The morning call., 1891-01-11
A Touching AlGCd0tG Of Mile. Bash.
kGTtsGf, by Andre Hlielret.
SPRING DAYS WITH The PEASANTS.
The Young Artist Wins the Hearts Of a Simple
French Farmer and That Of His wife.
Their ANIMAL OfGrilgS Of Pink Apple Bios
SONS and Red Ripe Apples in Memory Of
Marie.

with a cluster of green leaves and laid at
the foot OF the principal picture of her who
went from among us too soon-Marie Bash
6eTtsetf. The fruit, with its plebeian as
pect, It's skin covered with yellow Specks,
seemed ont Of place in the midst of the
rare pcures and bric-a-brac that crowded
this aristocTatic dTawing-room darkened
with heavy hangings, and in which one
spoke in Il low voice. as in a church. The
contrast was so strange that the mother in
mourning, anticipating the question she
read in my surprised look, said as she
pointed to a strstcher at the end of the room ::
The fruit is off the apple tree that you
see over there in the last picture that
Moussia painted"
And thus l learned the story Of the apple
tree so intimately connected with that of
the young artist whom death overlook in
her twenty-fourth year
A the beginning of the spring, before
MaTie's death, she decided to paint for the
following years Salon a peasant sitting out
in the open air and she spent days in the
suburbs hunting up n suitable landscape.
One morning, in the ueighborhoOd of
Seyres. she cme upon an Enclosure sur
rounded by wooden fence. Past the en-
trance gate a green path led to a cluster of
trees whose leaves were not yet unfuTled,
and through the open work Of which the
sun >hone down on the brushwOod below.
Half way UP the path an apple tree spread
It's pink and white HoWers TO the warm light
The pale-green coppice as thin and delicate
as smoke, the sturdy apple tree with its
llossomlng branches, the luXuriant grass,
everything haTmouized, everything was ten
der. fresh and rOusinG like the spring itself,
ard all this thrilled Moussia, who felt an
inner voice tell her: Here at last is the
l0nged-foT spot"
Opening the gate, she made her way to the
house that was divided from the orchard by
q garden filled With bpehive~, and asked to
speak TO the proprietor The latter was a
nur-eryman of the middle class, half
" bourge aise, - half peasant, whose business
was TO furnish the Partisan markets with
flowers and fruit. Intelligent. having fam
Jig % care for and working hard, he dealt"
in pansies and honey. He was fattered at
the question asked by the blue-eyed girl.
ana was struck by her open and enthusiastic
manner. ehe'was fond of his trees, and the
admiration of an artist for his apple tree
tckied his sef-l0ve. Moussla easily OBJ
tanned the permission to come into the in
closure, and tie very next day began her
work.
Marie used to arrive early in the morning
by the horSe-car, accompanied by the model,
who carried both their luncheOns in a small
travelling sack. She climbed rapidly the
stairs III at led to the old factory and quickly
set 10 work. She was no longer beginner
in he field of art; she knew her business
thoroughly, having already exhibited some
remarkable pictures at the Salon Although
she belonged t. a very wealthy family and
occupied q high rank in the aTlStoe acy of
Eer country. She worked, not as an amateur,
but rather as IN artist III love with her art
and DESTROYS Of glory. a native Of the
kraine, she gave to her painting tie con-
SclenuouSness and exact detail, together
WIKI the melancholic spirit and poetry
thai are characteristics of the people
from Lower Russia. Her sketch absorbed
her entirely; she tried to pat into it some
thing Of the effervescence Of spring that y as
around her; the rising sap that sweled the
bark and gave luster to the new leaves, the
cary growth of the yellow flowers that
burst out IN the grass like tiny suns, the in
ioXicating odOr of freshness that escaped
from the soil and the plants She painted
desperately, madly, as though she feared
not to have time to finish. Every morning
found her at her seat in the middle Of the
green, bearing the heat, the spring showers
and the ireacherous returns Of cold weather
That made her cough. Often in her great
zeal for her work she forgot TO eat the
lunch she had brought.
The people of the house admired her I'M
firing labor. Seeing her as they did, her
head bare Of any covering, a studio-blouse
over her gray dress, they took her for a
person Of their small means, and che
obliged to work for her daily bread. The
housewife brought her bowls of hot milk
that she forced her TO drink to warm her up
the children played around her during the
hOut5 Of rest, and the gardener himself,
learning that some trees were in her way
when she tried TO get the distances perspec-
tive, had not hesitated to cut them down.
It was really touching to see the man,
usually so positive about and so careful of
his property, give way with such grace to sat
l-fy an artists wish. Soon a cordial famil-
iarIty existed between the people and the
young girl, and many time at the midday
meal Moussia was invited to share the cab
haIe soup and the sailed pork that composed
the family di ner.
She won the hearts of the honest gardeners
ly her bonnie enfaDt familiarity and the sal
lies OF her impulsiye wit In the methOdical,
WOnotonOus life Of these peasants the COM
ing of this beautiful blonde girl, with the
luminous blUe eyes, who laughed such
frank, open laugh, and who was so fond of
their apple tree. nearly took the shape OF
an historical event. A tender and friendly
Intercourse attached them to her and her to
them. II seemed as though she were very
part Of their home, just as were the bees in
the hives and the pansies in the flower beds.
Ill
The picture was growing. The peasant.
seated at the foot of the tree, was getting
along nicely; only the hands and arms re-
NAMED to be finished. The whole family
gathered around the stretcher and unani-
muusly declared that the resemblance to
their apple tree was striking; that one might
nearly reach and pick the flowers painted
on the canvas. One evening Moussia took
the picture home to show it to some friends,
and went away, promising to return so
as to be able to put the finishing touches
on the very spot. They waited for her in
vain. The days fed one after another,
the blossoms from the apple tree
scattered on the grass like a flight
Of white butterflies, but Moussia did
not return to paint in the green pathway OF
the inclosure., In her stead, fort
night later, the people of the house re-
ceIved parcel. carefully wrapped uD and
letter. The parcel contained a roll of
black silk, beautiful, rich and stiff. In the
letter M0ussia explained that bad cold
Obliged her to remain in the house, and
that she begged the gardeners wife to ac
cept the dress in grateful rememb rance Of
her hospitality. This WAS to the good peo-
pie Misunderstanding and bitter disappOiDt-
ment. What they had done for the artist
had been done IN friendship, and because
her young enthusiasm Interested them. but
the sending of this dress, that was worth at
least 70 francs meter, mortified them.
J ney found the gift altogether too valuable
for the small service that had been rendered,
ana 1t hurt their self-l0ve. The family held
council, and decided that the silk dress
Should be returned to the giver. The gar
dener had learned Moussia's address by the
Salons catalogue, and one day as they went
INTO the market they stopped before the
artists house on the Avenue de Villiers.
AT frat they hesitated TO enter, fearing
they were mistaken, and rather nonplussed
at finding that the young girl whose simple
ways had caused them to take her Tor an
artist obliged ID work resided in such a COM
Portable mansion. Nevertheless, they rang.
A liyeried servant opened the door, and
after they had told their business ushered
them into a drawing-room, the luxurious
furnishing Of which completely overwhelmed
them. They found MOussa lying on
lounge, wrapped in an ample gown of
white plush, over which fell in
shiny pillows her loose golden hair. She
mad grown thin, and was very pale, and
WIN TINS sicKly paiior her eyes shone like
paosphorescent light. As she saw her
friends, the gardeners, she uttered a joyful
cry ana raising herself with difficulty
stretched forth her emaciated hand.
am so glad TO sec you" said She
coughing nearly between each word. you
must not be angry with me because I did