The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-12
AN UNFINISHED STORY.
BY Jessie Benton Fremont.

called a sweet, positive voice. lust here-now,
lis not that soodi Color. figure and suggestion
all SO harmonious" and the little lady, herself a
Meissoner for diminutive size and exquisite
finish commanded to her side all but the one she
considered ''picture-like." She was required not
to move. while the rest, grouped by the curtained
entrance of the great drawing room, mace their
affectonately- admiring comments on one of those
happy accidents which sometimes Guido the best
efforts of skilled compositions" All the guests
had left except one, who was not to return for
some days yet to her country home, and now,
the family alone. the most pleasant part of each
ones evening had been told over. and resulted
in whole of entire satisfaction. with the dinner
as success. The foreign travellers for whom it
had been made were honestly delighted; man
whose own charming dinners gave him right
to be fastidious had been equally pleased. and
the lovely girl had felt she was lovely. and found
so. and the young host and hostess frankly said
they had forgotten they were at home, and found
ali as delightful as though they were guests, and
in no way responsible
Quite the best of home party is the talking
it after it has proved success, and so there
followed pleased talk which led on into the
night.
The house was all hushed; the servants had
put out the larger lights, leaving only some
shaded lamps These touched up softly beauti-
full effects made by artistic furniture pictures.
bronzes and china, and some admirable tapes
tries-evoryth that large ard cultivated taste
can bring together. sense of space and depth
was given by large mirrors. but these were SO
masked by plants and draperies as to be unob-
trusive, and only do their duty of repeating and
blending all this in irregular charming vistas.
Thus repeated and softened was "the picture:"
low sofa with gold fringed, dark velvet draper
les and tall palms stretching their fan-like
boughs above it; on the low table beside it, rising
from a mass of hyacinths and roses, was porce-
lain lamp, whose shaded globe made center of
tender light in the rich gloom of the noble room.
On this sofa their cherished friend, ma
Refine" as it pleased them to. call her, was half
lying. the elbow resting on the cushions and the
head upon the hand.
Head dropped and cheek upon the hand,
Thoughtful she was, and somewhat sad.'
The dark velvet, the green canopy of the palms.
The soft, falling dress of black satin harmonized
with the silver hair and "sestheticcally white"
face, now for the moment restored to color and
youth by the flesh tint of the silk lamp shade.
Don't move. Let get the tone of that
light brown up against the green and down upon
Ma Reine's gistening hair"
The Messonier paints, and paints well. Her
delight in this unprecedented tableau was that
of the artist we'll as of loving friend, and
she peremptorily asserted no one should move;
that all were fresh and amused and 1.-The right
kind of day never began any way until near mid
night"
1.-THE Meissoniers fortunate owner put him
self into luxurious cavern of a chair, asked
permission w and became completely content as
the thin smoke curled from his lips.
Presently, "What changed your expression
and put you to thinking when Bessie said you
were already series of pictures to herr"
This observing man has nearly the second
sight 1t is we'll TO tell him what he perceives"
Ma Refine answered that the words "a series
Vt pictures" brought back strange superstition
which for years had had part in her life.
''rhis is just the time for telling it," joyfully
exclaimed the little woman, curling herself into
stuffs and lace and satin ribbons, surmounted by
the brown head with frank, brown eyes. ''Oh,
this is delightful. 1 begin to feel creepy" (nest
ling into more comfort). Now, begin"
Ma Reine's low Southern voice began:
"Once upon time / was young. Something,
just as in a fairy tale, had quite suddenly rub
bed out all need to wait to think, or plan. Or
make any effort; but we had only to wish, and
our wishes came true. And it was we that made
if a good fairy tale because for long time she
sat alone in her tower, while he was away in
danger, ana hardships, and loneliness.
'"Then came this sudden and great change. and
it was so like fairy tale that went off to a
far country, where we need not be reasonable
but just let our fancies guide US.
For long. happy year we stayed there. On
the map it has another name, and to most peo-
pie it is only Paris but for that year it was to us
fairy land
I'VE were young; we had such perfection of
health as is given to few; we were not bad to
look at, and we had but to wish and every wish
was fulfilled. l think we had not one drawback.
I'VE lived quite apart in small chateau in
Its own ground on the Elysian Fields, and for a
long time we kept FREQ from visits-making none
and risking no break in this ideal existence We
did not need people-so many noble pleasures
were open without them
I'm such dream-like life it was natural that
even dreams should become beautiful, and in
those days this dream came to me: An album
like book was given to me and in the formless;
voiceless manner of dreams | was informed that
in that was pictured my future life. The earlier
pages were blank All that about fourth of
untouched. Not every page, but here and
there at irregular intervals a water color
would fill a page This, / understood
portrayed some scene to come. Each was so
stamped into my brain that could have repro
duced them with the brush had been an artist
to my own people did in the telling and writ
ing of them. They were so distinct and beauti-
full that no detail has left my memory yet Two
were of public and national Importance, and
wege made real by events most unforeseen and
WAS
equally the foreshadowing of crisis in my life.
There were others, gentle and encouraging. but
the last picture in the album impressed me most
because it was the last
''And after three of these had been verified by
living facts, do you wonder / gave faith to
this closing scenel
1T was room in a countrv-house which, as
Hood says of his Haunted House. was but a
habtation. not home;' but house, room, and all
accessories were English in the country, and not
modern
"A plain. square room with two windows hav-
ing "a tall mantelpiece Of wood, where on the
bricked hearth. asmall Gre burned; between the un
curtained windows was solid looking dark wood
dressing bureau with longish narrow mirror
swinging between two carved supports. A bed
stead of dark wood, with TALL carved posts. the
square frame connecting them having frill of
light curtain stuff attached. and the same about
the lower part of the bed. A white coverlet was
spread quite over the bed, which was soft and
yieldlng, aud gave only in martial relief the