The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-09-21

Gallery"
V could scarcely avoid smile as | re
| piled, hypocritically: Don't you thinl
| that rather too royal a gift p
: He looked at me critically for a momen
: and then said "One can never do toe
much for ones country"
Q We had now entered the dining room
and was presented to Miss Heath, whom
r we found there She was a faded blonde
with weak eyes and faint voice. She
looked, as to age, anything between thirty
[ and sixty. 1t was impossible to make even
, a remote guess at it unless one considered
| il in relation to that Of her father; then one
gave her, say, thirty years. "Uncommonly
pretty daughter indeed. Burnleigh had
had a good joke at my expense. But oh,
if he Gould see my Dresden shepherdess
On the whole | was rather glad he could
not 1t is not pleasant to quarrel with an
old friend
Miss Heath spoke seldom, and when she
speech as far as might he. She was one
Of those uncomfortable people who never
use your name in addressing you. She
addressed Mr. Heath and me alike with an
indefinite you.
At dinner art was served with every
course Ii was quite impossible to lead
the conversation into any other channel
even by the utmost cunning. | gave up
in despair after dozen attempts worse
than futile. and listened to my hosts dis
scrtation upon the preservation Of prints as
patiently as | could.
In the dining room which was also used
for brcakfa Mr. Heath had a number of
those frames known as cease frames, into
which he could introduce a new picture at
will II followed tha, ON entering the
room every morning looked for some new
horror in these case frames, and | must say
was not often disappointed, only the
phrase does not express my hesitation.
/ Well, then, to return to the dinner
My host told one amusing story-to me at
least-whcn he had successfully disposed
( Of yarnisheS, tinioil. woods, and their alb
sorption of damp, Sc Il appeared that a
dealer had given him little surprise in a
change Of pictures one morning. and not
welcome Que at the time This dealer had
eondetIned certain pictures in this dining
room, and offered 70 replace them by some
thing really good, No arrangement had
been come 70, and the dealer departed
without pressing the matter. \ few morn
inrs later, however, Mr.. Heath entered his
dining room Wiiha huge portfolio. to change
some Of the pictures in the ease frames,
whcn. 70 his amaEcmrnt. an entirely differ
cnt 80 Of oil paintings met his gaze. When
he had sufficiently recovered from his As
constituent to make inquiries, he learEed
that the dealer had arrived quite early that
morning accompanied by a wagon and
number Of men The arrival OF pictures
was ~ treslucnt an occurrence that It had
excited no suspicion On the part Of the
servants. who only wondered a little that
the master had not risen to supeTinicnd the
hanging. As he usually did. However, they
had not disturbed him. imagining that he
kncw all about IT, 80 when the master At
last appeared his pictures were miles away.
Aud that Is not al, said my host with
an IN used expression, That dealer turned
up here the dag after and called upon me
to exhibit gratitude and enthusiasm, and
20 pay E50, as my counterieits only went
part way toward payment for the gems Of
which he described me as happy posses
sur.
And you paid it?' | inquired with
show of real interest. for | was not with
cat a suspicion that the only pictures Of
value had bccn carried Of.
~Oh, yes, be made answer. with a re-
turn to good humor 'One should always
keep oa good terms with ones dcaler--he
can do 20 much for one.
80 il appears, | replied.
Aad al the time the art collection vas
on the taps Miss Heath eyes accused me
Of breaking at least one clause Of the Tenth
Commandment OF course | must envy a
man such a collection; how could 1t be
otherwise?
The following morning after breakfast
was put in possession ofthe ''dilapidated
rags was 10 turn into pictures.
My studio a very good one was entered
through long passage, aud was Of course,
al the top Of the house. Leading from it
was \ long picture gallery, also lit from the
top, which terminated in an ante-ehamber;
but this | was not aware Of in the first part
Of my STAY, for Mr.. Heath, after showing
me my studio and looking to see that | had
everything ncedful both for work and COM
fort, magnanimonsly left me TO investigate
the picturc-gallery for myself, privilege
| resolved not to avail myself Of, having
been satisfied with art at Thornton Lodge.
This resolution brought me very odd ex
perienec.
had commenced upon one of the pie
turcs, and had 50 placed myself that |
could see the end Of the long gallery
Among the crowd Of portraits there my
eyes caught sight Of one empty frame.
Being in a sentimental mood since yes
terday | tried to imagine the face Of my
lovely shepherdess within it, 1t was not
difficult to call up the laughing face under
the ad-brimmed hat, and presently |
semed TO see the brown eyes glancing and
the sauey mouth smiling from that empty
frame
Day after day SO called up the sweet
vision. This was, perhaps, very absurd,
but my foolishness did not end here. |
took up habit of waiting kisses from my
| fnger-tips to this creation Of my fancy
Could Burnleigh have known he would
have called to my remembrance the we'll
worn adage which has reference to ''httle
things aud little minds.
1t must not be imagined, however, that
while thus romantieally devoted to the
shadow | made no effort to become equally
so to the substance But the rub was that
/ | could not find it. | made afternoon ex-
cursions to the pine woods, | presented
myself to buy glass of milk at all the
farm houses in the neighborhood, but not
Il glimpse of my divinity rewarded my dill
igence and self-saerifce '.How self-saeri-
/ flee ?" asks the reader Well all my
friends know that milk gives me an agonis
/ ing pain in the chest
\ week passed away, and | began to
think had created the original as well as
the imaginary picture, In other words, |
thought | had gone to sleep aud dreamed
the whole thing. And this is what gave
me the notion.
was in my studio as usual one morning
and glancing at the empty frame in pause
in my work saw the girlish face grayely
watching me through it, | had never