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

He was the handsomest man among
the crowd that thronged the Artists
Quarter But who he was, or where he
came from, no one knew.
He painted exquisite pictures, which
sold at sight.
We soon grew to love the blonde
giant, as one would sweetheart He
was 30 kindly courteous, so truly a gentle
man. He seldom smiled, and his eyes,
Of deepest violet, held always a woeful
expression in their depths.
That there was something strange
about him, we realized from the first.
At times he was the life of the party,
and anon plunged into a gloom from
which nothing could arouse him. At
such times he would lock himself in his
studio, and no word of entreaty from
any Of us could call him forth till the
at passed.
After these long seclusions he would
come among us pale and enfeebled, and
with an undefinable something about
him which impressed us all, but to
which none gave expression: save the
irrepressible Martineau.
"Ugh!" he said one day with shiver,
"you look as if you had been commun-
ing with the dead" The handsome face
Of Valette underwent strange change
as he replied in his low sweet voice:
would communing with the dead
leave its imprint on a mans face?"
Unquestionably.
Valette sighed deeply, and turned
away.
In the course of the next six months
there were to be three distinct art ex-
hibitions, and nearly every occupant Of
the Quarter was engaged upon picture
which he fondly hoped would secure the
prize. or at least be hung. Such rush
ing about for models, such grumbling
and fault finding you never heard of.
Valette, however, maintained his
usual quiet, and when questioned as to
his success in model hunting, assured us
he had secured one in every way salts
factory. Yet my studio was squarely
opposite hia, and watch as closely as I
might, never caught a glimpse of any
model coming or going
My own picture was court scene,
where a young and lovely wife was
pleading for the life of her husband,
who had been sentenced to death. Every
thing was completed save the face Of
the pleader. and l was unable to find
any model capable of assuming the ex-
preston / was DESTROYS of securing.
One day while lounging in Valette's
room | Incidentally mentioned my diff
Guilty. Lifting the lid of II great desk
he handed me square of canvas.
will that be of any use?" was all he
said.
| uttered an involuntary cry of de-
light.
The picture was painted with mastery
skill, and represented woman knecling,
with clasp,d hands and upturned face,
at the foot of a wreath crowned cross.
But the woman's face made one give
small h' ell to the details of the picture
Such agonized entreaty, such almost
hopeless despair in the dark eyes; my
own involuntarily filled with tears as I
gazed.
/ saw Valette was regarding me
closely, as raised my eyes from the
picture. and caught the same look of
hopeless sadness in his own beautiful
eyes ere he turned them away.
You are welcome to make use of the
face. and he began painting as if moth
ing lad happened.
After that we grew to be close friends
Time sped on. One after another Of our
set finished their pictures and sent them
into the committees. Some were raised
to the seventh heaven by a speedy ac-
ceptance. while others were plunged
into deepest despair by rejection.
was one of the fortunate. and Va
lette informed me that all three of his
were hung. He had not allowed even
me to see them. and / was curiously
anxious for the time to come when
could do so.
was early upon opening day, but as I
examined picture after picture. found
nothing to especially interest me until I
heard little Martineau's voice exclaim:
Holy Mary! what a subject"
1quickly made my way to his side,
and Us ! saw what he was gazing upon,
mentally echoed his words.
1t was a large picture of superb and
gorgeous coloring. The background
was a luxuriant growth of tropical
verdure. To the right the shining
swells OF the sea rolled in upon beach
of shimmering white sand. But the
figure occupying the foreground SUBJ
ordinated nearly all these. 1t was the
nearly nude form of q superbly beauti-
ful woman struggling in the folds of an
immense serpent.
One instantly comprehended the fu-
tility Of the effort she was making. but
every sinew in ono's body frightened in
sympathy. Both white hands clutc'ied
-st the monsters throat, and the loatl ing
horror upon her face told how she fully
realized what must be her doom. Two
folds Of the cleaning body encircled her
waist and limbs. and the terrible head,
with distended jaws and diamond bright
eyes. gradually nearing her face
Ugh! Whatever possessed Valette to
paint such q picture? 1t Is so horribly
realistic" grumbled Martineau. See,
Webster, the woman's face and form
have already the hue of the dead.
1t WAS so, and shivered as I had in
gazing upon decaying corpse few
DAYS before.
did not ask my friend how he knew
this was Valetts's picture, for there was