The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-12-04

fitness of my inflammable paste it is a source
of honest and instructive amusement in So
ciety; for instance, you are in company;
some awkward person tries to snuff the can
die and extinguishes it; complete darkness
follows everybody is quenched but-you take
out your lnfammable paste, which you al
ways carry IN your waistcoat pocket and
there you areP'
Arthur continued his way: A man stopped
him by the collar of his coat. This fellow
had in front of him an owl and three limo
cent adders; ferocious serpents that he had
tanned, be said. Several birds, stiff and eX-
tended upon their backs were taught to sim
ulate death, but if you had been permitted TO
touch them you would see the thing was only
too easy for them.
Here was cleaning soap to sell. In vain
Arthur tried to escape; the enemy was upon
him. A crowd pushed up about them. 1T
| is impossible to see more disgusting spot
than that which disfgures the gentleman's
| collar.'
Arthur thrust his fist into the stomach of
| the Woud-b be cleanser and fled away; then in
order to avoid the observations of people he
| left the crowded payements and took by
chance street that he did not know, that
gave into another, which led again into an
other. Arthur was lost; he wandered about
where he was, and found himself half way
home again. II will 60 in; it must be the
dinner hour of my uncle. l will not 60 to-
day."
The next day Arthur got up very early in
deed. He had lost prodigious deal OF time
the day before in heating the water TO shave.
This time he would shave himself with cold
water. He had on two different slippers,
one his, the other Eugene's, yellow one
nd oil of
daubed with paint, and night shirt COM
plete his costume. The soap is slow to dis
solve in cold water, it becomes clammy and
slippery, and flies out of the hand closed
to retain it like a cherry stone between the
fingers; Arthur stopped down and put his
hand on it, but the perverse soap slipped and
disappeared beneath the sofa. He took
stick and pounded the sofa, and away fed
the soap crafty through the open door. Ar
thur pursued it, but it went through the
balustrade and still slipping, descended story
by story; thrice Arthur overlook it anu
stopped it with his foot, but it slid off again
in the most bewitching manner. Arthur
followed as quickly as one can in slippers, he
passed by lady and child whom he very
nearly overset, be tore a sleeve OF his shirt
entirely off on a coat-rack. Finally his soap
stopped in the lower court. Arthur most had
it when a servant who was washing at the
pump emptied his tub and the great stream OF
water carried along the soap under tie outer
door.
''Open the door, porterp' cried Arthur as
he went out to get his prize at last from he.
tween the legs o horse-tut how people
stopped to stare at him! He made haste to
return. At every story he met his neighbors
coming out to discover the cause of the up
roar. Some laughed, Others shrugged their
shoulders, and at last, when he got back to
his own floor, The studio door was shut and
as he knocked for admittance he could hear
a child crying and Its mother scolding it.
keep quiet. l an hour We shall be done
and then We will CO."
'Ahv' growed Arthur, cit is a frightful
young one whom Eugene is painting! can
To stay an hour in torn shirt this weather!
If only had pipe!' He tapped his foot
and walked up and down the corridor with
long strides. When he had exhausted these
varied pleasures he went out by a dOrmer
window, climbed upon the roof and set about
warming himself by the smoke of an adjoin-
ing chimney. The hours passed slowly along
but no time remained to go to see his uncle.
Another day lost.
Arthur hardly slept during the night so
anxious was he to be up betimes. He thought
over the various reasons he should give his
uncle for moi having been to see him for SO
long, but when he awoke the light penetrated
his room, dull and rainy.
'There now it rains, positively cannot go
outr'
When one is comfortably established in bed
the least pietext suffices to remain there,
but Arthur was mistaken, it did not rain;
blue curtain that Eugene had fastened be-
fore the window deceived him. There is moth
ing more doeful than the light through blue
curtains-people shouldn't have blue cur
tains. But it did not rain, quite the contra
~, for when Arthur rose the sun was blazing
over the roofs. From the terrace before the
young mems studio several fatboms of blue,
transparent sky can be seen and one breathes
cool and reviying air; but in the city that is
all one knows of the springtime. The finest
sights of nature are for the citizen only what
the distant harmony of ball would be for a
poor wretch who shivers with cold at the en-
trance door. Still, after all it is something 20
know that the forest is beginning to leave out,
that The beeches and naples are growing
green with the first hawthorne; the cherry
trees already throw al0ft their rich baskets of
white flowers, the winter birds have ceased
their dry and shrill cries and the lark sends
out bis full, vibrating tones from the tender
foliage of the lilac. The yellow catkins on
the border of the stream shake out their
brown pow der over which hover the early
bees.
Arthur said to Eugene, eve ought to begin
our garden, their garden. be it said, was
C composed of three long boxes placed on the
terrace)
'What shall we have this year in our gar
den?i
swell, don't care much for vegetables,
your salad last summer was detestable-be-
sides, a little shade is necessary for ones COM
fort"
"Then you would like forest of lofty trees
or a thicket?''
"That would not be bad trulyw
"Come, why not plant few fir trees? That
would be grand!'
"Without joking, we live high enough for
nobody to grumbe If we should have a few
cedars. The cedar is a friend of the heights"
81 want flowers; i shall have pinks and
red roses, such as the Queen of Anjou had
in her garden. How about Muscat grapes?
but if you think best we will not have vines
only forests.''
"Just as you please; but still is there
greater glory than to give ones name to
fower?'
Some days after Eugene was alone in his
studio, painting from model who neither
spoke nor stirred. Arthur had been gone
some hours; there is hope that this time he
may arrive at the arsenal. Eugene talks to
himself painting all the time; he gives him
self advice, reproaches himself, accords slight
praise, he initiates the voice aud manner OF
the master under whom he had studied, and
mingled this moDologue with moral refec-
tions. Hear him!
Don't abuse sthe bitumep. Why do you
paint without maulstick? Where the deuce
are my maulsticks? must have a small boy
to give me my maulsticks. One is never so
badly served as by ones self. All, you call
that maulstick? Why don't you take the
axetree to a carriage? There's lighted
candle now; it's good-but what lights your
candle? Put in your lights and shades. All,
you dare not! You are afraid There now,
little more, now, of your candle light! Don't
abuse the bitumen, however; a little red
lead-now where is my red lead? Tell me,
George" said he to the model, shave you
eaten my lead? Here's some green, now, but
that's not the same thing. If only had
boy he should find my red lead. Directly I
must have boy. All, here it is. Who
would ever have thought of putting it in
helmetP Everything is out OF order here.
| remember very well that put it in a hunt
ing boot. Now" said he, still chattering to
himself, "Do you take that for an eye? If
you looked at your model you wouldn't make
such mistake. What's this great dull eye
for? Lessen the pupil little" Then he sang
ont palv.