Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-03-08
The Two Artists.

In a dirty and gloomy lane of
Seville, there stood an old building
that had undergone so many altera-
tions by subtractions and additions,
that could any of the workman en-
gagged in it's original construction be
aroused from that sleep that "knows
no waking" they would find it
difficult to recognize it in any one
particular.
This building was erected over a
century before the date of our story,
1916: and may be described as q two
story-and-attic brick house, contain
ing a cellar, a ground floor second
story, and a garnet. The design of it's
elevation was peculiarly it's own, and,
indeed, this old mansion was cOnsid-
cred by the people the most remark
able building in all Seville, as many
incidents of strange character had
been connected with its history, and
now served as sort of stOrybOOk of
the most wild and marvellous descrip-
ton. The door of the mansion was
comparatively narrow, with a heavy
stone Intel, which in its broken state
showed the remnant carving that orig
inally might have been ment for the
coat-of-ams of it's first owner. After
ascending the first flight of stairs, you
came to a landing at the back part Of
the building, where stood ladder
that passed up through ascuttle which
conducted YOU to the garnet floor,
lighted by two dormer-windOws over
looking the street.
Any one, on first entering this sort
of cockloft, would be as much struck
with it's singular arrangement as with
the outside of the edifice but your in
terest was still more excited when you
discovered the wretched place to be
the studio of an artist.
Everything was in a state of disor-
| der; cObwebs, thickened with dust,
hung with heavy festoOns in the cor
ners and from the rafters, while here
and there could be seen standing
around PANELS in preparation for
paintings, some with finished and
Others with unfinished studies of fig
ures and landscapes over in one
corner stood large old Oaken arm
chair; from which hung a Grecian
costume, with one sleeve dangling in
an earthern basin containing dirty
water and serving as vessel for the
artist to wash his brushes in on the
opposite side of the room, slung with
bits of rope from the wall, were three
or four boards, intended for a sort of
bookcase, on the shelves of which
rested some volumes of poetry, the
works of Alberto Durero, BasaliO, and
Daniel Barbara, with others of the like
character.
Near the centre of the room, and
almost opposite the window, with the
lower part covered with bits of paper
and old cloth, for the purpose of
proper arrangement of light, stood the
painters easel, holding n canvas, on
which was commenced the portrait of
a beggar-boy, while at proper dis
lance upon the floor sat the subject
himself, with a face full of the most
brilliant color, eyes sparkling with
vivacity, and an expression of mirth
so strongly developed as to make it
almost impossible for the beholder to
| keep from laughing. AT little dis
lance from the easel stood the artist, q
youth of not more than nineteen
years. His dress gave ample evidence
of personal neglect, which manifestly
arose more from an over devotion to
his profession than from natural
want of personal refinement. His face
possessed stronger marks of intellect
uallity than of beauty. His dark
hair clustered around his brunette
forehead, finely relieving his rich
brown eyes that nervously moved
alternately from the boy to the can
vas. After one or two strides back
ward and forward, as if in deep study
of his picture, he dipped his brush into
the color in his palette, and then
placed touch upon that portion of
the face where he desired to represent
reflected light produced upon the bOy's
cheek by piece of bright yellow
drapery that had been flung across his
| shoulder for effect.
Evidently the last effort had failed,
equally with previous attempts in this
one particular, to produce the effect of
reflected light. He tried, until at last,
vexed, uncomfortable, with a nervous
| twitch of his strong arm, he flung his
brush at the picture, which in sweep
ing across the face still wet with color,
made an outline in the form of q rain
bow, Staggering, he sank back into