St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-02-01

toe--those words-with the cold. auspi.
cious mantle she had been wrapping
round herself. Cultivated, AESTHETIC
tastes the lacy had; keen intellectual
capacities. too. and high. proud nature:
had she. also. a loving, womanly heart?
She shut her scarlet lips more closely;
drew her furs and velvet cloak about
her. turned away from the picture, and
swept from the gallery.
III.
The artist, Etheridge Vane, sat before
the easel whereon stood his last-fnished
picture. 1t was not half SO brilliant a
creation as many that had been horn Of
his brush and brain, and now graced the
drawing-rOoms of Beacon street. There
were no brilliant tints and shadows: no
gorgeous belts Of western sunset clouds,
or glory of autumnal coloring: instead,
only "a soft twilight, vailing a quiet
woodland nook and . rustic cottage.
door.
1t was q little domestic picture-a
beautiful young mother. sitting on the
cottage threshold with her child upon
her lap. and her young husband, proud.
tender and manly. STOPPING over them.
A vine threw its thick shadows over the
groop; and June roses slept upon the
bush close by. Only a simple picture
over which none of his brother artists
had rhapsodized about ~''tone," or ''col-
oring,' or ''perspective"-which he had
not thought worthy of placing in the
ssArfisfS' Eyhihit;or ~ %ho hall ho1oc,
yet a picture, which. if You once took
it into your heart, haunted you like .
dream.
And the elegant, proud, fastidious
Miss Rutherford. who had ordered paint
ings from Italy, and whose drawing
room held choicest gems of art, vertu,
canoes, and antiques, had been anxious
to secure this.
Well. a lady who sets up for a connois-
seur. in art may have her f~ancies. and
why should not Miss Rutherford have
hers?
The ''old south" pealed out eleven,
clear above the car-din and hack-rattle
of the noisy street below; and with it's
strokes came the feet of Dick Cranshaw.
gentleman of cultivated mustache and
leisure, over the studio threshold.
Morning. Vane; before that cottage
door yet? Come; walk up to the Athe-
neum with me to have another look at
Church's iceberg"
Thank you, but am too busy. Be
sides, I've e e icebergs sufficient for
n morning." answered the artist, quite
bluntly. 1t was so like Etheridge Vane
to bolt out his thoughts upon his lips.
AHA" shouted his visitor. in great
glee. iii wager q ticket to the .Bos-
ton that the fair, proud, cold and stat
uesque Miss Rutherford has been in this
morning. Don't flash up now, Vane.
l saw her carriage before the Athcneum
as | came along, and concluded she was
picture-worshiping; that's why !
proposed going up o As for my ad-
jcctives, they were borrowed from . |
Tilted lover Of hers, but your noun is the
better part Of speech decidedly. Ice
berg does suit her, and no mistake
beautiful. grand, and glittering, but
cold. They say she has no
heart: eh, Vane?"
WELL" and Etheridge vane's hands
WIZ paSN Will IL UIuSueSs anu HIS L
tone was cool. though there was = Gagged
ierceness in his eye.
Cranshaw laughed at first; then grew
almost embarrassed. HIS ease died I'M
that strong gaze and the query of
the single word.
"Oh. pshaw. Vane: don't eat q fellow
up with that wOlfish eye Of yours. You
make me feel as if Id said something l
ought to take back. But I can't do it.
pom my honor. dear Vane! You ought
TO dake it friendly in a fellow when he
warns you of a rich, beautiful, but
woman, who is like ice { o all
men," and he strOked his luxuriant
most complaccntly.
But the artists eye grew scarcely less
fierce. though his lip curled half con-
CHANGING about the walls
IF his studio, he said. in q low, slightly
tone:
True old Moneybags and Nine. Pet
doodle have bought a few Of my pictures.
With a view to give struggling genius
lift. | suppose, but do you think the
proprietor of q lean purse. a good stock
# brushes. a fairquantity of tube paints.
md four unfinished pictures, will ruin
he risk Of"
'1Of getting cut and chilled against the
harp corners Of an iceberg?' interrupt
d C~ranshaw. NO. my dear boy, I don't
any such nonsense of you," and
le ven on with an admirable a~ffecta-
ion of paternity. ''You learned your
geography lesson too we'll to venture
those polar seas in winter time:
my dear boy, we read somewhere. l
that the artic summer, though
'rief, is fair-and these bergs sometimes
ct loosened and float away into warmer
and melt. You see ! look on the
ubject in a warmer light than ! did a
minute ago-eh. Harry! And unmar-
led ladies don't affect cottages and rus
ic happiness, and that sort of thing for
in my opinion"
''Pshaw. Cranshaw." growled the art
st. lifting the painting of the easel.