Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-01-06

ment.
Now the painter hears quite clearly that
tine women seek the way to st. Katherine's
Convent. The street is quite empty; no man
near or far who might give the information
needed so nothing remained to him, as
well-sfed youcg man, hut to hasten out, sni
to offer himself politely as guide. Tie
la lies followed him.
He told tie elder lady all the usual things
one Gays when conducting strangers. but soon
did not really know what he did say /; for he
kept looking back over his shoulder &C the
young lady, who modestly held herself a step
il the rear. Looked at near by che was even
mora handsome than at distance, and the
few words she occasionally modestly uttered
iurded like heavenly music Fresh il youth.
fnl beauty, she seemed, on the other hand, by
her ways and manners, qnite of the cd school.
Alas, the ooaysnt was soon reached; the
women thanked the guide the door OPENED.
Then the young girl threw to the painter, as
leave-takirg. sniling look, SO roguish, s
merry, go familiar. Was that also OF the old
sc iooi?
Konrad Lenz ssood before the door as if
awakened from dream. As he DOW thought
os IT, the elder lady had very enndescend-
ingiy thanked him and the indescribabe
lelve-taking of the wondrously beautiful
msideR He regarded himself from head to
foot. Then only he discerned that he had
|
8 cap, and an apron tied around aim stained
WITH an entire rainbow Of il.colors Re re-
senbled much mora whitewasher than
painter: -
crspt home. He inquired everywhere who
the women were but nobody knew them.
Could il be after all that that beautiful young
woman had been taken into convent to be-
come a nun? But no ! With such a look as
| che Had ofucn him opa d0Ss not f0reyer
in o cloister.
The image Of the maiden gave the painter
no peace. He saw her the whole day stand.
inr before him, and heard her sweet voice.
How could he, then, finish st. Erasmus? 1t
that masculine saint had only been female
he would have given to her the face of the
incompatible maiden, and thus have painted
his dream out Of his soul. But, unfortu-
nately, there were among the Fourteen Help
er. ia Distress eleven men, and only three
women, and these were, as the reader knows,
| already done.
Konrad fetched the three pictures back
again How cold and dry these wemer-
pictures seemed to him Not even remotely
resembling the unknown. But at least the
first of them was called katherine, and the
m alden whose name he did not know had dis
appeared into st. Katherine's Convent; &c,
at any rate, s.. Katherine should have her
features.
He scrapsd off the tablet and began anew
to paint on it. But bis brush did not by far
reach the ideal of his SOU. For five days be
put color on color; the colors became more
and more plastic and thick, but the So. Kath-
erins became also more and more unlike the
unknown. He poured spirits a second tine
over the tablet, and rubbed it again with
pumice.store There were visible only the
feet of her s.intssir, and half of her torture
wheel, when Herr Won Haltenberg entered,
to zee vhat advance had meanwhile been
inside. He saw ST. Nicholas ready for var.
nishiue, to be sure but, in exchange, ST.
Katherine again dissolved in spirits.
konrad confessed, wi h touching OPEN
heartedness, that he had fallen in love, and
that his unknown love had bsen lost without
trace, all within quarter Of an hour. Now
he cbeered himself 10 his distress by seeking
at least TO retain the lost one as a helper in
distress A stone must have felt pity for
him. But the old man remained harder than
q stone Certainly he had never fallen in love
in quarter of an hour. He did not even
continue scolding, but laughed in the painters
face, and then stamped out of the door with
out leave taking.
But after three days came the answer. TIE
warder of Haltenberg Castle appeared with
the strict order of his master to fetch the st.
Nicholss, with or without varnisb, together
with all other finished pictures. Should, per-
chance St. Nicholas also be scraped off, or
st. Katherine not be painted agar, he was
TO sit by the painter and not stir from his
side, until both were done for one must
guard the too-!iyely artist from outside dis
fractions.
Konrad pretended to reprime the scraped
tablet of Sc. Katherine, in order TO correctly
observe his unbidden guest. Then an idea
suddenly flashed into mis- head. Was it not
more rational TO paint the genuine, palpsble
piece of nature, that sat there before him,
than to hunt after the chimera Of woman's
image that his brush could never fasten? So
said, SO done. Almost without effort of his
tie weather beaten features OF the old wsrder
were shaped on the dispoiled tablet. When
once the outlines stood out, be mixed an en-.
tirsly new tablet with furious ZEAL and began
painting in his colors without waiting 10
prime. He directed the Tarder to sit still,
and the latter did il with comicsl constTaint,
for he believed that also belonged TO his err
rand. But not word was to be got out t
him. His master had stror giy ujoinsd on
him not to disturb the painter by conversa.
tiop.
Konrad brought his new MODEL On the tab
let with the highest fidelity to nature, only he
elo lgated his ears a little donkey-wise, left
him pair of little horns peering from among
the woolly hair, transformed the tight leather
Lose into goats feet and ses on him little love
tail. By the time the vesper bell raj he
had flashed a breakfasting satyr, and was
happy in the consciousness of having again
at last rapidly fiaished picture.
He was not st all alarmed when, as be laid
aside the brush, the knight tapped him on
the shoulder. His loud Joy at his Brilliant
success had prevented lis nearing tie knights
coming.
"You appear at just the right moment"
cried lie, and showei him the new picture,
and assured him it WIS one of the best ne had
ever painted. Now would the knight admit
that he could quickly plan and carry out when
it came to the pinch.
But the old man had no appreciate for
this masterpiece. He Numbered and stoi med,
and called the painter fool, who had again
lost 4. Y ami bed painted hobgoblin in
stead of molly st. Katherine.
LEM laughed Till the tears stood II his
mild blue eyes, and looked in the knights
face and laughed so heartily that the latter
WAS compelled to laugh with him, though he
Dit his teeth close together. This redoubled
the righteousness Of the artist, until the warder
was in ecied by it, and burst into resouDd-
ing n, ign at his picture, as if he were rsal
sstyr aud had escaped out of Theocritus idyli.
You were right with your seeding, cried
Konfad, when at last he got breath. Il Is
j shameful how easily let myself be led sstray.
But why have you set such an irresistible
fellow before my easel!'
The knight suggested tfeTe YVES now only
one means to get the Helpers in Distress done
at the right time-the painter should come
9Th sll his tools to the castle. There were
there some out-of-the-wsy rooms, where
nothing would distract his attention where,
in quiet and solitude. he could finish the
pictures. The painter found the proposal ex-
cellent, and hoped for the quickest result !;
but he feared to be burden TO his patron.
The latter QUOTED him upon that. He had
CT erished the plan for long time. end had
everything ready to carry it out La fact the
warder had, with much foresight, brought 3
sumpier mule besides his own horse, and put
it in the tavern stable, en- which the essel
and painters implements, with he fpished
pictures and empty tablets, were packed.
So tie three left the town the same ever