Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1890-08-16
A COMPOUND MODEL.

cists and farce writer's. inasmuch as
she knew n great deal more abou,
Payne Grcy's business than he did him.
self, made his house her happy hunt
: ing ground. and got to be almost as
much dislikcd by her own daughter as
by her daughters husband.
Payne Grey was an artist, and. in
comparison with his brother-in-law,
Hamish McBatchet, could hardy be
called a successful artist; for. whereas
the latter painted the portraits Of more
or less distinguished ladies' or gentle
men ut $500 Il hcad-or, TO be more
correct, accurately reproduced their
dresses and suits and furnished them
with new faces at that price-Payne
Grey, was content to take his scenes
from the life Of the masses; and every.
body knows which of the two lines of
art is the more successful in these
days.
So long "a his mother-in.law did not
push her interference into the domain
OF his studio. Payne Grey trained him
self into an Indifference to her med.
ding elsewhere. She might arrange
his tables for him when he gave his
little dinners, and even go so far rs to
revise his list Of guests; she might
teach his domcstics their duties; OF
give emphatic opinions upon his choice
of pictures. Or bric-a-brac, or presents
for his wife. He suffered all this for
the sake of peace and quietncss; but up
till now he had been absolute monarch
In his studio.
One unfortunate morning, however,
hrc M,I ,Iohnl hannannb IN raaI in
the newspaper a paragraph headed
'Disgraccful Conduct of an Artists
Model" from which it appeared that .
female member of acommunity usually
remarkable for responsibility and hon
esty, imagining herself badly treated
by her employer. had wound up q
mornings sitting by putting her um
brella through her OWL counterfeit
%presentment aud cutting the eve of the
artist open with the ~ferrule of her
weapo
This gave Mrs. McLatchet the u
for q new attack. She roundly abused
the fraternity of models in general and
the female model in particular. She
quoted instances Of guileless young
artists being lured to perdition by frail
but fair Desdemonas, Rebeccas, and
puritan maidens. She warned her
, daughter of the risk she was running
= in allowing her husband to pass long
hours OF each day in the company oil
women who were, TO use her W
phrase, in the majority of cases ne
better than they should be. She held
up her own son. Hamish Mcl.atchet,
as an instance of a young man who
was successful without having recourse
to the aid of hi%reling beauty of face
and symmetry of figure; and she de
plored Payne Grey's preference for o
line Of art which she declared to be but
h remove above the ignoble.
''Thc world of art in which my
Hamish lives and breathes," she said,
lis one of refinement and culture.
would gladly consent to sit down at
table beside any lady or gentleman
he has painted during the last ten
years. Your husbands world is that
of the pothouse aud the servants hall"
Now, Hamish McLatchet was a good
fellow, and sincerely pitied poor Payne
Grey, with whom he had maintained
an unbrokcn friendship ever since they
first met. To him Payne Grey con-
fided his latest trouble, and, after a
quiet dinner together one evening they
agreed, by fair means or foul. Mother
in-law McLatchet's persecution must
be put to an end.
Payne Grey wanted to avoid an open
row for the sake OF Mrs. Payne Grey.
who was a quiet. kind-hearted little
body. DESTROYS of living ut peace with
all mankind. That there was anything
between her son and her son-in-law
Mrs. McLatchet never dreamed.
Meanwhile the two artists were hard
ut work for the then approaching
academy exhibition.
swell. dear, said Mrs. McLatchet
one day to her daughter, 'and how is
Payne getting oup / sincerely hope
that he has turned over a new leaf.
aud that we shall see his signature no
more appended to representations OF
bold-faced hussies. dancing-girls, and
such like. My Hamish is sending up
a .Rosalind in Arden'--a most beauti-
full face and figure l believe it to be;
and. although | don't know the lady
he assured me that it was an excellent
likeness"
..Payne's picture has something to
do with English rural life, l think"
said her danghter-''a fair or some
thing Of that kind"
Dear! dear! dearm exclaimed Mrs.
McLatchet. Twill he never soar above
that2 Pray what is there e~levating or
refined in a country fairp IL he be
true to nature-and do him the credit
20 believe that he generally is--he will
hardly associate a Saturnalia OF the
masses with much refinement"
Full Of these ideas Mrs. McLatchet
the following morning started of for
her son-in-law's studio. Payne Grey
opened the door himself. and her quick
ears at once detected a rustic Of gar
,ments which seemed to proclaim pre-
cipitate flight on some ones part.
Then her glasses were fixed upon u
large canvas, which represented. as
her daughter had limited, an English
rustic festival. with the usual accessor-
les of fiddler, beer-barrels. dancing
youths and damsels, the white-haired
squire, the Elixabethan house in the
background, etc. The central figures
were four in number-two men and
W. girls-the latter not remarkable
LOT Dcauty. ous Si"S0A"A 49," way "
attitude.
well. mother. and what do you
think OF it?" asked Payne Grey.
aThe picture is we'll enough in its
way. Payne replied the lady, but
YOU know my opinion about the style.
There is nothing elevating in 1t. aud l
hold that the main canon Of art Is to
elevate at the same time that tho
mirror Is held up to nature"
For instance, now. she said. these
saucy-looking wenches in the fore
ground, who are tlieyg
Young women Of the highest re-
spectability. mother"
Perhaps so. but If were asked !
should say that they were those two
impudent ervants Of yomrs-Gwen.
dolcn Smith aud Araminta Huggs."
quite right! SO they are" said
PAYNE Grey calmly. II am indeed
glad that the likenesses are so faith
full"
Mrs. McLatchet uttered a cry Of
horror.
do you mean to say. Payne" she