The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-12-04

OF death depicted.
said nothing to Valet. upon tho
subject, however, but waited witt. i'm.
patience for the opening Of the next
months exhibit
This time it did not need Martineau to
20 i. out Valette's work though as be-
fore there was no mark by which to
identify it.
! ;de stretch of angry tossing sea,
ext.nding on all sides 10 a dull sodden
sdv, no living object visible, but in the
foreground tn" fiot ing form OF 4 woman,
Ler dead IA t, with half closed eyes,
cleaning glastly white through the
semi gloom. Her delicate rounded
limbs were half visible through the en-
siirouiing waters, and they wore the
same terrible hue of death we had shud-
dered over in the former picture. The
coloring Of every feature of the scene
was 50 life like, the outlines SO perfect,
that one could almost hear the swish Of
the waves, and catch the undulating
motion of the dead
l went away more dissatisfied than
ever. Who was Valette's model, and
how had he caught the hue of death
which others found SO impossible to
master!
+ at last the grand exhibition opened,
and I only paused to give self con-
gratulatory nod as l saw what an adj
vantageous light had been given my own
picture, in hurrying on to find Valette's
masterpiece.
+ Worse and worse. Ugh! 1 shudder at
the remembrance even at this late date,
but among all that immense collection
of pictures, there was none before which
the crowd so persistently fingered.
1t was second sea scene. Under a
glaring tropical sky, where the sun
cleaned like ball of fire, ioated raft,
upon a sea whose waves were copper
hued and scorching. Upon the raft were
three human forms. One, a woman SO
grandly proportioned, SO wondrously
beautiful, that you instinctively envied
death her possession. She clasped a
babe lovingly to her barred breast, as if
the mother love had sought even in death
to prolong the feeble life. The other
form was that of man, as superbly
formed and proportioned as that Of the
woman. Death had claimed them all,
as was proved by their CLASSY eyes and
upturned faces, helpless under the burn.
ing sun. Here again was the grayish
pallor, horribly suggestive of decay.
AS l gazed fascinated by the very
horror of the scene, a messenger put a
note in my hand. 1t was from Valette,
urging me to come to him at once, as he
was ill. ! instantly left the building,
nor paused until stood by his bedside.
A sister of charity and an old graybeard
of doctor were in attendance. It was
Roman fever, and would likely prove
fatal, was the verdict.
VaIette bore the sentence bravely, and
then requested to be left alone with me.
Il shall be delirious in moment, he
said. grasping my hand eagerly, so
must talk fast. Behind yon curtain you
will find a large box of which this is the
key, pushing one into my hand; take
one look at it's contents and then see it
laid in consecrated ground. When 1 am
dead lay me beside it. Keep my secret
-promi> e-promise. The last words
| came gaspingly. and ere | could reply he
sank into unconsciousness.
l hastily recalled the attendants, then,
with a plying glance ut the doomed
man. lifted the curtain behind which |
hid never BEEN. notwithstanding my ill.,
timacy with \alette. There was moth
ing remarkable in sight, save the lox
of which he had spoken l. was .ar.e,
and stood upright against the wall.
where the afternoon light streamed full
upon it.
Inserting the key in the lock, quickly
swung open the door. A cry of horror
had near escaped me- as its contents were
thus revealed. Its sides were padded,
and lined with white satin and costly
lace. In the center in Il kneeling post
ure, was the half nude form of dead
woman. The original of all his horrible
pictures l saw at once for here were
the superb limbs and wondrous beauty
Here was the model, about whom we
had made so many conjectures.
The embalmers work had been skill
fully done, but an unmistakable charnel
house odor came to my nostrils. and I
fastened to close and lock the door, des-
tined never to be reopened
| lost no time in seeing the fearful
thing underground, although it was not
accomplished without some risk, unlim.
tied lying, and generous use of gold.
l then devoted myself to Valette's
care, and had the satisfaction of seeing
him recover. Slowly, it is true, and
with many relapses, but one day, six
months later. we sailed away from Rome
together. In n long voyage around the
world he recovered health and spirits,
and the love he gave me fully repaid me
to he with him.
1t was many months ere the subject
of his model was mentioned between us,
but one day, in the wilds of Brazilian
forest, he told me a strange story OF
wrong doing and sorrow.
He had loved the beautiful woman
whose form had laid away, but she was
the wife of another.
In life he could not possess her, but
when death laid his icy hand upon her.
he had stolen her bodv away, and lived
in its presence for months, hall mad,
AMI wholly heart broken.
He shuddered st tho remembrance Of
those fearful months. wondering ROW,
i'll his sanity. how he could ever have
been possessed of such morbid madnesS,
and he has never Since looked upon these
terrible pictures. Italian of Paolo Mar
tine.
They surreptitiously raise coyotes in
Nevada for the purpose of getting the
State bounty for their scaIns