants ofthf
mansion mad returned TO Paris, and Petit-Pierre,
although he had but glimpse at distance and by
: stealth of the straw hat and the white robe, felt
= excessively lonely; when he was very melancholy,
( he would take ou. the handkerchief with which
he had wiped the wound of the lady, and kiss
: the stain OF blood which covered one of the corn
ers; this was his consolation. He drew with ell
ergy, and had almost finished his supply of paper;
his progress had been rapid, because he had no
: master: no system to interpose between him and
nature, he executed that which he saw His de-
signs were nevertheless still very harsh, very un-
polished although full of innocence and sentiment;
he worked in solitude, in the sight of Gods works,
without counsel, without guide, having only his
: heart and his melancholy Sometimes, in the
night he sew again the beautiful lady, and, the pen
Gil of gold with the flaming point in his hands, he
traced again those wonderful designs but, in the
morning, all vanished, the pencil became rebelli-
Gus, and the forms fled.
. In the meantime, PetitPierre had one day
sketched an old matched cottage all moss covered,
whose chimney shot up blush smoke OF spiral
form between the tops of walnut trees almost en-
; tIrely stripped of their foliage; wood-chopper,
having accomplished his task, was standing upon
y the threshold, smoking his pipe, and in the recess
of the chamber, discoverable by the open door,
could be vaguely perceived woman turning with
> her foot spinning wheel 1t was the masterpiece
of Petit Pierre, he was almost satisfied with him.
y. self
Suddenly he perceived shadow on his paper,
which he thought could only belong to the rector OF
; the parish In truth. he i. was. He observed in
silence the work Of Petit-Pierre, who blushed at
, , being caught in the very act OF sketchlng The
venerable eccesaltic, although he was not one OF
those gay priests extolled by Beranger, was new
ertbeless a good honest and learned man. His
youth had been passed in cities; he had not lost his
taste and he possessed superficial knowledge OF
the fine arts The work Of Petit-Pierre exhibited
to him remarkable skill and promised well for the
future. The good father was touched at his soil
tary labor, at the unusual genius which reproduc-
ed with love, devotion and consciousness, some
fragments of the infinite works of the eternal Gre
, ator. ,.. ...r..
"Myltle friend" said he, " although modesty
may be Iaudable sentiment, 1t is unnecessary to
redden thus Perhaps it Is an impulse OF secret
pride. When one has made something in The SIM
cerity ofhs heart and with all the effort of which
he is capable he need not fear to exhibit it There
is nothing wrong in sketching, especially when our
} other duties are not neglected The time that you
pass in painting, you would spend in doing nothing,
and idleness is dangerous in solitude. There is
, in this, my dear child, much Of merit: the
trees are very exact, the grass has every leaf
that is proper. You have, one feels for long
time contemplated the works of the Great Master
IN order that you might be impressed with lively
admiration, because, lift is so difficult to make
J rough and imperfect copy, how much more SO
when all is created and drawn from nothing
, 1t was thus that the good curate encouraged
Petit Pierre; he had the first knowledge OF that
talent which was destined to spread far and wlde'
!, "Go on, my child" said he, you may perhaps
be another Giotto. Giotto was, as you are, poor
poatberd and he ended by attaining to great tai
ent that one OF his PAINTINGS representing the Holy