The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-03-03

chastely embodied without Disgusting.
He loved the deep eyes, the laughing
mouth, the fair hair that was always in
disorder, the little handkerchief tied
across her breast-he loved it all, and it
was with reluctance that he went away.
We always go away with reluctance
when we have nothing to hope for on our
return. 1t is so hard to leave behind a
bit of ones life of which nothing is to
remain.
He carried away his picture, however,
and it was before it that he passed his
happiest hours that winter, always per-
fecting a work thatwas already perfect.
The picture was admired. The critics,
who were unanimous in their enthu-
siasm, declared that such faces could
not exist, excepting in the brain of a
poet or the Imagination of painter.
Maurice listened, smiling, and kept for
himself the secret of the sweet face that
had inspired him. He received bril-
liant offers for his picture; never had so
high price been offered for any of his
works but he refused, and he refused
also to allow it to be copied. Since he
was never to possess anything of his
model but her likeness, he intended
that that should he his alone.
Autumn was drawing near when he
returned to the village. Twice had the
fires of st. John seen the whirls of the
merry dance since he had painted the
portrait, and when he thought of the
young girl, it was with smile that was
something sad, as he asked himself on
rybi oh Of ba vyiIlooo ryJStioS che f. HyaH bor
choice.
His first pilgrimage on arriving was
to the forest of chestnut trees at the
fall of day-night comes quickly at the
beginning of OctOber-he wandered
down the long path; but it was no longer
dark; it was traversed by an amber sun
beam, which seemed to have fastened
itself on everyone of the leaves which
qulvered on the branches or cracked
beneath his feet
The OdOr of the dead leaves brought
to him whole world of regrets. OF re.
membrances of bitterness, stirring up
within him an unspeakable sadness, and
a more complete disgust with everything
that he had sought up to that time.
When he had reached the glade he sat
down on the spot where eighteen
months before he had made the sketch
which had since crowned his renOwn.
The cold stone seemed to laugh at him
ironically for all that he had suffered.
A peasant girl-a cOquette--a matter
of great consequence surely.
q She would have loved me had /
chosen. Many others have loved
painters, and have followed them to
Paris, and then have disappeared in
the scum of the great city without load
ing with chains the one who had initi-
ated them into the mysteries of art and
intellectual life. He is fool
who sacrifices to chimeras the real goods
Of this world the love of a beautiful
girl, the glory which talent gives, the
fortune which success brings"
While he was thus denying the gods
of his youth, he saw coming towards
him, in the well-knOwn path, the young
girl of other days, who had grown up,
who had become q woman in one word.
She was not alone; rustic was walking
beside her, holding her by the little
finger; a fine fellow, for that matter.
strong and well made, and richly
dressed for a peasant. He bent towards
her, and from time to time wiped away
with his lips a tear from the young
girls cheek.
On seeing Maurice they stopped, con-
fused and surprised.
And it was for this" thought he,
@ that respected this fOwerW
And he was thinking with contempt
u0us pity of his folly when the young
girl addressed him:
They will not let us marry, SIR"
said she, her voice broken with sObs,
'' l am poor; he has some property, and
his mother will not have me for daugh-
She talks of disinheriting
HIM"
"And you, too, do not wish him to be
do your said Maurice
Indeed" answered the lad, owe
must liveW
"That is only too truel pity you,
my children"
They went away, Maurice, left alone,
with his head bowed down on his hands,
thought for long time.
His idle fancy had flown away-nOUh-
ing remained of the slender young girl
but peasant, who was still handsome,
but very near becoming an ordinary
matrOn.
{" So it is with our dreamsp said he,
rising. "Tbe only sure thing that we
can gather from them is to do little good
with them"
The same evening he wrote to Paris,
and few days later he presented him
self at the young girls house.
81 have sold your portrait" he said
to her, in the presence of her astonished
mother; " received a large sum for it.
1t is quite a fortune. have brought it
to you in order that you may marry
your lover"