Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-05-13
human confidence could be. Eaton spoke

said abruptly.
| Ali 1t was a love secret then!
sBut to accomplish my end must take
| terrible means. | must condemn myself tt
years of agony. I must condemn alst
another being to briefer but very horrible
torture"
| Then it must be a love story after all
"Yes?" replied, as he paused, putting
as much expression as | could into the
| words.
| My mind curiously enough, rambled back
| to another moonlit night when Twas quite
@ lad, and when sat in the stern OF tine
boat with such beautiful little girl. Anita
Grayson by name, a child of 12, perhaps
Some one sitting by had said, "Anita looks
| like the moon," and | had watched hei
during the rest Of the evening and wonder
ed why, and gone home TO dream that
saw the moon in the water and that it had
Anita's face in it. While l was dlmly re-
calling this, and half listening to my friend,
became suddenly quite reused from my
tdieam. Eaton had been saying something
iabout his incapaclty TO catch likeness.
81 cannot make the people | paint i'm
press me. One face follows another swift
ly, and my model fits away with these
| specters. Now, only one thing can impress
it so that it will stay by me and haunt me
by day and print itself on my soul at night.
| There is but one way.
| God help me! | must commit a crime.
| must kill some onel That face-his face
will haunt me. l shall see only that,
i and l can paint it. You see, | am quite
| calm in this matter.
| l have reasoned the thing out am a
good man; my bitterness of spirit will har-
ass me into work. shall hold my brush
with remorso. | shall paint great, q ter
ri5le picture!'
Great heavens. Gleason was right. This
| is mad-man, | thought, and glanced about
with my mental eye to take in the situa-
| ton. 1t must be strategy versus. strength.
saw that at a glance. must not betray
the slightest fear. His plan was settled.
| [ must plot to defeat it. In the first place
| must gain time. This might be only wild
talk
"Whom do you propose 20 Kill ?" in
quired nonchalantly, although my heart
seemed to stand still as | waited for his
answer. He lifted his oars, and | could
hear them drip, drip in the moments 81
ience.
II propose to drown man." he said.
''Then | will tie him to my boat-this, my
boat, that you and / are in-and let him
float. | shall in the sight of that floating
face in the dark water, with the moonlight
about it, and the world that has scorned
me will hold its BREATH
Gan original plan, indeed" l replied.
''Have you chosen your man p
81 have chosen you.'
''You should have selected a handsomer
face, or at least have made him shave be-
fore starting. A bearded face in the water
is-pshaw! very bad. Don't you seea''
| My voice sounded steady, and | was lost
in admiration of myself as a man of nerve.
''Don't you see?' 1 repeated.
II shall see, for l shall paint it, You
take it coolly," he continued, eyeing me
wearily.
My thoughts were flying about in confu-
sion. | could net swim. Eaton knew it.
am q slight man, mere nothing to this
Hercules. No help, indeed, but my wits.
If I was cool, so was he. | must try new
tack, unsettle the fixed idea that anchored
his wild fancy and gave lin this terrible
strength of purpose.
ga woman's face would have been bet
ter,'' suggested. Something really po-
etic about that, now! All, look therer' l
cried, an idea striking me, and pointing
l
water. She had risen, bnt had been cut of
from US in the heavens by a ledge Of rock
at our left, just Beyond this her counterfeit
presentment sh0ne round and full in the
water ''Look therer'
'Wlat do you see?" cried Eaton, his
voice trembling with excitement, his whole
body eagerly bent forward.
"a woman's face in the moon in the
wavesn' l called, gazing Gxedly as il at a
vision. "What a brooding face! What
shadowy hair What a slow smile! And
her eyes! All! do you see her eyes? She
has opened them! Have you killed her ?"
''I swear to you, non' cried Eaton; 81
swear to you no! / know no such woman
have never killed her! I have not even
broken her heart! Tell me more about
her"
''She is young, very mystical, yet veIy
real, with a smile at one side of her mouth
while the other looks quite grave"
This was a characteristic of Anita's s
mouth, and it was she l was describing
Anita as I fancied her grown older, for |
had not seen her, scarcely indeed thought
of her, since that day when we were chill
dren.
''It's q pity you ca at paint her for me,
said Eaton impetuously, as he gazed at the
moon. 81 don't quite see her, but she
sounds great
81 might try to paint her tomorrow"
suggested, taking a cigarette from my pock
ct, and relapsing into my calm manner
again.
''You forget-to-morrow will be too late.
But you shall paint her to-night-now, be-
fore [ kill you''
He put up his oars as he spoke and came
toward me, drawing a rope through his
heavy hands. He was in state of wild
excitement, and | felt my light, airy man
ner slipping away as lie approached. !
was chilly as-as my watery grave was like
to be. Yet let him bind me hand and
instinctively counted his deep breaths the
while by way of something to do. A lurcl,
a struggle, and l should have been over
board and lost. Now that there seemed a
chance for life, I was in terror, and l was
more than half out of my senses as watch
cd my Charon lay me On the hither side of
his stream. He took me from the boat as
if | had been child. Then ne built fire
81 can mix my eolors by fre-light," he
cried, and unfastening my hands set his
easel before me, gave me brush and bade
me begin.
| For the life of me, and in spite Of the
threatened death SO near at hand, I could
but feel an interest in the freak
81 must do it in grays or browns. 1t
must be monochrome, or we shall ruin it.''
I spoke impatiently, So did it in grays.
The jet black rock, the moon resting on the
waves, and little Anlta's face with tie half
solemn, half-smiliDg look upon it.
| The strange scene, the maniac beside me,
my own former fear and present excitement
and the stirring Of my fancy gave me GER
tain fictitious strength. In less than an
hour, as should think, I had finished nv
sketch. It was certainly weird and, as it
seemed to me, strong. In the distance l
half suggested the boat, and two men in it,
one gazing eagerly toward the moon and
the face, and the other lying in the stern,
his arms over his head, his eyes towards
the heavens. The boat and the men were
small and well in the shadow.
| "Bravo! bravops cried Eaton.
s'Don't touch it again! Give me the
brush! Heren' and snatching it from my
fingers wrote his name, "Thomas Eaton
in bold black letters under the boat. "This
is my work, remember mine, not yours.
It will be a great success. and you''-he
paused and looked at me-''you have saved
your life" Saying which he jumped into
his boat with my sketch, laughed harsh,
| bleak sort of laurl and rowad awavo,o,n