Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-10-17

Two eyes tudL iOoh hOOF6
Still through all tears;
Two lips that breathed but love-
Nevermore fears III.
So we pray afterward low at our knees;
Pardon those erring prayers; Father, hear theseI
-Dinah Maria Muloch,
THE UNEXPECTED.
SIT is the unexpected which happens"
Gays the French proverb. l like the prov
erb because it Is true-and because it is
French.
Edouard Charpentier Is my name.
am an American by birth, but that is
all. From infancy, when had French
nurse; in childhood, when had French
governess; through youth, passed in a
French school, to manhood, devoted to
French art, have been French by sympa-
thy and education.
My school is the pleine-a ire, and my mas
ter, could but find him, is M. Duchesne
M. Duchesne has had pictures in the salon
for three years, and pictures elsewhere,
eagerly bought, and yet Paris knows not
NJ. Duchesne. We know his house, his
horse, his carriage, his servants and his
garden wall, but he sees no one, speaks to
no one. Indeed he has left Paris for a
time, and we worship afar Off
have a sketch by this master which I
treasure jealously-a pencil sketch of a
great picture yet to come. await it.
NJ. Duchesne paints from the model, and
paint from the model exclusively. It is
the only way to be firm, accurate, true
Without the model we may have German
fantasy or English domesticity, but no
modern French art.
1t is hard, too, to get models continually
when one is but a student after five years.
work, and ones pictures bring francs in
deed, but not dollars.
Still, there is Georgette!
There, also, were Emile and Pauline.
But now it is Georgette, and she is adorablel
IT'S true she has not much soul, but
then she has charming body, and tits
that copy.
Georgette and get on together to adj
miration. How much better is this than
matrimony for an artist! How wise is M.
Daudetl
Antoine is my dearest friend. I paint
with him, and we are happy. Georgette is
my dearest model / paint from her, and
we are happy.
Into this peaceful scene comes a letter
from America bringing much emotion.
1t appears 1 had a great-uncle there, in
some northeastern corner OF New England.
Maine? No, Vermont.
And it appears, strangely enough, that
this northeastern great-uncle was seized in
his old age with passion for French art
at least I know not how else to account
for his hunting me up through lawyer
and leaving me some quarter of q million
when he died.
An nd oxroof-,,ro1ol
But must go home and settle the prop
erty. That is imperative. / must leave
Paris, I must leave Antoine, must leave
GeorRettel
Could anything be further from Paris
than a town in Vermont No, not the
Andaman islands.
And could anything be further from
Antoine and Georgette than the family Of
great-cousins find myself amongf
But one of them-ah, heavenl some
forty-seventh cousin, who is SO beautiful
that forget she is an American, forget
Paris, forget Antoine-yes, and even
Georgettel Poor Georgettel But this is
fate.
This cousin is not like the other cousins
Ipursue, inquire, I ascertain.
Her name is Mary D. Greenleaf. shall
call her Marie.
And she comes from Boston.
But beyond the name how can describe
herr 1 have seen beauty, yes, much
beauty, in maid, matron and model, but
never saw anything to equal this country
girl. What figure!
No, not a ''f1gure"-the word shames
her. She has body, the body of q young
Diana, and body and figure are two
very different things. am an artist, and
-, 4Io
ference.
The lawyers in Boston can settle that
property, find.
The air is delightful in northern Yer
mont in March. There are mountains,
clouds, trees. I will paint here awhile.
All, yes, and will assist this shy young
souli
"Cousin Marie" say l, ''come, let me
teach you to paintP'
sit would be too difficult for you, Mr..
Carpenter-i6 would take too long"
"Call me Edouardp' I cry. care we not
cousins? Cousin Edouard, beg of you'll
And nothing is difficult when you are with
me, Marie, nothing can be too long at your
sidey'
Thanks, Cousin Edward. but think
will not impose on your good nature. Be-
sides, shall not stay here. I go back to
Boston to my aunt"
find the air of Boston is good in March,
and there are places of interest there, and
rising American artists who deserve en-
couragement. will stay in Boston awhile
to assist the lawyers in settling my proper
ty; it is necessary.
visit Marie continually. Am I not
cousin?
talk to her of life, of art, of Paris, of
n Oh ha.
sketch.
wood nymph, as you seem fondly to
imagine. I have been to Paris myself
with my uncle years since"
"Fairest cousin" say l, ''if you have not
been even to Boston should still love you'll
Come and see Paris again with mer' And
then she would laugh at me and send me
away. All, yes! had come even to mar
rage, you seel
soon found she had the usual woman's
faith in those conventions. gave her
ARTISTS Wives" She said she had read
1t. She laughed ut Daudet and me.
talked to her of ruined geniuses had
known myself, but she said ruined
genius was no worse than a ruined woman.
One cannot reason with young girls.
Do not believe succumbed without
struggle even tore myself away and
went to New York. It was not far enough,
fear / soon came back.
She lived with an aunt, an adorable little
precision, with horrible, strong minded
aunt, and such a life as I led between them
for q whole month.
call continually. 1 bury her in flowers
take her to the theatre, aunt and all.
And at this the aunt seemed greatly sur
familiarities. No; my wife-and wife she
must be-shall be treated with punctilious
respect.
Never was l so laughed at and argued
with in my life as was laughed at by that
dreadful beauty and argued with by that