The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1890-09-25
A COMPOUND MODEL.

Lay uo 0IaN n:lU MISUNDERSTANDING.
Her name was McLatchct-Bet Nc
Latchct-and she was a mother-in-law
of the good old type so dear to roman-
cists and farce writer's, inasmnch as
she knew Z; great deal more about
Payne Crews business than lie did him
self, made his house her happy hunt
ing ground. and got to be almost as
much disliked by her own daughter as
by her daughters husband
Payne Grey was an artist. and. in
comparison with his brother-in-law,
Hamish McLatchet. could hardly be
called 4 successful artist; for, whereas
the latter painted the portraits of more
or less distinguished ladies or gentle
men at $500 head-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 as 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 as to
revise his list Of guests; she might
teach his domestics their duties; or
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 quietness: but up
till now he had been absolute monarch
in his studio.
One unfortunate morning. however,
Mrs. McLatchet happened to read III
the. newspaper paragraph headed
"Disgraceful Conduct of IN Artists
Model" from which it appeared that a
female member of Il community usually
remarkable for responsibility and hon
esty, imagining herself badly treated
by her employer, had wound up a
mornings sitting by putting her UNI
brella through her own counterfeit
presentment and cutting the eve of the
artist open with the ferrure Of her
weapon.
This gave Mrs. McLatchet the cue
for a 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 OF
women who were, to use her own
phrase, in the majority of cases no
better than they should be. She held
up her own son. Hamish McLatchet.
as an instance Of a young man who
was successful without having recourse
to the aid of hireling beauty of face
and symmetry Of figure; and she dc.
plored Payne Grey's preference for q
line Of art which she declared to be but
q remove above the ignoble.
''The world of art in which my
Hanish lives and breathes, she said.
lis one of refinement ard culture. I
would gladly consent to sit down at
table beside any lady OF gentleman
he has painted during the last ten
years. Your husbands world is that
OF the pothouse and the servants hall"
Now, Hamish McLatchet was good
fellow, and sincerely nitied poor Payne
Grey, with whom he had maintained
an unbroken friendship ever since they
first met. 10 him Payne Grey con-
tided 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-l,earted little
body, DESTROYS Of living at 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
at work for the then approaching
academy exhibition.
"Well, dear, said Mrs. McLatchct
one day to her daughter "lnd how is
Payne getting onp / sincerely hope
that he has turned over new leaf,
and 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
q 'Rosalind in Arden'--a most beauti-
lul lace anu inquire ! DelleXe 1t 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, I think .
said her daughter a fair or some
thing OF that kind. .
Dear! dear! dear!n exclaimed Mrs.
McLatchet. .Willhe never soar above
thatp Pray what is there elevatinc 8,
refined in u country fair? If he bt
true to nature and ] do him the credi,
to believe that he generally is-he vii
hardly associate u Saturnalia Of the
masses with much refinement
Full of these ideas Mrs. McLatchet
the following morning started off fol
her son-in-law's studio. Payne Gre,
i opened the door himself, and her nuicI
ears at once detected u rustic Of gar
ments which seemed to proclaim pre-.
ciritate flight on some ones part
Then Ter glasses we're fixed UPON ):
large canvas, which represented. Il:
her daughter had limited, an English
| rustic festival. with the usual accessor
49, .<1< u I i !,