Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-24

letter of introduction, but he shook his
head doubtfullv.
4 don't know, sir, she is at work and
does not like to be disturbed, but I will
see.
He returned shortly. "Please follow
me, " and led me through the rather me-
lected garden. ''She is studying from
nature, he smiled, 'out on the meadow, as
madame calls it. As soon as she moved out
here all the we'll trimmed lawns of the
parks were turned into pasture groundA"
Painting Some Angora Sheep.
He left me at the end of the avenue and a
strange sight met my eyes. The old lady
SIZE is now 70-was standing before the easel
and vigorously applying the brush to her
canvas while 4 few Angora sheep were
driven about by young peasant girl.
She was dressed in a rather short black
dress covered entirely by a large apron,
over which she wore dilapidated fur man.
tle around her shoulders she had wrapped
L green shawl, as it was rather cold. Coarse
EhOes and az old straw hat completed her
costume.
1t was the first time had met lady so
indifferent to her costume and appearance.
Her short hair had turned gray and her
features bore the signs of old age, but still
revealed that energy which speaks out of
her pictures.
She nodded to me without stopping in her
work. In a moment, sir" Then STEP
ping back and looking alternately at the
painting and the sheep, she began:
$50 you would like to hear something of
the events OF my life and the beginning of
nv career Mon Dieul that is so long ago.
You see, no longer make a secret of my
are. Noyez-my father was a teacher of
drawing in Bordeaux, and had his hands
tull in bringing up four children on his
slender salary. And my mother assisted
as well as she could in giving music lessons.
We are a laborious family-every one of us
81 artist. My sister Yuliette (now Nine.
Peyso.le) paints mostly sheep, my brother
August prefers cows, Isidore is a sculptor
and paint everything as long as it can
creep, crawl, jump or fly"
She Has a Vein of Humor.
At the first glance thought she would be
rather reticent and dry in her conversation,
judging from something hard and masculine
In her face and the straight, compressed lips,
and was agreeably surprised by her vivacity
and the vein of humor which seemed the
keynote of all she said.
"AIy mother died when I was about Z.
4ltl DcIueduA DeCdLue lDIOleTaDle 10 my
father and he brought US all to live in Paris.
He gave US in board to an honest, childless
widow, Mere Catherine we called her. Mon
Dieu! how uncomfortable it was for me to sit
beside the old lady all day long and sew or
knit or, pre- encore, help in the domestic
work 1t was an impossibility and, escaping
whenever 1 could, l rambled about the Bois
de Boulogne, which was wilderness then
compared TO what it is now. One dav my
father came home full Of joy and told me
be would be able to put me in a boarding
school IL exchange for the drawing lessons
Il was one Of the best boarding schools in
Paris, where there were none except rich
young ladies' They were taught all the ac-
complishments desirable for society.
''My good father" she said musingly,
''wlshed Tor a simpler kind of education
more in harmony with his means but choice
was not LETT to him, and he eagerly seized
on the fortunate opportunity, consoling
himself that l would become an accom-
plished lady and that my intercourse with
well-bred girls would modify my abrupt
ness OF disposition. Poor fatherl
Made Caricatu-es in School
"All my habits proved SO antagonistic to
those of the school that he gave up all
hopes of my ever improving or gaining nv
living. How well do l remember myself in
NY thin print gown and disheveled hair;
ny total Unconcern about dress horritied
tie other pupils, who Stunned NE and
called ME little beggar,' but 1 cruelty
avenged myself l made pen and ink
caricatures of them and took care not to
fatter. did not even spare the mistresses.
Altogether was very lazy except IN draw
ing, which 1 could practice all day. And l |
have remained much the same all my life"
People have assured me, who know her |
intimately, that she is rather ignorant in
most matters which well educated leaders |
are supposed to be acquainted with. She |
does not even speak French correctly, and |
a. regards the orthography in her letters |
many a school girl could put her to shame |
"Bien, soon after" she resumed, I'VE |
lived in a small apartment on the sixth |
foor with little terrace on the roof This |
vas generally used to dry the linen, but / |
1Soa found another use for it besides. I |
b-oaght hoT2e little lamb which was pre- |
senteG lie by friend and Installed it there. |
IL my leisure moments drew ii over and |
over again in every possible position. and |
one I.;ght, attcr had succeeded in making |
g sir drawing, said TO my father:
~ wish to become a cattle PAINTER"
Then began 20 make excursions into the |
oountry to paint from nature ard mixed |
fr.slv vj.b cS:sia dealers so tcar I became