St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-02-01
AN ICEBERG.
It Floated Gently Into the Warm
Sea of Married Love.

IL FlOatod Gently Into the Warn
Sea Of Married Love.
"You will have the painting sent to
day. Mr.. Vane?"
AT one o'clock, Miss Rutherford"
Woodworking" 1t was said a little
h%aughtily.
'GoOd-morning," and, with a court
eous. but rs naughty. nod of his head,
h pale, high-browed artist saw her de.
part. then turned to his easel again.
The lady's heavy silk robe trailed the
stairs leading from the studio on Ire.
mcnts street. Her delicate. high-arched
feet came upon the pave, then stepped
into a rich. but plain carriage drawn up
at the curb-stone.
Drive down to Williams and Ever
ett's. John"
The coachman touched his hat re-
spectfully. closed the door of the car
riage, mounted his box, and reigned the
span of sleek blacks by a detOur through
Bromfield into Washington street. where
the lady shortly alighted at the door of
one of the most prominent picture stores
in the good t~rimOuntain city. Passing
through the outer room. lined with its
arrayof choice engravings, Autographs,
etS., and into which pressed a crowd
p< loungers and shoppers, Miss
Rutherford assembled the fight Of
steps leading t. the inner
exhibition hall. Pausing a moment be-
fore the sadly-eloquent lace of an ex-
quisite Beatrice Cenci," turning to
drink in the summer warmth of an Au-
gust landscape, doubly grateful that
bleak March day; almost starting with
momentary fright at one of Hinckley's
perfect animal pieces, she passed on
through the door On the right opening
into the gallery. where hung that group
of time-stained, old-world paintings, an
tique altar-pieces brought from Floren-
tine churches, grotesque NEUROLOGICAL
representations, and the sad-eyed mater
DolOrosa." known as the ''Jarves' collec-
ton"
Making the tour of the gallery. an
hour passed like a dream to the lady
connOisseur-fOr, throughout ''her SET
Miss Gertrude Rutherford was known IS
. w~orshiper and p~atroness of art. A cul-
tivated, aesthetic nature gave her the
former taste; and great wealth enabled
her to crafty the latter desire; and
these two, which do not always 60 hand
in hand together, put it in her power t
weave many a rich strand into her web
Of life.
She paused . little before a glowing
picture of the southland-twO young
Seville girls, with Spanish eyes and
tresses, gathering grapes in the sun;
and her own dusky eyes grew warmer
with the warmth of the scene. For
Gertrude Rutherford, with her pale,
creamy cheek, her low, broad forehead,
shaded by jetty braids-her exquisitely-
nodded features, and scarlet lips, was
akin to such creatures as enrich the
painters canvas with rarest w0sUanly
loneliness.
But the lady pressed on. It was before
a three hundred-year-old picture Of ''The
Three Graces Disarming Cupid" that
she paused next A most lusty Cupid
was he who struggled in the fatal grasp
of b tabled trio. stoutly holding his
bow and culver aloft-yet. alas! all in
vain: for the golden-haired goddesses
despoil him of the weapons wherewith
he had roamed through the world. max |
ing such sad havoc in tender hearts.
Long the lady stood before this pict- |
ure. You fancied. perhaps. that you
could read her appreciation in her coun-
tenance. for her dusky eyes were half
dreamily, and a little smile half
parted the line of scarlet over her even |
white teeth. as if ~betraying her electric |
sympathy with the struggling captive:
but suddenly her face grew cold. her |
mouth shut resolutely, and she turned
away.
",Cupid disarmed!' 1t is no possibler'
said one lounger to another of a group |
Of gentlemen standing near.
81 don't know about that. l believe
it may be done. and his wings clipped !
the bargainr" was the laughing re-
Every day We e it exem-
plifed."
s.How SO? Where, then. do you IS
sign happy ~lovers?' queried the first
Lovers? Pshaw! that idea exploded
ong ago! People marry now from mo
ives of interest. policy or propinquity-
heir so-called hearts utterly guiltless
a wound from Cupid's dart. Don't
my dear fellow. l tell you these
Id masters knew all about it, and got
Ip this grand picture that all the world
night behold and believe"
A little sally of laughter greeted this
Rssnuous Interpretation. and the group
aoved away. They were all strangers
the listener, but their words entered
yeg ear and brain. And they seeordeA