The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-06-28

3 J. II 49,
in spite of having to exchange my comforta-
BILE den for a hotel bedroom for the night
no small sacrifice to one who loves and re-
spects his den." And | have one that !
4 love
In tattered old slippers that toast at the bars,
And ragged old jacket perfumed with cigars,
Away from the world, with its tolls and its cares
I've snug little kingdom up four pair of stairs.
That is Just nay case. No more and nc
less. And am happy as the day is long.
AT eleven O'Clock precisely, / was on the
spot appointed for my meeting place with
Mary, whom | had arranged to escort to
this black eye effectually -concealing artist s
studio in the Bowery. She was few min
utes late. But that did not trouble me so
] much as the fact, which quickly discovered
that she had drunk something little strong
er for breakfast than hot coffee She did
not attempt. to.deny the soft impeachment
OH where were those promises of reforma-
ton which she had made to the judge only
couple Of hours beforel
"When the devil was sick, the devil saint would
be; Fs4 50 src' go
When the devil got we'll, the devil saint was
And so it was with the unfortunate victim
of achohol l had enlisted in my service
She was far from intoxicated, but l was
considerably nonplussed when she wanted
to take my arm, as We walked up the Bow
cry. This request absolutely refused to
comply with. and soon subdued her into a
proper feeling of respect, by intmating that
she had not yetreceived the dollar which
was to be her femuneration, and that she
appeared to be more than likely not TO re-
celve it. From that moment, till we rang
at the bell of a Darkroom on the second
floor of the house mentioned in the artists
advertisement, nothing could have been
more circumspect than her behavior. The
artist himself, palette and brushes in hand
replied to the summons. 80 .f $50 '-i-@
"Mr. -, presumed" said.
| Yes, sir. Walk in" he replied and, as
he politely ushered me in, he shut the door
in Mary's face.
Was not sorry for this, for it gave me the
opportunity of explaining matters to hum a
little.
"You paint out black-eyes, | believe" l
remarked, hurting the business out rather
bluntly.
My artist assented with shrug of the
| shoulders. .-..... $780,. ~.
Il want you to practice your art on the
young woman outside | said.
"Ah! Thank you, don't take that kind
of business he replied, with a slightly of
Tended air. I" l don't paint any but the up
per classes" -,
l was about to exclaim, "The devil you
DON'T when 1 stopped myself, and explain
ed to him the simple cause of my paying
him visit, and who the woman was, and
ended by begging him not to disappoint me
after had taken so much trouble in the
matter. He graciously condescended to
comply with my petition, and he graciously
condescended to take his FIVE dollar fee af-
ter he had finished his work. How the
world does love to deceive itself!
Mary was called in, and requested to re-
move her bonnet. This she did with much
simpering and giggling, and then took her
seat in a large velvet-cushioned chair, SINH
lar to those in use in BARRIERS shops. In
the mean time, the artist opened his box of
paints and pigments, and began to COM
pound various tints of h-color, from the
rosiest to the whitest. He went about it
in the most business-lke way, as though he
was about to begin the head of Madonna
for the next exhibition of the Academy of
Design and he moved about with an air of
dignity which was superbly ludicrous con-
sidering the branch of the art of painting
which he follows. While he was thus en-
gagged, Mary thoroughly inspected the room
and its contents, scrutinizng every thing,
and peering into corners ana cupboards in a
way that attracted my attention. request
ed her to sit down.
Yes, I'm goin' to now" she replied, as
she resumed her seat in the. velvet-cushion-
ed chair.
what do you meant" I asked, feeling
rather puzzled at the tone of her reply.
why" she answered. I" was lookin' to
see it there were any Of them photograph
things about. I don't want to have my
portrait took for no rogues' gallery. I don I
know who you are, and don't. trust no.
body. l amt goin' to give chance, any
way"
The artist and both laughed, and assur-
ed her that we had no sinister intentions Of
that sort, and that, as soon as her eye was
properly painted, she would be allowed to
depart in peace and safety, as far as we are
concerned. 49, f4
The eye-painter then approached his SUBJ
ject, and with small sponge carefully .wiped
cheek-which was dscolored Having done
/ this to his satisfaction. he seized his palette
and brushes, and, striking the attitude of
artistic genius, set to work in earnest. He
first of all painted the discOlored parts with
a coloriess pigment, which seemed to dry
very rapidly, and every now and then re-
4 quested the woman to open her eye, in or
der to see whether it would dry without
cracking. One or two little bits like gold
beater's skin split off from the surface, and
he reduced the thickness Of the pigment by
mixinga small quantity Of some fluid with it.
| As sat thus, intently watching the op-
eration, could not help thinking of the
picture Of Vandyck in his studio 1.-THE artist
was not unlike the portraits of the great
painter), and feeling disguised at rsnch a
horrible prostitution 'of 50 gloriotis 40 art
as painting, for this man is really a painter
by profession. The walls of his studio were
hung with pictures. though not of a very
high class, of his own painting and an un-
finished landscape was on an easel in the
corner. He worked away at the woman S
face with all the delIcacy of touch of mini
allure portraitrainter, putting touch here
and touch there, and then stepping back
i to see the effect of it. Just little too
bright he would say, speaking to himself,
and Immediately he would proceed to tone
the coloring down little. In this way he
steadily worked on, the discoloration grad
ually showing fainter through the, pigment,
till at last IL was invisible altogether. "A
few finishing touches completed the pro-
cess, which occupied the about fve-and-
thirty minutes; aud then, with an air of tri-
umph. he turned to me and said