Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-06-06
aales aud Sketfhes.
m sIseLEfegs HeDEL.

| L. O1N0AD ~ .O
~whas is IT Esides my hand. vhss thoughts pos
rh.: have d:... hsr ..'<r- -. 49,. s,.....
1 wan in the sfience. ~ familiar phantoms -,
| -LoSGFELLow.
/ When Cissy Denzil came of age (she
| was an orphan) she determined that she
would indulge her own caprices to the
fullest extent. She sent for her aunt, an
inoffensive old lady OF sixty, to chaperone
/ her. and rented a house in Brysnston So,
| not for the sake of the commanding sltua-
ton. but because it was dull neighbor-
hood, respectfully fashionable and caicu-
| lated to exercise a soporific effect on her
| lively imagination The agent declared
the house to be thoroughly well drained
and upholstered. and as it happened to
please her, in less than a week she was as
much at home there as il she had lived IN
town all her life.
1 Cissy Denzil undoubtedly possessed
dangerous originality. Without intend
inc Il. she was a constant thorn in her
annt's side. No sooner had Miss Webster
recovered from one moral shower bath
than she received another. Now, Miss
Webster did not like shower baths; they
gave her cold and interrupted her in the
pursuit of the whole duty of woman, which
was. in her case, 10 eat, drink and dress
we'll, to 90 TO church regularly. and to
awaken Cissy to a sense of her many
shortcomings.
But Cissy merrily refused to be reused.
She was not at all overwhelmed by her
iniquities. Il do like to see things for
myself," she would say. "What is the
use of living if am to be always wrap
ped up in cotton wool taken out for an
airing. and then brought back again like
those impossible dolls which children buy
| in the Lowther arcade? How can | live
nv life if I do not know what existence
really is like? Owing to my ignorance
of the world shall make some dreadful
mistake, and then it will be all your fault,
aunty. Will it not MIR. Singleton
Mr.. Singleton was an artist who readily
commanded large price for his pictures.
He was an old man and had known Cissy
Denzil from her childhood. To him she
was wont to appeal when Miss Webster
became plaintiff. Cissy amused him; he
abetted her yagaries, provided that he
saw they were harmless.
Il did not know that you had such a
taste for realism" he replied. Evident
ly Miss Webster will have bad time of
it, unless we can cure you"
Poor annty," said the girl. crossing
the room and kneeling caressingly at the
old lady's feet. 81 am sure that | shall
some day give you fit"
''if YOU want to get a little insight in
to what human nature really is" said
Singleton jokingly, "come to my studio
any morning and study the models. Put
on a plain dress and bonnet. and get
there early. Ten O'Clock will be soon
enough. You can easily reach Holland
Park road from here. If you will come
I'll have some of the litter cleared away,
and you can watch me paint. sit, or do
what you like l often see twenty or
thirty models in day. Patient Grisel-
da, Cardinal Wolsey. Fair Rosamond.
Lucrezia Borgia and other well known
characters come to me by the dozen. If
don't want them they try the next studio.
Artists are clustered as thickly together
up there as lawyers are at Bedford row.
That bareheaded, disguised-very much
disguised, sometimes-a man with his
tory-French nobleman who sold papers
in the strand was frequent sitter of mine ;
he's dead now, poor fellow"
II am to sit on the usual termsp"
Mr.. Singleton ?"
"A shilling an hour, and luncheon
found" said Singleton. "In your case.
Cissy, the lunch shall be unexceptiona-
ble."
Agreed" gaily cried Cissy. "Do not
groan, aunty." Miss Webster always
made sepulchral noises when she did not
approve of anything.) "There is nothing
wrong in going to studio, especially if
it be swept and garnished.
Singleton went away and speedily for
got all about the matter. Cisssy remem-
bered.
The next morning Cissy started for Hol-
land park road. intent upon viewing a
new phase of existence. She took Rollo
with her-an enormous tawny mastiff,
whose head was serenely unconscious of
the mischief wrought by his tail among
Cissy's dainty bric-a-brac. Rollo was OF
opinion that all brick-a-brac should be
made of tin. cast iron. or other solid met
ais. and testified his Joy at being freed
from the dangerous vicinity of eggshell
china with many bark and gambol.
Without misadventure this modern Una
s'u hNi ifoh iCdNuCu
Cissy's fair face glowing with heslth and
beauty, and Rolio much excited by many
a fruitless chase after cats, which would
slip between ratings when he had nearly
reached them.
Cissy and Rollo entered the studio.
/ There was no one there.
Singleton's studio Che shared it in COM
mon with Hugh Darrall. young fellow
artist, though Cissy knew not the fact)
was a lofty room, some thirty feet square.
1t was hung round with the usual artistic
properties; bits of old oak occupied the
corners. suit of armor peeped from un-
derneath the the glowing hues OF SMYRNA
carpet. and at the further end of the room
was dais of empty egg boxes, evidently
intended for the models. There was one
small picture on an easel. with the face
slightly sketched in. representing a for
lorn-looking damsel going through a
wood.
Make Yourself at home, Rollo." said
Cissy ''some one is sure 10 come pres
emily"
Rollo did so-on the unarmored part of
the Smyrna carpet.
what the deuce is that dog-I be-
your pardon" said Darrell. entering the
s.uI,a s,,1JaoIr