Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-08-27

forever; but portraint painter, you
know, finds it very difficult to get o
start; and if one paints ideal heads
and faces. one m must have O model"
Ethel laughed aloud.
"Do you know" she said, confden-
TALLY. "that Mrs. Colby once remarked
in joke that-that if 1 hadn't any
thing better to do 1 might make my
living by loaning out my head--y on
know the hair is the color Titan used
to paint"
"If you would only give me one or
two sittings," he pleaded, II should be
so grateful. But / should not ask-it
would be too much"
"No, it wouldn't" she answered, de-
terminedly; so after little discussion
it was arranged that she should come
there the next day and pose for
Madonna, or whatever he chose to
make of her.
Mrs. Colby protested against the
sittings, but to no purpose, and then
interviewed Mr.. Harbridge ON the sub
ject.
II tell you what, Ellen" said her
father, with wisdom that nineteen
years, acquaintance with Ethel had i'm
bued him with, IF we run contrary to
her wishes in this direction, sure as
fate she'd run against mine from sheer
obstinacy by falling in love with and
marrying this Ellison"
"And that's the very thing I'm afraid
will happen.
"Oh, never you fear about that. 1t
takes opposition to make people marry
poor artists, and Ethel hasn't been
crossed in this whim yet"
Nothing further was said, but Mrs.
Colbys fears were by no means al
layed.
The sittings went on, and the Ma
donna progressed rapidly. AT length
it was finished. The artist, though far
from being egotistical, could see for
himself how immensely superior it was
to his landscapes.
He was standing beside Ethel at
little distance from it, silently noting
its wonderful beauty.
Il could not have painted it so we'll
had it not been for your kindness. he
said, at last, in reply to a compliment
which she hesitatingly gave. "But my
opportunities are over. You are going
away, and even if you were not /
could not trespass on your patience for
sittings for another picture"
But there are plenty of models to
be had, she said, with gleam of mis-
chief in her eye.
Not" he began, and stopped alb
ruptly.
"Not in Chicago" laughed Ethel.
"Go on and finish, Mr. Ellison; can
anticipate the rest, for L overheard a
remark which you once made about the
lack of female beauty in this city,"
He flushed hotly; but glance at her
face reassured him. Something in her
manner, also, gave him desperate
courage, at which he himself was much
amazed when he recollected afterward
all the occurrences of that afternoon.
But you have shown me my mis-
take, he suft, oorni-s5 - littIo cfoser.
"There is one beautiful woman here;
but only one. What would / not give
to possess her?"
"Well, what would your" she asked,
coluettishly, with smile that showed
him what the answer would be to the
question, should he ask it. Butt never
came,
There was only little cry of JOY,
some smothered exclamation, the sound
which has always been supposed to be
peculiar to turtle doves, but which has
been infringed and improved upon by
the human species, and then the Ma
donna on the handsome easel looked
complacently down and saw her living
prototype gathered into the artists
arms. Chicago Ledger.