The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1885-11-28

1atners opinion nc Salu, callllly'
II do not believe it will be of any
use," sighed Minna. 1T seems as
if my eyes had been unsealed all
too late. / am no artist. am
only a fraud. Oh, yes" as he look
ed inquiringly at her, you can take
it. The sooner | know my fate,
the better it will be for me"
So Mr.. Palmer wrapped up the
canvas in a piece of brown paper,
bowed a quiet "good-by,' and de-
parted.
All that day Minna sat in a sort
of terrified suspense, scarcely dar-
ing to breathe. Toward night Mr..
Palmer came back.
"Well ?" she gasped, breathless-
ly.
81 am happy to say that the pic
ture is accepted" said he. 81 have
brought you twenty-five dollars for
it. And / would like a pair of
smaller ones-companion subjects
AS soon as you can furnish them"
Minna Morton gave little gasp
for breath.
"Oh ~ she cried, "you do not
really mean it. Accepted and
more wanted Oh, it don't seem
possiblew
"How soon can you have them
ready?" said Paul, quietly. "In a
month ?"
"Yes, in less time than that" an
swerea Minna, half giddy, with de-
light l shall work day and night.
Oh, Mr.. Palmer, how kind you are !
Indeed, indeed, you do not know
what all this means for mer
If Minna could have been tempo
rarily clairvoyant that day-If she
could have followed Paul Palmer
back to the "art emporium" where
his father, half doubled up with
lumbago, sat viewing his recent ac-
QUESTION through an eye-glass--
what would have been her feelings :?
"Paul," said he, curtly, "this
thing that you have brought home
isn't worth shop-room ?"
"What is the matter with it sir ?"
''Nothing-nothing on earth. The
trouble" said Mr.. Palmer, vindic-
lively, "is that there is nothing to it.
1t is negative from beginning to end.
Tell the artist we can find no sale
for such trash p
But Pauz Palmer carried back no
such message. He went and came
often. He spoke words of kindly
encouragement to the poor young
girl, and paid, out of his own pock-
ct, liberal prices for her efforts.
And one day he asked her to be
his wife, and Minna promised that
she would.
Heretofore" said she, 81 have al
ways dreamed of devoting myself
to art but of late | am not so hone
ful. 1t seems as if my poor pin
ions are not strong enough to soar.
Yes, Paul, if you care for helpless
lame girl like me"
81 love you, Minna," he said,
simply. fyou will trust yourself
to me, l will never give you cause
to repent it.
1t was not until they had been
married some years, and old Mr.
Palmer, the picture dealer, was dead
and buried, that Minna, wandering
through the deserted room of the
old warehouse, with rosy-cheeked
child clinging to the skirts of her
gown, came across some dust-pow-
dered canvasses, with their faces
turned to the wall.
Oh, look, mamma cried little
Paul. What are these?
Let us examine them dear, said
she.
They were her own long-forgotten
efforts ! She stood looking at them,
through mist of tears and smiles.
Dear noble Paul she murmured
to herself, This only adds to the
debt of gratitude that I already owe
him. But he need not have been
so tender of my feelings. l know
now that art, so far as l am concern
ed, was a delusion and snare.
know that my truest happiness, my
greatest felicity, has been in cherish
ing him and the children.
And she never told Paul that she
had discovered his long-guarded
secret.-Helen Forrest Graves.
Missing.
Missing-so many are missing,
u i nj