, 1888-06-05
E PLURIBUS UNUM.

HnLBounS PLACE, Feb. =.
DEAR JLcK-The fur coat is q pronounced sue
cess saw you today when / was driving, and
was forcibiy reminded Of solomon In his glory.
Have you forgotten your friends of old in their
clothes also of oldi One would think so, as it's
been ten days since you were here.
The rest Of the family are going to the Porters
tonight, but shall stay at home and console my
self with Beethoven, Sidney Lanier and you, II
youT1 come, forI have something to show you.
A womans head, painted from a photograph,
which l finished only yesterday. 1t isn't bad. At
fectionately. CARA-
THE CLUB, Feb. z, 80.
DEAR cARA-Yours just received. 1t seems al
most unnecessary TO tell you how glad 1 shall DO
70 come Deyotedly, JAcx-
at isn't" says Cara n few hours later,
as she pushes the ottoman to an easier
distance, and turns n beautiful, fire
flushed face toward Jack, cit isn't that
this winter has been much worse than
the other two, but I've been thinking,
and as it's a luxury 1 don't often allow
myself, have mental dyspepsia as a re-
suit"
Mental dyspepsia" says Jack scorn-
fully; 'it's the result of sitting out all
the square dinces with Willoughby in
that draughty conservatory of the Mar
~ston's."
II refuse to understand, I" says Cara,
smiling.
you can'tl Your intellect won't al
low you"
Speaking of intellect" ~viciously,
somehow makes me think of your
friend, Miss Marston. How is she?'
Il don't know why it should. She's
WE'LL"
DO you intend to please your father
and marry herr"
al Iz-Na - a.
comes to the worst, l suppose / shall
have to-"
IL should think that would be an ex-
act statement OF the case-the worst
coming to the worst"
Don't be any more severe than you
can help. says Jack, laughing. .eYou
don't kno what il is to be poor"
Il almost wish ! did. y Cara
Il might then have amounted to some
thing as an artist"
You need hardly wish that, for, as 1t
is, you are the best amateur''-
''That's il, Cara breaks In impa-
tiently. Amateur, amateur, always
amateuri 10 be an artist. OF
late ] have had thoughts of giving my
money to found a homo for other weak
minded women, and living In Paris on
ten sous a day and the divine aflatus;
only. as Hawthorne says: 1.-THE great
obstacle to being heroic is the doubt
whether one may not be going to prove
ones self a fool.'"
zone doesn't like to be too precipi-
tate after a remark of that kind"
say Frank, meditatively, after a
little pause, during which Cara has
risen and seated herself at the piano,
where she is lazily striking minor chords.
lis that what has kept you from being
too precipitate5 Jack, what makes you
SO lazy?"
Lack of incentive. Don't scorn."
81 wish / cosld make you feel your
possibilities for yourself as | feel them
for you"
II asked you to try once and yon re-
fused" Jack laughs when he says it.
but try as he will his voice falters as he
speaks.
Cara bushes, and then says: "If we
hadn't outlived a great deal of the nom
sense Of our lives, we could not be the
thoroughly good friends we are now.
Come and let me introduce you to q
woman who, / think, is worth a mans
love. She's over in the library. l re-
member your dislike to climbing and
had her brought down"
Jack offers her his arm, and together
they walk the whole length of the draw
ing room, across the hall to the library,
the greater part of which is in shadow,
the n bright light being directly over
the picture.
Only a picture Of a woman's head and
the curve to the shoulders; rudy chest
nut hair that curls mistily around a face
In which sweetness and firmness are
strangely intermingled; great irised gray
eyes-eyes with all the poetry and pas
sion Of Cabanel's Venus; a clear, almost
delicately colorless skin, save for a
warmth in mouth and cheek; and yet,
with alb the yielding beauty of woman
hood, there is an intellectual vigor and
strength in the face which one seldom
sees a v in the faces OF men who have
suffered and been strong"
at is by far the best thing you have
ever done" says Jack, after a few mo
ments OF admiring silence. MAY i see
the photograph"
''1t's behind the Mona Lisa; not a very
good one, but the best l could get"
II should say it wasn't a very good
one. 1t must have been done by some
amateur photographer, judging from the
finish But, Cara, how much the eyes
here are hke your owni"
They tell me 90. ALL Jack, | regret
to see that you are regarding her more as
a woman than as an artistic proiuo-
uon."
I'm afraid am. Do you know her
wellf Why have 1 never seen her2''
SNOW. say Cara, ..you have made
me jealous, and, like q wise woman, I
refuse to ak Of my rival. On Thursday