The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-09-13
The Romance Of q Model.

A contributor to Ipp,etoa. Monthly
tells the following story Of Roman
model
Annina. another Of the fortunate
models, was from the town of Anticole.
| frs, saw Nina in Rome some fifteen
years since. leading about her father,
who vas blind, aud begging for him.
She was graceful. .air-complexione9
a.rl OF thirteen or fourteen. Her hair
was golden aEd her eyes Of 4 dark blu
ish gray. she had q happy faculty Of
getting SOUS ont Of the pockets of sus-
ceptible elderly gentlemen. who found
her sparkling and merry laughter ire
sis,ible-for the girl hever asked for
aims III whining tone. but looked rs
if she would give kiss for every sou,
and the more sous the better. The wo-
men, Of course did no, approve OF Nina.
and called her bold, impudeut little
mink. The mother Of Nina wss IL
csnsed beggar, who touched peoples
hearts by eloquent talking of better
days. from which she had been driven
by terrible misfortunes, aud which
might possibly be true. for the old wo-
man had the air of fallen Countess
and exhibited the remains of once
handsome person. She was wise and
prudent enough, whatever she had been
or was at present, 10 look carefully after
her attractive daughter. and when her
blind husband died. accompanied Nina
TO the studios. where she began To find
plenty Of employment for her fine, un-
draped, classical figure It's approx
nation to the Greek type made her
u valuable model for the sculptors, and
her pure complexion, auburn bair, and
soft dreamy eyes, made her favorite
model for the painters. From her rise,
leaving begging to do the model, Nina
abandoned her former lightness of man
ner. and was noted for her modest, re-
firing department no one could say
sue had any longer the manners Of q
"brazen mink"
She had for some months been occu-
pied by pension student Of the French
academy at Rome He was = young
man of great promise. and was molding
q very clever figure. for which he con-
suited only Nina's proportions. Every
morning rs took my early walk upon
the Pincio. saw the crippled old
mother with her cane hobbling along
the road toward the French Academy to
accompany her daughter to the studio
of the student. Who that has found
Adnittance into that stately editice
(once the residence Of Catherine de Me
dici, now school of fine arts for the
best Of the students Of France) and
passed into the grounds behind 1T. will
not remember the grove of lex, with
it's profound shade above on the right.
its charming avenues below on the left,
and has noticed its fountains, vases,
fragments of interesting bas-relIefs up
on the facade of the palace its quaint
collection Of all sorts OF objects sacred
to art and taste, and will we'll remem-
Der. rs he strolled through the labyrin-
THAN walks, Leaf woven over head. flow
ers. and hedges, shrubbery on either
hand, and also remarks nearly hidden
in foliage. several studios: In one of
these romantic ateliTs posed daily. to
the pension student. the bella Antioch
ana, while the mother took snuff. dozed i.
or per chance counted her beads; day by
day more perfect grew the sculptor $
| work Then came the last sitting and
| the figure must be cast. When the
next day came aud the student saw no
pretty Annina in his studio. he felt
that there was something missing. and
he finally had 10 confess to himself,
and then to his {, low students, that he
| had fallen in love with his model.
They laughed at him and chaffed him
numerically. hooted at his talk of hon
est sentiment and matrimony. Ii was
heti@ not to be thought of, and de-
luded Don Quixote,' hut the young
sculptor was serious, and was determin-
ed to marry Nina if she would have
him. The girl was already engaged to
marry rustic of her own town. who
had nothing In the world but his shovel
and his strong. sunburnt hands TO
maintain her Annina went home TO
| spend the summer. and shortly after
was wed to her affianced coatadino In
the mean time the student grew more
earnest. and in his desperate passion he
followed her 10 her squalid home. used
the influence of her friends and coun-
sells of the village priest to disuade her
from marrying her present lover. and
risk the poverty and wretchedness il
would entail. AZ length she was pre-
vailed upon to give up Pietro aud be
came the wife Of the rising French
sculptor Married he returned Ia France
with his Nina. and now wears the
prondest decoration Of his country
one OF its greatests artist. The model,
+. they say. has proved 10 be model wife