The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1890-06-20


| PIE look and marvel about them, but 1
have never fully explained them to any
one
"You, sir, say you are a metaphysician;
that you are interested in the curiosities
Of human nature. 1 feel impelled to
give you the history of the man who
painted them. He was my chum when
was a student in Paris, ten years ago. l
did not know him before, though we were
both Americans. l was from California.
and be was from the South-from Georgia.
His name was Ralph Esby. shall not
soon forget the day Ralph Esby came
walking into the studio. We were under
Bohuat-a splendid lot of Young men.
that class was-Americans Frenchmen,
English, Greeks, Danes, and | don t know
what other nationalities. He came walk
ing in, looking like young god. A tall
fellow, of about twenty-three, with
certain slendeFness, although rather
strongly built. And he had grace of
movement which matched his beautiful
lace. Yet, strange to say, he would
sometimes do things in the most awkward
and rigid way, as if to contradict the
assumption that he possessed this charm
ing grace. For instance, he would throw
himself back from his work to give it
critical look, with a motion in which
there was more of an inspiration, to US
fellows, shan in the prettiest model we
aad. When, suddenly, Just as you felt
an admiring thrill going over you. es
pecially if you had conceived the en-
thusiasm for Esby which had, he would
give your ethetic nerves a shock bv
drawing himself up rigidly-snapl-as
though something had left him. And
ned abandon his work, aud off he'd 90
without a word to any one. There would 1
DC his study, more of less finished
sometimes just sketched in, sometimes
quite going on, and it would have in it I
Just such qualities as you see in these can
vases, i never knew him to put through /
ihc week o. enc model. Every one felt,
4 ksby would ealg finish, he'd be the
eiggest man among rs.
1870 ..7ku s.<ttl n r-rsSz5ecU rui= irtrIr anu
DIS work though that no one said much
hat might look critical Occasionally,
! fellow, with more callous sensibilities
than common, would go up to his easel
with: isn't that jolly, now, now; but,
[ say, Esby, why don't you finish? He'd
Just get little red, smile, with strange
look in his eye-if he had let himself out
more you might have called it hopeless
sort of look-and he'd turn off with a
Joke about something no one ever
ventured to notice. This was personal
popularity of his. The coat-sleeve of
his left arm was empty. 1t had come
from no accident-he had been born
without the arm. What he would say
was: you can't expect an unfinished
fellow to finish his picture It wasn't
in character for him to make joke of
that kind. 1t rather Jared upon you.
We used to wish those 'thick-skins'
would let him alone.
"Bonnat treated him with a great deal
Of courtesy. he was pleased enough {
with his work at first l remembered
Bornat once saying, about thefgure- Of
l boy he had commenced: sC'est
snaTihdnte- ana aIterWard, when ne
Quad his things never carried on, he
would pass him without much criticism, (
1ut made no compIaint-he seemed to
that it was something peculiar
md constitutional
81 attached myself to him from the
1 am an enthusiastic person, /
md naturally express what feel. But,
n spite Of my enthusiasm for Esby, which {
grew daily, there was always something {
'ssential lacking in our friendship 1t ,
cached stage when you could grasp it {
IS a. solid fact-call it a completed friend s
hip, if one may so speak. And could
lot help feeling that it was something in 8
zsby himself, though could not lay my
niger on the reason. For I never thought ;
If complaining of want of response to
ny affection, notwithstanding that he !
vas so undemonstratiye. No one could I
all him cold / felt that he liked me to
ike him, and l felt that he liked me. {