The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1857-06-13
From Arthur's Home Magazine.
THE ZOMBI; or, THE MULATTO
OF MUlsILLO1S STUDIO.

q
at Seville, several young men coming fro
! different streets, walked, singing as the
! went, in the direction of the famous painte
: Murillo. Arriving at the same moment III
; der the doorway, they bowed to each 9th,
in friendly manner, calling each other b
the names of Isturitz, Carlos, Fernando
Mndel, Gonzales and Cordovia; and runnin
up stairs in pursuit of each other. the
reached the entrance Of studio.
The master had not yet arrived, and eac
student ran hurriedly to his easel, to exam
Inc the work of the day before-to see wheti
er the painting was dry, and also to admir-
each his own handiwork.
| "By st. James of Compostellat I" exelaiu
ed lstnritz, which Of you, gentlemen. n
mained last at the studio?"
Are you not wide awake yet" answers
Cordova and Fernandez, in the same breast
DO you not remember that We all went ou
together?"
'This is poor joke, gentlemen. !" said Il
turitz, petulantly. yesterday l cleane,
my palette with particular care, and thi
morning it is as dirty as if one of you ha,
| used it all night"
| "There is another little face in the corne
of my canvas" cried out Carlos. "It is no
bad head; ah who is it that amuses him
self every morning with painting faces
sometimes on my canvas and sometimes OF
the wall? On your easel, yesterday, Fer
nandez, some one scribbled head"
! 1t is lsturitz, his palette informs agains
! him." said Fernandez.
u swear that you are mistaken, gentle
| men"
you need not swear we believe 70,
! without that, for you do not draw wei
! enough to have executed this head"
81 do not draw so badly as you do, Carlos
you seem to take pleasure in scrawling.'
"And here are all my brushes all wet I
cried Gonzalo, in his turn. "By the patrol
saint of Spainl something extraordinary
goes on here every night"
81 expect to hear you state directly, thai
it is the Zomji, the African spirit which thu
negro Gomez believes in, that paints thesi
pictures"
"Faith. If it IS the Zombi. Of the Africans
that paints these little faces" exclaimed
Mendez, who had not spoken, and was ocI
eupied in examining one of the faces-a bold
wonderful composition, such as every day
was scattered about as If they had sprung
into being out Of the night-"he had better
do my Virgin in the Decent from the Cross.
In vain do | endeavor to depict her pure
Imagination"
Saying these careless words, Mendez ap-
preached his easel. At the same moment
an exclamation escaped him, and he remain
ed pale and mute before his canvas.
beautiful head OF the Virgin, newly
painted in, but with the most admirable eI-
preston, stood out pure in its hues, and so
graceful in contour in the midst Of the other
figures which surrounded il, that il seemed
TO be spirit risen among human beings.
Why, what has happened to your" ex-
claimed harsh and broken voice which re-
called the students from their astonishment
and caused them respectfully to salute the
speaker.
"Look for yourself Senior Murillo," an.
wersd they, pointing to Mendez's easel.
Wh no painted this? who painted this.
head. gentlemen ~ said ksu.fiiv, nveiy
sketched this Virgin will one day be the best
artist of us all. We'll, well" added he, see.
ing that no one spoke, "welli why don't
some one speak? Murillo, Murillo, would
have been proud of it, gentlemen BY the
soul Of my father. what touch what puri
ty, what delicscyl Aendez, my dear pupil
was it your wor.g speak I"
NO, senor," answ cred Aendez, with q
look of pain.
at was then Isturitz, or you, Fernandez,
or you, Gomezi"
But all answered as Mendez had done,
"N No, Senor, it was not l."
at did not come here without hands,
however" said Senor Murilo, impatiently.
Il suppose not, senor," answered Cordo-
va, the youngest of the pupils, whom these
ghostly pictures alarmed to no slight degree.
- 1t is not the first supernatural thing; how
ever, which has happened in your studio
There arc ghosts here, senor," Senor au-
rillo laughed.
"Pshawl am not so foolish as Cordova,"
said Fernandez.
THANK you," answered Cordova-
"Ne thanks required, my dear boy. As
| was telling you, scnor, l am not 80 foolng
as Cortlova; nevertheless, it is true that for
some time past things happen here which
are Incredible"
"Such as what?" asked Murillo, who still
stood gazing with admiration on the Virgin,
painted by the unknown hand.
According to your orders, senor," con-
tinued Fernandez, ave have never left the
studio without putting everything in order,
cleaning our pallettes. wiping our brushes,
and putting away our easels; and in the
morning when we reach here, not only is
everything upside down, our brushes full Of
color, and our pallettes covered with paint,
but besides ali that, there are every where
eXquis ite faces, sometimes heads Of angels,
sometimes of demons, sometimes the profile
of young girl, or an old man; but all Of
the most admirable kind, ssnor; you see
for yourself what there is to-day, and if he,
who works better by night than by day, is
not you, we must believe, with Cordova,
that it is the devil himself
- wish it were my work, gentlemen;
would not disown either these features or
this painting. This sketch is a little want,
ing in body, however, but that is nothing, il
is full of sentiment,-Sebastian! Sebastian !
cried he interrupting himself; "Sebastiani
We shall soon know who has done this,
gentlemen. Sebastian" added he, address
ing little mu,atto, not more than fourteen
years of age, who ran in at his call, did
not tell you to sleep here every night:
"Yes, MASTER" answered the child timid-
"Then speakl Who was here last night,
or this morning before these gentlemen?
Speak, slave, or will make you acquainted
with the viii p;" said Nurillo angrily to the
boy, who played with the tassel of his little
cap, without replying.
''Ah, you do not choose to speak, added
Murilo, pulling his ear.
"Nobody, master, nsbody," said Sebas-
tian quickly, trembling violently.
"You lie." -.
"Nobody but I. Iswear it MASTER" said
Sebastian, throwing himself on his knees in
the middle of the studio, and holding up his
little hands in supplication to his master.
"Lister to me-" said Murillo, 81 wish to
know who has painted this Virgins head,
and all these faces that my pupils find here
every day as they come into the studio. TO
night, instead Of sleeping, you are to watch,
and tomorrow, if you have not discovered
the artist, you shall have twenty-five lashes
do YOU hear? mean what say-go
and mix your colors, and you, gentlemen,