The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1892-01-02

Of them on pension soon and get
new help" And 90 he continued. talk
ing away TO us until my friend in
quired the purport Of the summons
which brought US there.
.'Oh. yes tho old gentleman re-
piled. .iintended 70 speak OF It and
was waiting for the wine and biscuit
but there Is no use In OBTAINING you
here longer. gentlemen. will have
the refreshments taken to the H.
brary."
Up a fine old stairway he led US. to
what must have once been most
charming and comfortable apartment
long room, with four large windows
toward the east and south. On the
shelves were a lot OF veteran volumes
thousand or more not one OF which
was less than half century old, and
the dust upon them must have been q
quarter OF q century accommodating.
The furniture was once fine. but like
everything else about the place was
sadly In need OF repair.
On an easel near the eastern win
dows stood the portrait Of lady. The
face was that OF handsome woman.
sixty or seventy years of age. perhaps.
but the dress In which she was pictured
did not correspond with her age. They
were the garments OF girl OF nine
teen or twenty. and their fashion was
that Of fifty years ago.
You will remember your last visit !"
said the judge with profound bow
to my friend. and may say that the
occasion OF your summons Is that OF
five years OF age. or ten or fifteen to be
precise about it. You have been here
three times before. II / remember
rightly" he continued. land 1t Is not
intended as fattery when / say that
your work has always been most sat-
isfactory. ! have often remarked that
your touch is marvellous. sir. marvel
GUS reminding me OF the elder Stuart;
but what have we business men to do
with complimentsP Iwant the picture
retouched again rs before, and ut your
earliest convenience.
My friend said he would not begin
the task that day. but would return
tho next morning and finish it in few
hours.
Perfectly satisfactory. sir. perfect
ly so; shall wait you at the moment
named.
AS soon as we reached the air again.
from the moldy and decayed mansion.
released my curiosity and began to
ask questions. My friend said that the
portrait we had seen was OF the wife
OF the old gentleman; that it was
painted in her wedding-gown a short
time after the marriage. and that she
died before 1t was finished, more than
fifty years ago. The old gentleman
was the oldest child, and the only son
OF rich and prominent family, but
he had never married again. Nor had
he ever engaged in business or earned
dollar in his life. During the war
most Of his productive property. which
was in Virginia, was ruined his in
come was cut of, and had never been
renewed. A nephew, the son OF his
only sister. and the only living rela-
tive the old man had was a merchant
in New York. who had a kindly side
toward his uncle and had tried to get
him away from the old place, but he
would not go.
| He likes to sit around the hotel and
| lookout for an invitation to drink; he
always tells the story of the duel when
he gets chance; he manages to tel
the faults OF his '.butler' and my
late wife's maid" without smiling, to
every stranger he meets, and he live:
| in the grand old mansion on the few
| crusts that are thrown to him rather
! than make himself comfortable by
selling it for the good price the pro-
perty would certainly bring; but the
greatest OF his eccentricities is this:
Once in five years he has the por
| trait of his wife reprinted. and always
sends for an artist on the I'd of Jan
uary. His nephew usually gives hin
| $50 or so on Christmas, and portion
of the money Is sacredly set aside Il
pay for the work. But the face is moi
merely retouched. The artist is re-
| quired to add age to it. The bride
must be made to look five years Older
| every time. She was twenty wher
the brush first attempted to reproduce
her young joyous life, and the brida
robes still cling to her plump ant
pearly shoulders. But the old mar
wants her face to appear as it would
look II she had lived. What right ha:
he to expect girl OF twenty to con
tinue to love grizzled old MANI 81
the artist intcrcedes in his behal
every five years and thus the widow
er's wife grows old. William Elery
Curtis, in Pittsburg Bulletin.
| Surgeons Little Prank.