St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-06

the world Ike l'aul Fly.
That was what my nephew said to me,
as her carriage turned into the park at
the Apsley house corner.
"Beautifulr' | replied: beautiful
doesn't express it; she was an angel.
She is an angel, a saint, a martyr, too.
Cad, how loved that woman!'
'Oh, of course, UNCLE" replied my
graceless nephew. professionally, L
suppose"
You see. there isn't so very much diff
ference in our ages, though L am MS
uncle, and we are more like brothers
than uncle and nephew.
You know. you are a very bad lot,
uncle," the boy went on. You go on
loving 'em, till you put the last finish
ing touch, and then you start another
canvas and begin to love somebody else.
! believe that's the secret of your sue
cess as a pOrtrait-painter.'
My nephew is always saying rude
things TO me.
Jack" said, severely, "my success
is due entirely TO perseverance, and the
fact that | never tlatter." And then
that impudent nephew of mine blew
out his checks. got very red in the face,
and very nearly choked himself with
laughter.
And then we sat down upon two of
the green chairs.
'Iell us about her, boss" said Jack.
! have three pupils. including my
nephew; they all smoke short pipes III
my presence, and they all three call me
"boss."
THAT'S the countpsS of WallSend. |
began. Fifteen years ago her husband
the earl, Paul Iry, as you call him-and
you are not the first, Mr.. Jack, to call
him Paul Pry-became Il widower. and
every right-minded young woman in So
eiety duly set her cap at him. At THAI
time | lived off the Tottenham court
road, and | was madly in love with Lot
tie Vivian. | was the third floor
ledger. | was just earning a
living then, and no more. 1t
was before | had learned to tiatter, Mr..
Jack. Her photograph struck me at
first. bought the photo--the photo OF
LOttie Vivian. Of the POrticO theater-
and l paid my half-erown at the pit
door. saw her in drama and saw
her in an Easter piece that followed. |
used 10 90 to the pit of the POrticO night
after night. | made studies of her as
Undine, as Una, and as Perdita; and
when Mr.. Melchzedec, the dealer,
offered to buy them. l was rude to
Me!chizedec. and / declined to part
with them upon any terms. One night.
as came out of the pit of the Por-
ticO, found that it was raining cats
and dogs, but money was scarce
with me, and | walked home
through the rain, because |
couldn't afford a cab. Just as l
neared my own door, four-Wheeler
drew up at it, lady paid the driver,
and then she opened the street door
with her latch-key and disappeared into
the house. Great heavens! it was Lot
tie Vivian herself. and | stood in the
rain in open-mouthed astonishment. In
few moments the gas was TUNED up
in the first floor, and then it dawned
upon me at once.
/ am not Il curious man. | knew that
an actress lived on the first floor, and
that teacher of languages lived on the
second, but |, the third-floor ledger, had
never troubled my head about them in
the least. had never even asked their
DameS. | went to my rooms, and flung
myself into my eaSy-chair, and |
thought of the strange fatality that the
woman / admired above all living
women should be actually. dwelling
with me under the same roof, and that
we were separated only by single
floor. But though | was in love | had 4
certain amount of common sense left,
and | remembered That there was a
great gulf between Lottie Vivian, the
popular actress, and the painter OF pot
boilers on the third floor.
Next morning dined, as usual, at the
convivial cannibaFS. Groper. the low
comedian, was q member there. l knew
shat he had been playing at the Portico
for the last ten years. There's nothing
comic about Groper in private life; ne's
the most serious cannibal | know. His
seriousness and his constant complaints
about the cookery are his principal
characteristics.
We are still cannibals, Groper and ].
and fast friends. 1t was from Groper,
by dint of pretending that l had never
heard all his old stories before, that l
aScertained the true history OF Lottie
Vivian, OF the Portico theater.
"She was pupil of old Jack Slider's
most of the successful ones have been
pupils of Slider's" said Groper, lat
some time or other. Its strange
thing" he went on: 'she came out at
the Portico and she has had Il constant
engagement there ever since for the
last eight years. She's good all round,
that's what she is, said Groper enthu-
SiaStically. and then he went on to de-
scribe her various triumphs,with which
! shall not trouble you. But though
she is popular favorite at fashiona-
bic theater, there has never been a
word against her," said Groper. "She
is as good as gold and as straight as q
die, and every farthlng she earns
goes to her famly-to her old
father who was big man
on the stock exchange once,
mind you," said Groper. "and tC
whole family of little brothers and
sisters, who are entirely dependent
upon her. She is an ambitious girl
too" he added: land they say she's
going to marry Lord Wallsend."
What. the mad millionaire" said |
That's the man." said Groper.
And then Groper began to abuse the
dinner, and heard no more about Lot
tie Vivian from him.
| went on paying my half-crOwnS a
The Pprtico. and gotdeeper and deepel
in love with my fellow-lodger, and my
love interfered good deal with IN,
werk. Then it was that got my frs
commission to paint gortrait. Tha
pN- NlttiO bItNiS III lOI tulJCs anu tl'
painting of it nearly broke my heart.
1t came about in this way: l got
note one day from Miss Vivian-I hay,
it still-reQueSting me to call upon he
ON little matter of business. l took
good deal of pains with my toilet. ant
then ! went down stairs and knocked a
the door of my fellow ledger. @
There was nothing fast about Mis-
Vivian. She was very quietly dressed
md she came to business atonce.
"Mr. Stippler," she said, you'll eX
cuse my asking you to come here in thi
informal way, but the fact is that
want to have my portrait painted.
can't afford to pay very much for il
Mr.. MelchiZedec recommended me t
you. Can you oblige me in this matter
Mr.. Stippler, and," here she bIushe
violently. will it be very expensive?
Madam" [ replied with enthusiasm
''you do me too much honorin selectin
ne. If you permit me to paint you
portrait, it'll cost you just nothing q
ALL"
,sAhr' chn oncmarad with n ciIvor