The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-01-06
AN UNFINISHED STORY.
BY JESSIE BENTON FREMONT.


Come here and see the picture l have
found" called sweet positive voice; lust
here-now, is not that good? Color, figure
and suggestion all so harmonious" and the
little lady, herself MeissOner for dimlnu-
tive size and exquisite finish, commanded to
her side all but the one she considered ''pic-
ture-like." She was required not to move,
while the rest. grouped by the curtained en-
trance of the great drawing ROOM made their
affectiOnately admiring comments on one OF
those happy accidents which sometimes out
do the best efforts of skilled compositions"
AL the guests had left except one, who was
not to return for some days yet to her coun-
try home, and now the family alone, the
most pleasant part Of each ones evening had
been told over and resulted in a whole OF en-
tire satisfaction with the dinner as a success
The foreign travellers for whom it had been
made were honestly delighted; a 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
'ound so. and the young host and hostess
frankly said they had forgotten they were at
acme, and found all as delightful as though
they were guests and in no way responsible.
| Quite the best OF home party is the talk
ing it over after it has proved success, and
| so there followed pleased talk which led
on into the night.
The house was all hUshcd; the servants had
put out the larger lights, leaving only some
shaded lamps. These touched up softly
beautiful effects made by artistic furniture,
| pictures bronzes and china and some adj
mirable apestries-everything that large
and cultivated taste can bring together. A
| sense of space and depth was gived by large
mirrors, but these were so masked by plants
and draPeries as to be unoburusive and only
| do their duty OF repeating and blending all
] this in irregular charming viStas Thus
| repeated and softened was "the picture" a
| low sofa with gold-fringed dark velvet and
tall palms stretching their fanlike bOUghs
above it on the low table beside it, rising
| from mass of hyacinths and roses was
| porcelain 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 ';es-
| thetically white face, now for a moment re-
stored to color and youth by the flesh tint
of silk lamp shade.
Don't move. Let me get the tones of that
| light thrown up against the green and down
! upon Ma Reine's glistening hair"
The MeissOnier paints, and paints we'll.
| Her delight in this unprecedented tableau
was that of the artist well as of a 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 midnight"
The Meissonier's fortunate owner put
| himself into a luxurious cavern of a chair,
| asked permission ~ and became complete
| ly content as the thin smoke curled from his
| lips.
Presently, "What changed your expression
/ and pat you to thinking when Bessie said
| you were already series OF pictures to
| herr"
! This observing man has nearly the second
| sight. 1t is as well to tell him what he per-
| ceives.
| Ma Refine answered that the words "a
| series of pictures" brought back strange
superstition which for years had had part in
/ her life.
This is just the time for telling it." joy
fully exclaimed the little woman, curling
herself into ball of comforts downy
| white ball of white stufs aud lace and satin
ribbons, surmounted by the brown head with
| frank, brown eyes, ooh, this is delightful.
comfort). Now begin"
Ma Reine's low Southern voice began:
"Once upon time | was young Some
| thing, Just as in fairy tale had quite sud-
denly rubbed out all need to wait, 10 think
| or plan, or to make any effort but we had
only to wish, and our wishes came true And
| 1t was we that made it good fairy tale. be-
| cause for a long time she sat alone in her
tower, while he was away in danger and
hardships and loneliness.
'Then came this sudden and great change,
| and il was so like fairy tale that we 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
people ii 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
10 look at, and we had but to wish and every
wish was filled. l think We had not one
drawback.
I'VE lived quite apart in small chateau
in its own grounds on the Elysian Fields,
and for a long time we keep free from visits
making none and riskiRg no break in this
ideal existence. We did not need people
50 many noble pleasures were open without
them.
"In 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 the book, being
known to me those leaves were untouched.
Not every page. but here and there at irregu-
lar intervals, a water color would fill page.
This, i understand, portrayed some scene to
come. Each was so stamped into my brain
that could have reproduced them with the
brush had been an artist to my own peo-
pie did in the telling and writing of them.
They were so distinct and beautiful that no
detail has left my memory yet. Two were
OF public and national importance and were
made real by events most unforeseen and I'M
likely; and no one, altogether personal. was
equally the foreshadowing of q crisis in my
life, There were Others, gentle and eacoursg-