Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-06-01
C;uratiinessmiled

! W " ~ NP't' iAi.N SCCN AIt an
swcred evasively.
"Oh. a fancy sketch" SAID the
other. misled. as the artist had desir-
ed. Il might have saved myself the
trouble of asking. No real flesh and
blood face ever looked like that
more shame to nature. | say. OF
course You will exhibit it. Carradine?' ?'
No" answered the painter. quiet
ly.
No" repeated the other in sur
prise But my dear fellow. you
must. or | shall betray your secret.
aud you will have a swarm of visi
tors. worse than a plague in Egypt,
let i'll upon you"
Carradine hesitated A chance
word in his friends speech had sug
gested possibility that made his
heart leap in spite of sober reason.
"Iou are right he said. Il shall
send the picture for exhibition. 1t
will be better So
After his visitor had left him
alone again, Carradine bent low over
his easel. gazing into the lovely. up
turned face, until it began to fade
into the gathering twilight.
1T it" he murmured to himself,
half unconsciously. But it cannot
be. Yet | will send it-and perhaps
And SO the picture was sent in
due time: and it seemed as almost as
if Carradine's soul had gone with it
and drawn him to follow. Hour after
hour, day after day, he sat in the gal
lery scrutizining eagerly every face
amid the visitors whom taste or fash
ion had rought to look at the new
celebrated artists latest success.
Every night he went away unsatisfied,
and every morning he returned with
hope springing afresh in his heart.
Still, the object of his search, what
ever i may have been, does not ap-
pear; and one day, discouraged at
last lie resolved to go no more on SO
fruitless an errand. Shutting him
self in his studio, he began to paint,
but, strive as he would. he could com
mand neither hand nor fancy. Fl
nally, tired of repeated failure, he
abandoned work, and yielded to an
impulse which drew his steps in the
customary direction.
When he entered the small side
room in which his picture hung he
found but two persons within. a
young man and girl.
| Carradine could not see the faces
of these two, but, with an earnest
ness for which he was at great loss
to account. he followed their retreat
ing figures as they moved slowly to-
ward his picture. But the next mo-
ment an exclamation of astonlshmen:
burst forth from the lips of the young
man.
"Why. here is your portrait,
Leila! What does it mean? Who
can the painter be?'
With that he hurried out to pur
chase catalogue. Carradine ad
vanced quick to the girl.
u am the painter" he said.
She turned and looked at him with
one steady gaze from those glorious
eyes that had haunted his vision for
so many years. Then she spoke.
You painted that picture? and
how?'
| "From remembrance" he answered.
1T was my only tribute to the little
unknown princess who crowned me
once with roses. Does she. too, re
member it?''
For a moment doubt was in her
face; but as he looked tixedly at her
it vanished into certainty. A smile
just touched her light lips.
1T was you, then, on whom l forced
my roses? A Aprincess who gave away
honors unasked. How often have l
wondered since"
She stopped, turned to the canvas,
and added abruptly. "But was a
child then, and here
Here you are woman" said Car
radine, completing the unspoken SEN
tonce. 1T is so hard to understand?
The same power that kept the child
in my heart showed me- NJ vha' she
would ripen."
She did not look at him now, but at
the picture, as she asked him in a low
voice, "And whom am l to thank for
such an honor"
My name is Hubert Carradine," he
answered, and saw at once that it was
no unfamiliar word to her. "And
yours? Through all these years your
face has haunted me always, but your
name l never knew"
She hesitated a moment, then
turned to him.
"You never knew my name? Then
think of me still as you have thought
of me through all these years." she
said, half smile lingering about her
mouth, but never lighting the great
dark eve that was shaded by some
subtle sadness. The look, the tone,
transported Carradine beyond all re-
membrance of place or circumstance
into the unreal realm of imagination
in which his wish was supreme ruler.
II have thought of you always as
my life and my love- he said, half
consciously, his dreamy, deep gray
eyes glowing upon her face. She
| Dluouc't cuuueHiy, anu ehCh poiCu III
an instant. Just then her former
companion entered the room.
II am Leila Auvernay," she said
hastily, land this is Cecil Wyndham,
my-my betrothed husband"
Not another word was said. AS the
young man approached Carradine
fell back step and looked at the two
His was fair, handsome face. SO lit
tie marked as yet by time, that it
would be hard for an Impractical eye
to conjecture with what lines the
shaping character would yet stamp it.
Nevertheless, with one keen gaze Car
radine estimated both present and fu
ture.
She said a few, low spoken words
to her companion, who presently
moved toward Carradine and ad
dressed him:
Il have the honor of speaking to
Mr. Carradine. the painter of this pic