The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1890-08-23

| 1t was late when returned and found
| the lady sitting on the piazza. Present.
1 ", noticed her lover coming down the
| street. She saw him, and her face
lighted up with wondrous glow, and
as she rose to greet him it was fairly
TRANSPORTED. The puzzle was solved;
the mystery was plain to me. 1t was
love that made her lovely. and it was
love that made him look SO grand and
noble, and pondered over my discov-
cry. had seen schoolgirl and school
| boy love, and love, so-called, in other
various phases, and had seen the ar
ticle transferred from one object to an
other with apparently the greatest
ease. Never having had much expert
ence Of my own, and my observation of
lovers after marriage being unfortu-
| nate, perhaps, l had come to regard
true and lasting love as purely an ideal
never to be realized, except in Heaven,
and it might be that which made it
| Heaven.
Here was love very different from
any that had previously come under my
observation. 1t had the power to trans
form, to glorify the human face, and
love that had such power must of neces-
sity be pure and true. 0 why are so
many satisfied with base imitation!
Such love as theirs is the most desira-
BILE thing in life, thought /, as noticed
the subtle interchange Of sympathy and
the appreciation each felt for the beauty
of the sunset, which neither needed to
express in words. Years could make no
difference in love like this, unless to
increase its depth and fervor.
Thus unused. Soon they strolled off
toward the river, and suddenly became
conscious that the book had been pre-
tending to read was held upside down.
The hostess came out just then, and
expressed to her the interest with which
these two people had inspired me. She
became enthusiastic at once and told me
many facts about them, which deepened
the feeling 1 had already had. Once
more. resolved to make a sketch, but
not of the lady alone; would paint
them both. One would be incomplete
without the other. They were ideal
lovers and my picture should express
my ideal of love, yet taken from life. /
sought my room, and with more than
my former enthusiasm began again the
difficult work. sketched from mem
DRY, for the impression ON my mind was
vivid. Several days passed. This par
ticular sketch was not yet finished for
it was elaborate, and worked on it only
when inspired by seeing my two lovers
together.
Meanwhile Irambled, read and fished,
sometimes alone, sometimes with ac-
quaintances. l made several sketches
Of landscapes in the vicinity of the town,
but none seemed complete without the
figures of my two lovers placed in the
foreground, and they were in nearly
every one, and / endeavored in each and
all to give vivid expression to the mutu-
al confidence and love which so fascin-
ated me in the originals.
What pleasant days those were! How
keenly enjoyed them after my months,
OF work in the close school-room. One
afternoon, sketch-book in hand, l
started for ramble. and after reaching
the river wandered on along the bank
until l came to fallen tree. Here I.
seated myself on the trunk, where one
limb made a convenient foot-rest and
another formed comfortable support
for the back. A short distance up the
stream, and in full view from the tree,
"a foot-bridge spanned the river. The
bluffs, which were on the left of the
stream, at this point were not so steep.
They sloped down from either way and
formed something like pass between
the two mountains, and though to reach
the top of the bluffs involved labor, it
was often done, as footpath testified.
Just across the river from the fallen
tree, a beautiful spring bubbled from
under the rocks and flowed into the
river. All these had soon reproduced
on paper. The rustic bridge, the sloping
cliff, the bubbling spring, made a pretty
and effective picture.
Well pleased with my success. was
about to leave my coy nook, when
saw two well-known figures crossing
the bridge. What joy this was to me!
They reached the shore, and, taking the
path between the foot of the bluffs and
the river, they soon reached the spring
just opposite where was sitting. Here
they paused, and the lady producing a
silver cup filled it with water and
offered the gentleman drink. He.
drank, and gallantly exclaimed, as he
returned the cup:
"A sweeter draught
From fairer hand was never quaffed"
This incident filled nae with sudden
What an addition they
would make to my picture! seized my
pencil and began to put them into
my sketch. worked rapidly and soon
had fair representation of her as she
presented him with the silver cup.
They passed on down the river out of
sight and soon left the tree and, cross
ing the foot-bridge, climbed the bluff,
intending to sketch the town. With |
some difficulty l gained a good position,
but my exertions in climbing had rem