The Wilmingtonian., 1885-11-14

1
ed arms how different their life might have
been but no, he plodded angrily along the
shore, glancing neither to the right nor the
left. Little by little the waves crept up and
Love was drowned, while Fame still stood
out bold and clear upon the yellow sands.
| Y
| Ten years have come and gone since Helen
Armstrong and Edwin Bennett parted on
the shore, and during that time they have
never met. Helen had won that which she
had striyen for. She had become an artist
of renown. Even royalty had been pleased
to compliment her upon her art.
For the last month one of Helen Arm
strong's paintings had been OIL exhibition at
the Academy of Design, and crowds had been
drawn thither to see this last work of the
celebrated artist. The subject was simple,
nothing new, yet visitors returned again to
look at it.
when lady and gentleman, the gentle
man leading little girl of perhaps three
years by the hand, passed into the room
where the painting hung.
"Ohl isn't it too bad there is such
crowd; l wanted so to see it, exclaimed the
lady; to wich the gentleman replied:
"We will look at the other pictures first
and come back again; perhaps there will not
be such crowd then.
An hour or so later the lady and gentle
man returned; then the room was almost
deserted, except for few stragglers here
and there. 1t was just about time to close
the gallery.
For few moments they stood in silence
before the painting; then a little voice said:
fBaby want to see too, papa"
STOPPING down the gentleman raised the
pretty, daintily dressed child inh his arms.
| After grayely regarding the picture for a
D second, the little one asked:
'Tz zay mad papa?
81 am afraid one was pet, came the low
! answer, as Edwin Bennett aoftly kissed the
t fair cheek of his little girl. Then his gaze
t returned to the painting. A stretch of yell
low sands, dotted here and there by huge
t boulders and piles of snowy pebbles, against
r wich the overhanging cliffs looked almost
Y black. Gentle little baby waves rippling in
toward the shoe, while majestic purple-hued
silver, dyed clouds seemed floating en-
g masse toward the golden crimson barred sun
; that fl oded the sky and water with its
warm light.
7 In the centre of the picture, where the
beach formed curve resembling horse,
t shoe, was an old boat, turned bottom up
! ward; some few feet off, the figure ola young
r man, apparently walking hurridly away.
Although the face was not visible, the
e gazer felt that the man suffered; that the
I. glorious sunset was this day as naught to
y him. Perhaps it was in the tightly y-clasped
$ hand, the veins Of which stood out like
+ great cords, or, maybe, in the mans appar-
ent total disregard of his surroundings.
To the right of the picture was figure of
Q young girl, trailing parasol in the sand
3 as she appeared to move slowly in the OPP
posite direction from her compaion. Only
a little bit of delicately y-shaped ear and a
s mass of glossy braids showed from beneath
the shade hat, but one could readily be.
lieve that the pretty girlish figure belonged
= in an equally attractive face.
9 About half way between them, traced up
on the sands, were the words, "Fame yer.
r. sus Love-"
h IS ast ja'.sl,, tSli;i,'gyF and Ma---s2-an
. | ness t5id her hand upon her husbands arm
J.. as she added;
"Yet how sad it somehow seems. cam
j; help feeling sorry for them. | wish could
see their faces. feel as if / wanted to turn
( them round"
.Ilasping the little hand that rested SO
confdngly upon his arm, Edwin Bennett
e inwardly thanked God for the gift of his
fair young wife, as he said
"Come dear, they are commencing to
o close up. Baby's tired; too"
# "Ess mes tired. Baby wants to tiss
e mamma, lisped the child, holding out hel
l tiny arms.
l Husband and wife failed to notice lady
It who stood near, gazing at the painting. AS
d the pretty young mother stopped down tc
rt receive her baby's kisses, which the little
-e one lavished on cheeks, lips and brow, a
d deep yearning look gathered in the strange
lady's eyes and she turned hastily away.
!. "Oh, Edwin exclaimed his wife, as they
: passed the silent figure in black. "Wouldn't
it be nice if baby should grow up to be {
m great dTt ISL lIke bulS DllsS ArIuslrUIB
>. "God forbid, Annie" came the earnest
reply, followed by ''let her grow up to be {
d true, loving woman, that is all ask" The
IL lady's hand tightened its hold upon the baca
,e of the settee as the words reached her ears
" but she did not move until they were out o
If sight. Then lifting her veil she went and
u stood before the painting that had won sucl
~ Fame. Tears gathered in her eyes as sht
at gazed, and with the words, "I'll neve
n look at it again, she, too, passed out of the
building, and in her own handsome carriag,
, was driven home.
e. Scorn alone in her dark eyes as they fel
,e upon the costly works of ant scattered il
be lavshed profusion about her luxuriouslJ
is furnished apartments. Hastily throwing
ry aside her wraps, she crossed over to mir
ror A very handsome face reflected. No
a. looking the thirty years it had known.
ar Helen Armstrong-for it was she-ha,
sk heard Of Edwin Benefits marriage heart
i'd that he had succeeded in business beyond b
r. most sanguine expectations; heard that hi
m wife was one of the lovelicst and gentles
/ of women, and that Edwin Bennett idoizet
lie both wife and child This day she had seer
he them.
Then came the thought that she might
We have stood IN that wife's place; she, too
!" might have had those baby lips pressed a
at lovingly to hers ; but she had put it from
her She had ehosed Fame versus Love