The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-03-22

Inch we Inlay COuciucE ~ as SetJie0,
Mr.. Stippler,' said my fellow lodger.
when shall l sit to your
/ made an appointment and the thing
was done. OF course / expected that
she would want to be painted in charac-
ter. Nothing Of the kind.
"You see, Mr.. Stippler," she said, 81
must take you into my confidence. lin
tend this portrait as a -present-as a sort
of surprise. / wish to give it to gentle
man whom l am about to marry" And
then she blushed and gave a little sigh,
and / would have groaned aloud had I
dared.
So she sat to me in a little simple peig-
noir of French m~uslin-tea gowns weren't
invented then-and when l had posed
her she said to me:
Lord Wallsend-that is the name of
the gentleman to whom l am engaged,
and / tell you in confidence, Mr.. Stippler
has seen me in 'Cordelia.' He thinks
a great deal of my hair. You won't
think me vain, Mr. Stippler, if / ask you
If / may let it DOWN."
OF course / said that it was a capital
idea She pulled out half a dozen hair
pins, and a great glory of molten gold
fell in luxuriant wav upon her shout
ders.
She gave me twenty sittings for that
portrait. | was madly, passionately,
desperately in love with her, but I never
breathed a word of it. We became great
friends, we talked unreservedly to each
other just as if we had known each other
all our lives-almost as if we had been
brother and sister. / suppose it was
camaraderie.
Once, and once only, ! made an ass Of
myself.
81 must be finished by the TWEEN
tieth," she had said; "the twenty-frs is
his birthday"
Il wish it could never be finished" I
replied passionately; Il wish / could
stand here painting you all my life"
The pretty smile faded from her face,
and she pulled me up at n
"You mustn't say anything to me,
MI. StippIer, if you please, that you
wouldn't say if Lord Wallsend himself
were here by my side"
l ~apologized; I felt that I was a brute.
had lunched with Miss Vivian; it was
my farewell visit to her. The portrait
was finished-it was my masterpiece,
Jack-and it stood upon an easel in it's
bright new frame in the middle of the
room.
The table had been cleared; thank
heaven for thatl
a
"Play to me, Mr.. Stippler," she said
In a voice that went straight to nv
heart; Sim terribly low spirited. Play
something cheerful"
I sat down to the little cottage Erard,
and / did al ! was bid. played niger
melodies; | played dance music; and
then, somehow or other, I drifted to
"Home, Sweet Home" and then / felt SO
utterly miserable that l broke down. l
turned on the stool towards Lottie, and /
saw that her eyes were full of tears.
Don't, George, don't" she said; ssdon't
go on. / can't bear it,
She called me by my Christian name
for the first and the last time.
And then there came tap at the door,
and q hoarse, croaking voice grated out:
SHAY / come INF"
Good heavensl it's his lordship, cried
Lottie Vivian, land / ann ruinedp
But I saved her, though If ! adm
been prompt she would never have mar
ried him, and she might-yes, by Jovel
perhaps have become my wife after
all. Stranger things have happened. But
| treasured her by a glance, and she took
her cue at once.
She was an actress, remember.
flung off my coat, I whipped out the
front board of the piano, / buried my
face among the hammers, and began
striking single notes upon the keys.
Come in" said Miss Vivian, and his
lordship entered.
II hope / don't intrude," he said.
And then /, too, thought of Paul Pry.
"You are always a welcome guest,
Wallsend, said Miss Vivian.
And then they began to chat in whisp-
ers.
"Faugh! how the fellow smells of to-
baccop' croaked Paul Pry--I mean his
lordship.
MAN" he said, addressing me, 'you
can CO."
/ put On my coat.
Where's your hat, manY' said his
lordship, suspiciously.
''In the all, sir" l replied. carefully
dropping the "h."
"Ive put it at concer pitch, miss" I
said; "itll be five shillings. please and
| held out my hand. There was IL CRATE
full twinkle in her eyes as she gave me
two half rowns Ihave them still. those
two half crowns
went up to my rooms and shaved off
my beard and mustache. have never
spoken to Lottie-I mean Lady Wall
send-from that day to this. but she al
ways notices me, and her husband is one
of my stanchest patrons.
Lady Wallsend's carriage passed. She
bowed politely to me and off went my
hat.
"She's a sumner, +" said my nephew.
81 hope she is happy" said 1 with q
sigh.
ADVICE 10 MoTHERs.-MRs WIEsLow's SooTH-
ING SYRUP should always be used when children
are cutfipU tapth If raliayaz fha litfla s,,ffa-ar