The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-16
started back a. II ] had been shot. There.
written on the sand In clear. bold letters.


was q name-"Cons.ance."
So now, on circumstantial evidence.
had before me a picture Of being that |
had never seen and Of whose existence
had no, known until this day ! could
almost imagine that Constance" walked
before me, pressing footprints In the sand
tall. slender girl. with graceful walk,
stylishly dressed, and swinging a dainty
parasol: but. alas, with her back always
turned TO me.
Was my fair unknown pretty? That
she was strong sensible. thoughtful and
refined. had guessed; but the paramount
ouestion still remained unanswered-was
she pretty
had walked for some distance under
tho cliffs toward Dover. when To- flash
Of color caught my eye. Could it be II
bird Of brilliant plumage or child
dressed in red, or young lady with u
crimson hat? 1t was the latter!
She reclincd upon the beach, her head
resting upon a little bank of sand and as
nearcd her | noticed parasol and a
novel Constance
hesitated as 10 what | should do.
Should pass her. and thus turn my back
upon those artistic footprints forever2
No; | could not do that
1 slsckened my pace. and politely re
Trained from gazing too rudeiy until ]
almost reached her, when turned TO have
a mood lool, al her face
Judge nay disappointment, however,
when | found that the pretty crimson
sailor hat, with its peoples and plush,
was tilted over the face. obscuring il com
pletelyl stopped short and gazed at
her. and was seized with sn intense De
sire 20 snatch off the hat, and unmask the
face at whatever cost But | could not
nerve myself to do it.
Ny unknown appeared fast asleep
What if she should be wide awake star
ing from under the bewitching little hat?
There was something awful in this
thought: and though am not q coward
| confess quailod before the mere idea OF
two staring glaring eyes in ambush under
the hat
After contemplating such desperate
onslaught. it seemed quite tame and civil,
quite delicate and uuobtrusive, when !
quietly unfurlod my camp stool and sat
down and sketched her as She lay wash
ing her in graysand crimson.
Scarcely had | finished when sudden
panic seized me What if she should
awake and come out from under the hat
like a hideous vision shuddered at the
thought. and bundling my paints into
the box, caught up my stool and hurried
away, retracing my footsteps and hers,
rejecting ruefully that though had seen
her in the flesh, knew no more than !
did before
The problem as to her age and beauty,
alas was still unsolved.
Twelve months later had painted two
pictures. which intended to send in to
the academy One of them had desig-
mated Day Dreams" IT was, as you will
have guessed, an exact reproduction of the
fair one whose footsteps | had traced
along the sands at Deal. The central
figure was that of fashionably dressed
Young lady reclining at full length upon
the golden sand, her hat pulled down over
her face to shade it from the sun. She
was asleep. indulging in day dreams,
while the pale green waves sighed softly
upon the single. and the white sails of a
Yacht relieved the broad expanse of blue
Nv friends generally said that the pict
IRE was fantastcal. but they all prophe
sled it would be a success, and some art
critics. whose acquaintance | had made
thought well of it, Ny friend and col !
lege chum. Jack Barrett. though an artist !
himself. was ecstatical over il. What !
sport he and had in our studio abont il, !
We always spoke of it as Dreamy Con
stance. and we made hundred guesses
at what sort of facial expression was
under the sailor hat.
The lst of May had come and gone. My |
pictures had been accepted and, what is
more important. Day Dreams was hung |
on the line
Walking leisurely about among the
ihrongs OF people, his hands clasped be
hind his back and trying TO look like one
Of the crowd of commonplace young men
who had not picture accepted, was my !
self For the greater part Of the first
week could not help hanging about my
pictures and listening to what the public /
said about them.
One day, as was standing in the vesti
lule. Just on the point OF leaving, car
-iace drove up and from il alighted
young lady, accompanied by gentleman.
perhaps ten years her senior.
hs they were passing | caught the
words Day Dreams. and turned to hear
what they would say about it.
The face OF the gentleman struck me as
laving . resemblance TO some one | had
seen before. and the lazy was very beau
iful-just the sort OF creature whose
race and beauty would drive men dis
racted.
In the crowd at the entrance | lost
hem. bat making my way 10 where my
,icture hung, | found them before il. The
nan was evidently no lover of art, for he
re was staring about the room III an sb-
ent minded manner; but the lady WAS
,endiug forward mtently, with her eye
,-,l tn,n nv canvas in n manner that