The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-01-19
4. PORTRAIT.
An Artists Story ofPa,n+,nr . Dir,


An Artists Story ofPaintlng a Plot
--. uro.
III is a theory of mine that one can
not paint a good portrait from mere
sittings of the subject before one. The
nature, as we'll as the features of the
model, must require study. One
should know something of the soul as
we'll as the superfcies. And so, as ]
was to paint the portrait of Mrs.
Adr'ance' a woman of rare charm, ]
felt the necessity OF some careful OBJ.
servation. Her guest for the purpose.
/ had OF course, the better opportu.
nifty OF making it, and the hospitality
being matter OF course in the wav
OF business, hardly invested it with
the sacred character OF guest, or in
vested her with any OF tho shielding
only that should ordinarily surround
ones host.
Mrs. Adriance was a woman of lux.
uricus beauty and OF q toilet that
was it's fit setting. If I say that her
husband was her slave, have no word
lett to describe the condition of his
servants; but in her house, which was
superb, she reigned an unlimited des-
pot, and her word, her wish, was law.
She had many whims, each of which
she followed till she worked it out
and there was no shred OF it left; now
it was charity, now it was religion.
now it was fashion, now it was ]itera.
ture, now it WIS art. Whatever whima
she pursued, 1t borrowed for the time
some OF the beauty OF the beautiful
creature who pursued it, and seem.
ed as admirable as she was, as all
she ala was-at least in the eyes OF
Mr.. Adrlance. In my own eyes-well.
beginning as her abject servant. had
spent but q few days under her roof
when found myself thinking that If I
painted Mrs. Adriance as I saw her.
the picture would be unpleasant
enough to exceed the domain of art.
Nothing opens the eyes sometimes
like IL good prejudice. IfIhad not be.
come aware OF Mrs. Adriance's op-
position to the marriage OF her hus-
bands niece for no other reason than
that the & rl was agreeable to herself,
pleasant piece Of furniture in the
house, and she did not choose to
make {. break in the way of life which
she enjoyed, might have not seen
her so clearly myself. No one played
Chopin rs this sensitive Irene did;
no one else read verses with the same
delicate infections and musical voice;
no one sympathized with her in all her
freaks and caprices as this young girl
did; no one had such taste to criticise
and suggest concerning ribbon or a
ruille, and let Irene's fingers twinkle
for a moment in the lace or among
the puifs and bows, and no French
milliner could have done better. 1t
was plainly impossible for Mrs. Adri.
ance to spare Irene. Who would see
the point of the last social gossip
with her? With whom should she ex-
change tue swift glance? With whom
should she talk over her friends and
enemies?
Life would be coming to an end
soon enough, anyway; let things be as
they were till sickness, and
age and death touches them with
necessary Transforming hand; why
60 out OF the way and bring
about unpleasant changes? No; let
Irene stay where she was we'll off and
make others so. And why did Irene
wish to marry, anyway? she would
continue. It would only be a tenn
porary delight, and after that weari.
ness. Doubtless very much in love
now in a year the enchantment would
be gone, and the bridal satin would be
only sackc!oth and ashes. No, it was
as much for Irene's sake as for that
OF every one else that Mrs. Adriance
opposed the whole affair.
And then the man was poor. It
was true that was a trouble which Mrs.
Adriance could remedy, if she would,
out OF her abundant wealth; but il
Irene wished to throw herself away,
not q dollar, not a. cent, would Mrs.
Adriance contribute toward her doing
so; she, at any rate, should not make
herself responsible for helping on the
sacrifice. Besides, see how selfish it
was in Irene!
How singuiarly selfish to wish to
leave this nome where she was so &C.
ceptable, so agreeable, actually SO
necessary, where an aunt valued
her as few women did their husband j
relatives, where her uncle found her
OF such use, where she filled all the
chinks and corners, where nothing
could replace her to make up for her
loss, how very selfish in her to wish TO
60 on with q young man who must
needs absorb her entirely to himself.
She couldn't really believe such selfish
ness was possible to Irene, and there
fore she couldn't really believe that
Irene positively wished to marry the
young man. And if she didn't wish it,
what was the use OF talking any more
about it? It was not matter of
genuine love, but mere phase sentl-
mentality. And how did that old
pink accord with the furnished
gold, and what did you say
to this cloth for riding habit-scar-
let velvet full of silver gray shadows?
One has to be so careful in the choice
of hues after one has passed ones first
youth; and scarlet is certainly vul-
garizing unless ones skin is transpar-
ent as moonlight. And hers was?
Yes, there was perhaps nothing out
of the way in confessing it; q fact in
nature that was patent to any OBJ
server was hardly a matter of person
nj vanity; and she was willing to adj
NIT she had found pleasure in her COL
oring, as the glass gave it back to her,
the pleasure she might find in looking
at a CORRESPONDENCE had often told
her shelooked like a painting on ivory;
and it was certainly very unusual at
40. An even temper had q great deal
to do with such preservation by keep
ing up a REGULAR circulation-a refusal
to BE- ruffled by triAes, q habit of
putting aside the unpleasant,
such, for instance, as this disagree:
able affair OF 1rene's marriage. She
just gave her decided dissent. and there
an end. And by the way, Irene being
on the tapis, how was this for q tea
gown for Irene, pale mouse nuns veil.