New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-15

"Carnaton pihhe'
From wnerc 7?
"From Heaven"
"Ob. YES. remember. We used to have flowers
from Heaven at our scances-if the conditions were
,icbt-if no frost had touched the Conservatives
of Paradise. What else ?'
Ham and bread and cake"
From Heaven also?'
mo; from the butchers and the bakers, at
che corner
Rowena suddenly laid down her pencil. She
looked up at the woman her
Miss Phillips she said earnestly, truly
where do the flowers come from
The girls face was SO earnest and innocent
and eager that Miss Phillips who resisted very
few impulses, felt that she deserved praise Tor
not Welding to the temptation TO kiss that lace
She said. instead, sravely and distantly, on ac'
count of her resistance:
They are matcriaized."
Rowena was silent and resumed her WORK
This was her first lesson. She was told 70
do what she could with cardboard and pencis'
with a clay figure Of dog set up before hei'
Alestree had told her that, technically she Kiie"
absolutely nothing. -.
Miss Phillips had tried TO encourage hei ~
saving that Alestree had never told her even "'
much as that. Technique was something thaC
might DC acquired, Dui Que ia" " ~
talent. OF course she would not be obliged 10 90
onvthinp At all with that clay dog. Allestree
did not care what he put people at, az 'he hiS''
He watched them 10 see what was in them.
The girl flushed and paled she heard those
words Miss Philipps went on TO her own WORN
She seemed 20 do exactly what she pieaSc" III
the studio She had now begun cluster OF lhoiah
pipes growing from patch of G1aylsh-eIeen ihoS''
near a small clump of sweet-fern. She saiu oi'ao
any idiot could do flowers, after a fashlon' they
would not be flowers. but people wouIo thihA 'li''
ware narticnlarlv if YOU labelled them. She
doubted il Indian pipe was real flower. how
ever. Probably it was kind of fungus.
There were dozen or more pupils at work
now in the great studio They were very silent.
Allestree in a blue velvet jacket was waIklhS
slowly behind them pausing and crltlcislng' tleh
standing in the centre of the room ana taking
instructivcly, often using phrases OF whch no.
wene was entirely ignorant If she had dared
she would have thought him verglng on the gran
diloouent. But he was so big, and had such a
beard that it was appropriate that he should he
grandilYquent.
The Girl felt very small and helpless, and
wretched even though she had been admitted here
elsewhere" Allestree had Just said IN his
MAGNIFICENT baritone elsewhere they talk about
art: in Boston they love it.
Then he walked up and down, his beard gath
cred in his left hand, his head bent lie had a
large diamond on the third finger of the LETT mana
that held the beard. and every time Rowena
Looked I'D raw from the diamond seemed to
smite her.
He went on talking. He did not examine
very particularly the work of his pupils tins
morning He stopped of,enest at the side OF the
latest conner. But he made no remark AS MISS
Phillipps had said. Rowena could DO very ht'ie
with that clay dog. She wondered why II hao
been given her. She drew and erased, and ore"
and erased, until she felt that there was no hope
for her The houI was nearly over
Nobody talked, save that Miss Phillips made
one or two remarks concerning the folly OF thlnk
inc that more than one OF two in century
might learn to paint. The principal point, she
said. was to find out who these one or TWO
were when that was discovered, the resi- might
nut away their brushes.
Allestree listened to her with some difference,
but he made no reply. Such a theory as that
would not he good for the painting master
Miss Phillips suddenly looked at her watch
and then left abruptly, not again speaking 70
Rowena. who felt unreasonably depressed and VINO
was very thankful when the lesson was over
One or two of the other pupils smiled at her ana
nodded but the majority did not notice her
But why should they?
She passed by Allestree, who Yves standing with
a brush in his hand before winter landscape ne
turned and watched her as she went toward
the door.
Something made his face soften. He stepped
ouicki5 after her The thought in his mind was
thai ne should like to make a sketch OF her as
she walked. What he said was:
"Don't be discouraged. This is only the hrst
lesson"
A fash of sunlight seemed to fall suddenly on
the girls face.
"Ob. thank you," she said hurriedly, and went
out of the door.
The rest of the week was very dreary indeed
in spite of all she had TO encourage her' one
would only take one lesson week al present
She had learned the price of those lessons aho
they were very high. She did not see MlSs
Phillips She hardly saw Mrs. JARVIS. Nhe
staid in her room most of the time ana dld H3h'
housekeeping. Sometimes, when she went ON
for a bit of butter or some rolls, she would walk
I'D to a brighter part of the city and stroll
across the Common, thinking il was very poor
make-beliave of the country. Once. in a carriage
that quickly turned the corner of Park-st, she
Thought She saw Miss Phillips with a gentle
man beside her. and both were talking anlmatedly
The sight made the girl more gloomy than
before
The regulars" seemed 10 be very faithful at
their meals. and Mrs Jarvis faithful at her
ticket, table in the paror doorway. Rowena be-
gan two or three sketches, trying to obey in the
attempts some hints AlleStree had given. But
everything was confused and vague. She wrote
a long letter home; in the letter she talked OF
everything in the country, but of nothing in the
city. She would have it ready for her Uncle
Reuben, for whose coming she lOngcd pifdbly
But the day she expected him there came a blind
ing snow-storm. Now she did not know when
10 expect him. She would have sent her letter
by mail, but she knew Fer father only went
10 the postofiice when other business called him
10 the Corners" The letter might lie there a
long time.