The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1882-09-06
FOR THE DEMOCRAT. a.
ALICE SNEDEppS MAD LOVER,
BY QUILL CRAYON.

In the ante bellum days, the village
of S., in Virginia, numbered among
its inhabitants few of the proudest
and wealthiest Of the families of that
State. Conspicuous among them was
that of Mr.. Sncde, whose family con-
sisted of himself, sou, who had not
yet entered upon his manhood, and a
daughter-a lovely girl, who betrayed
her English-Saxon descent in the gol-
den color of her curly locks, the purity
of her complexion and the deep blue of
her large, expressive eyes. The beauty
of which she had given promise in her
girlhood ripeaed in her maturcr years
to perfection, and there were not want
Ing, suitors for the hand and heart, and
With it the broad acres that would be
the portion Of The lovely, gentle and ac-
complishel Alice.
And yet she had passed her twenty
second birthday fancy free, still the
reigning toast among the gallants of
the country, the idol of her fathers af-
fections and the prize par excellence of
the needy fortune hunter, who hoped
by marriage to secure the wealth he
coveted.
A short time previous to her brothers.
there came to the village a
young artist who was wandering
through the country sketching for flu
tire work, while he maintained him.
self at present painting the portraits of
those who chose to. employ him. The
young artist established himself in mo-
dest quarters at the house of Mrs. AL
len, whose, necessities forced her to
maintain herself by keeping a boarding
house, and over her front porch small
sign set forth the information that
"LEoN HUNTLY, PORTRAIT PAINTER y
resided within.
Apparently the atmosphere agreed
with Huntly, for month after month
slipped by and yet the winter winds
swung the little sign back and forth as
those of the preceding spring had done.
True, he had many orders, and was
kept constantly at his easel to fill them,
but he found time to mingle in the
sports and amusements of the rising
generation, among whom his presence
was ever welcome, for like manyIan-
other bohemian. Leon carried "a light
heart under his well-worn coat-was
gay, possessed of infinite humor and an
almost inexhaustible fund of good ma
ture. t-a $40 ',t
Little was known of his antecedents
in fact, except what he chose
to tell. But with all his good nature,
his black eyes had a way of flashing at
times, and his thin firm lips an express
sion about them, which caused one to
be loath to pry into the owners affairs
beyond the limit he himself had Set
He came from Florida, he said, where
resided his mother and an invalid bro
Their, younger than himself. His mo-
Their was of Spanish descent, which ac-
counted for his black, straight hair and
the softness of his black eyes. ai
a41F -
From the first moment that he be-
held Alice she attracted him with an
almost magic influence; yet for some
time he continued to veil his feelings
and sentiments from the vulgar eye,
nor was it until her portrait was finish
ed and hung on the parlor wall beside
that of her father, painted by the same
hand, that society began to couple their
names together. Then Leon no longer
attempted to disguise his admiration of
the beautiful blonde either from Others
OF from herself.