The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-03
~ ARTIST : STORY.

~ ARTISTS STORY.
~ 225-A Wedding March" Such
tbc number and name Of picture In
W.. J., Irademv Of certain year which shall,
% ernoftic and personal reasons, be lett un-
II;lm,tcd. I% The picture was one OF my
";'7 .;n1;no. and |. Reginald Tracey, had been
.,nn,tn enough to attain three very I'M
.@t .r,ant ends by its production. Firstly, it
I'',I I.cmcl excellent enough by the Hang
we, we G,mmittcc to be placed ON the line, and
!. H. faced you in very prominent manner as
IL ,", .ntcrcd Room 30. V. Secondly, this
eminent position secured for my picture
r,r.o share. Of attention. which resulted III
+. finding purchaser almost as soon as
IN. Exhibition doors opened. But thirdly,
!, served the actual purpose for which l
,,;ntod il. and which led me to choose my
.n,ircr. That purpose involved just the
r..,. bit Of romance: and although the cIev-
- critics praised the picture, and even hint
.Itbat ~Nr. Tracey had been slngularly
tr.rnatr in hi, treatment Of a somewhat
unusual and difficult theme" etc, not one
.f,brm 80 much as guessed that it was a
nir,nre with d purpose As the sequel
NAV serve to show. that purpose sprang
from and ended in what am pleased to
,al nv little romance.
II wa, charming day. that on which |
went to Rockhampton to sketch the water
meadows, and to see my old friend Dir.
James Brookc-Jim generally called him
Who had settled as practitioner in that
uwn The whole place was stepped IN sun
ryht: and the deep shadows cast by the old
house, in the narrow streets by the water
side reminded one Of nothing so much as
the bhcknc,s of the shades in some old
Dutch town. where Rembrandt must have
learned the special art that bears the i'm
rrr,, Of his gcniu, to-day. The old church
a Roykhampton is fine bit Of Norman
architecture. Rising architects declare that
there are No lurcr pillars of that style, or
better preserved arches, with their queer
face, ST rucrZad into the corners thereof, and
which seem to impress the Rockhampton
Juveniles ON Sundays quite us much as the
service Passing through the churchyard,
found myself at last at the church. With
Euchopcoffi findingthe door open | lifted the
hrh. when at once it yielded to my touch.
A>I passed through the green baize doors
within the porch. | heard the sound Of the
or-n. 50 stealing quietly into the greattu
] r. Al, ,.l,ir,.h on
,uncrd myself in the biggest pew coulC
fnd and listened. How soothing was the
effect Of the music and surroundings on
that glorious, day could not see the
PLAYER. who was concealed by the curtains
in front Of the organ-loft, but intuitively
-uc,>cdt was lady that played. Iimagin
rdthat only woman delicate touch coulC
have mad, that "Kyrie speak in those
tones and there was more gentlcness than
rowcr in the ,.Stabat Mater into which
the PLAYER glidcd Then | remember the
wedding March succeeded; and after
half an hours private hearing Of the mas
trs quietly slipped out Of church, once
ayin into the clad sunlight that played
around the @raycstones. and made the worlo
,o fair to see.
After luuching at my hotel, the Rec
Lion. Wen. to see DR. Jim 1t appeared
that the fair player of the church was 6
Miss SpaldiHg and the only daughter Of {
wcII-to-do and retired merchant who haC
settled At Rockhampton some eighteen
months before: and Jim, found, had beer
PAYING hi> addresses to the young lady
Her father had married for the second time
and had thus given Miss Spalding Il step
mother The old gentleman, as Jim called
hm. was an elsy-going man, kind-heartec
every way, generous to a fault, and look,
ed kindly enough on Dir Jim's suit. But
a'to Mrs Spalding Jim pronounced de
r1edIy unlayorable opinion. She was an
ambitious and, as he expressed it, schem
Ms woman. who thought that Nelly should
o'k somewhat higher than DIR. Brooke OF
hockhamp-om-and that she should al
L"ist marry money-with which latter com
modify Jim was, as a young doctor, Of
course by ~ means over-burdened. With
,lt ,l,t actually discouraging .Jim's attentions
'iN Spalding made things decidedly un
Peasant for the lovers Mr., Spalding
-od, easy man, was completely under the
dominion Of his wife. Hence, Jim con
It>sed he was in a somewhat unsettled state
ofmind
You see, Regy," said Jim, nelly viii
not dsobcy her parents in any way. That
''e cares for me she has confessed to me
more than once. But when press her tc
"Sent to be married at once, and to make
Ae happy she won't hear of it.
MY dear jim" | responded, in my new
gand capacity Of guide, counsellor and
4'gnd she is not the first girl who has
u'q % to struggle between love and duty, Oh
d least what she conceives to be her duty.
!. She is 50 thoroughly conscientious, re-
pIN i'm, that | fear even to press her tC
I;e raAe The step to make me a happy man for
%e. When ask her in my despair wheth-
s3e will ever choose between her step
n''ner 5 wishes and my love, she implOres
.I ~e not to tempt her; and so" added Jim,
"Irg lg am; miserable as need be. r.
all tins Interested me exceedingly. She
r;S r% evidently a girl Of sterling worth and
,' ',u nigh sense of the duty she believed
nr rs owed we to her parents wishes. Thought
gI beI Master Jim's love affair as | lay in bed
,I '"' night, and came to the conclusion that
,I' Lo 'aSe Was difficult one. You cannot
b"a'S bona mould human minds to your own
Han and purpose by simply speaking.
SnllI: lge l came to the conclusion that Miss
h p%un$s to love for my old friend ought to
nv "S'ed and tried in some other way. As
se,n experience of human nature goes, there
man nS nothing like putting love-. of all hui
how a emotions, to some rigid test. But
IN w1;9 olg test could be applied to the case
c,I "nich had thus been led to feel spe-
'"I interest knew not.
dS STollessed as | rolled over to sleep that
IittIa it'll not S? see my way clear to help them.
br;;n ba' :, 1ld think that the morrow was to
v,s 'lie means and the man. The man
tbe s Soslah Blagden, Esq, iron-founder of
ninabn pLin Of Blagden, Bilge & Co., Of Bir-
nv lla@ 5.l, and elsewhere, the means was