The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-20
4 PHANTOM PORTRAIT.

& PHANlUM fONlhhll.
DEAR MIKE-wM you look in at my shop
this EVENING" Qriiier is in town, and is going
10 dine with me at the club. / can't stand an
evening of him alone, but if you and Teddy
O'Brien viii support me, with pipes and pota-
tions, / think shall be a match for him.
Come early. and I'm your friend for life.
DICK GRAVES.
had nothing particular to do, so
gent word round to Dick that l should
turn up. having first made sure that
Teddy O'Brien, whose studio was in the
same block, would go also. CUTLER we
knew of old, as all the world knew him
"a man who had seen everything, done
everything, been everywhere-and these
occasional visits of his were a perpetual
terror to Graves. Why he paid them we
never knew. There was kind Of ira
ditional friendship between the families
certainly, but CUTLER was a man who
scoffed at tradition. He was in every
way out of sympathy with set of ardent
and impecuniozE painters. AS journal
list. as traveller, as man Of the world, he
had outlived his enthusiasts. Life con-
tanned no new experiences, no surprises
for him. It was only monotonous
round of the known and the expected.
Dick Graves, who usually shone as a
host, was not at his best that evening.
He was nervous at first, and rather
silent, leaving the burden of talk to
Teddy and myself; and we had the i'll
luck as the punch circulated to light on
a vein of hum orous stories, at which we
laughed consumedly ourselves without
eyoking even smile from the guest of
the evening.
'Will you fellows look over my Cornish
sketches" said Graves, suddenly jump
ing UP in desperation. Il think there
are some you have not seen"-and he be-
gan to rumrage about among pile of
old canvases-
CUTLER resumed his seat, and sat, half
absently, half contemptuously, watching
us as we turned over the paintings
possibly he was amused by our jargon
of ''tone" and quality" and the rest.
At length picked up from the heap
painting that caught my eye, and propped
it on the easel near the lamp. 1t was
quite unlike Graves usual work, and |
stood looking at it for moment, not
quite knowing why did so. 1t was the
head of young woman, pale and slight
ly worn. She was leaning little for
ward, looking out of the picture, her
mouth parted by a slight, tremulous
smile, and in her eyes a look that was a
strange mingling of emotions, as if
new hope and happiness had come into
life of sorrow-a look half wistful, half
exultant. turned to speak to Graves
and saw that CUTLER had got up, and
was standing gazing at the picture with
a look of fascination or of fear. Here at
last was something that interested him.
Where did you get that!" he asked,
abruptly.
What do you think of it," said
Graves, slowly.
"It's a good head" said Teddy
O'Brien.
Its wonderful model" saidI.
"a face to haunt one," said CUTLER,
in tone quite unlike his ordinary Gym
ical one
''Ah, that's it," said Graves. It's more
than human"
"Who is it," said CUTLER, in his abrupt
way, again.
"Fon my soul can't tell you, for I
don't know. It's a queer story, and one
I'm almost ashamed to ask you to believe.
shan't blame you if you think I'm hum
bugging."
We settled ourselves by the fire with
our pipes, and Dick began his story in a
manner, for him, so unusually grave
and impressive that it seemed to leave
no room for doubt as to his perfect good
faith in the matter.
Il went into Cornwall, as you know,
at the end of the summer, and after
loafng round Newlyn for a while l
went TO the south coast to try and find
some place that had been less painted.
l stayed a few days at Polperro, but it
was all SO much like the smaller exhib-
itions in town that could not stand it,
and l finally landed at" naming
a small seaport town-''where there
We're no painters and not many visitors.
around for some place to hang up my
palette.
After some inquiries l found small
cottage which had been empty for some
time, but which had evidently been used
as a studio, for there was wall knocked
out at one side and good sized room
added, with a high north light. On the
11a L. II.
opened one into the other, had view of
thu loveiest little harbor in the world
The -lace was just what l wanted, and
the .snt was absurd-onIy $40 a year; so
/ took it for six months on the under
stao-Aing was to keep it on if chose. I
bo.@ht few things to make the place
e--Hfortable, and got an Oh woman to
lspk after it for me; but lived most of
he time at the Ship inn,' and just at
arst spent very little time at the studio,
only taking in my canvases at night.
When October set in. cold and Wet, / had
to do some work indoors, and then it was
l began to think there was something
queer about the place. Cine day had
been painting vourg girl from the vii
lage, the granddaughter of my ancient
dame, and was putting a few touches
TO the backg md, when | heard sound
close behind me like very gentle sigh.
l looked around quickly, but there was
no one IN sight-no one in the room, In
fact. Invent on painting with an un-
comfortable feeling of something uncan-
ny, and In few minutes the sound was
EsOeated actually at my ear. l dropped