The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-23
BER SACRIFICE.


Sarah Middleton he1d upa bit of pasteboard
just arrived in the morning post.
"'Nother specula,ion?" hazartled Miss
Jane, looking up from her sewing.
YES" shortly, ''gone and married the
Wilder Gray. If that amt speculation, I'd
like to know what is. All can say is I'm
awful sorry for Sairy Jane"-
$50 am l." assented Miss Jane. "Guess
she won't find much time now to go tramp
ing over the fields paintin daisies and such
like, making sketches of cows and barn
yards. There'Il be new order to things
when Wilder Gray gets in among Miriam
dy's furnishings l know her, a high and
mighty piece, an if poor Sairy Jane don't
have to walk chalk marks my name amt
Jane Middleton. The little girls awful
fond of paintin, amt she, Sarah?"
well, I should say sop returned Miss
Sarah emphatically. '.She doesn't care for
nothin else. The last summer was down
to Josiah's she says to me, holding up
plaque with bunch of wild roses on it,
Amt that pretty. Aunt Sarah?' an then
she stopped moment, while her lovely
eyes glowed like stars: Don't you know,
auntie, art is everything to me? Meadow
Brook is full of beautiful things to paint
Why does one want to spend time churning
for butterP' Unjust say" added Miss Sarah,
''she hasn't any talent for housework."
Josiah Middleton's marriage with the
Widow Gray was, of course, the cause of
much comment during the following days
to the two little old maids, Miss Jane and
Miss Sarah, who lived just on the edge of
the busy city of Cincinnati. They had
known the widow even in her childhood
a high strung, hasty tempered, tyrannical
girl, who made everything move in the
groove she had laid out for it-and they
rather trembled for the fate of pretty Sarah
Jane, Josiah's only daughter, for whom
household duties had no attraction and to
whom tart was everything"
The new order of things Sarah Middleton
had predicted began Immediately upon the
widows ascension to the throne when few
days later she found her stepdaughter seat
ed behind canvas upon which bed Of
marigolds and whole field of clover were
bursting into bloom under her skillfuI fin
gers. She without much ceremony con-
signed the canvas. the paints and brushes
to the flames and founcee out of the room.
with the reminder that there was butter to
be churned and stockings to be darned, etc.
Is it any wonder that a few days later
little Miss Jane, coming home from the
post, carried a little bear strained missive
in her black shopping bag? This same lit
tie missive carried sorrow into the bosom
of the family when it had been read and re-
read dozen times.
Indeed Sairy Jane shall not stay at
home to be abused and maltreated. In
deed she shall not" remarked Miss Sarah,
Indignantly. Shall she, Jane?"
mo, indeed" re-echoed Miss Jane. And
forthwith the two little ladies concocted a
letter, which went by the following mail,
begging Sarah Jane to come to them 'for
spell'' till things should blow over. 'tShe
could study art in the Cincinnati School of
Design" said Miss Jane, land when once
we get her we won't let her CO."
That letter and the SIS bill it inclosed, to-
gether with the fast express, brought the
little artist one spring twilight. Her IA
ther had guessed she had better not CO."
and her stepmother had stormed and scold-
ed. saying she was needed on the farm, but
the girl had remained firmly fixed on the
north star of her ambition and had come
despite all objections. Much as she loved
dear old Meadow Brook, she could not re-
main in such an uncongenial atmosphere
''You can paint anything you want to,
Sairy Jane" said Aunt Sarah ecstatically,
why, you can begin on Jane and me. I
rather think we want touching up''
Sarah Jane found her place in the art
school, and the spell" heightened out into
period Of two years.
"You certainly have talent, Miss Middle
ton," the president had said to her when
she submitted her sketches to him. ''Your
style is bold and vigorous-popular in the
new school. Your taste in color and in
shading is exceedingly good, Your faults
will be overcome, your good points strength
ened by close application. Study hard for
two years. At the end of that time you
may find yourself famous artist" He had
smiled genially as he said these words, and
the girl was delighted.
She would study hard, though, of course,
she never could be famous. He had only
said that to encourage her. 1t would not
do to be too buoyant. So, perhaps, it was
great surprise to Sarah Middleton, as it was
to the two little aunts when they heard
the good news, to find her picture hung on
the line in notable art exhibit. She found
also that Miss Sarah j. Middleton's paint
ing, Eureka" was very creditably noticed
in the daily press. Was she really going to
be famous after all? The thought lent new
impetus to her work, and when at the be-
ginning of the next school session prize
was offered for competition she deter
mined to work for it.
1t was a prize worth the winning-a
choice between 81 ,0G0 in money and three
years course in Partisan art schools. She
would paint picture of the dear old
Meadow Brook Farm" with it's Towering
meadows and meek eyed kline She did not
need to go back to it to recall all its beauty.
Every nook and dell was indelibly printed
on the tablets of memory. Then would it
be worthy the prize? She had already
made her choice-a three years. art course
in Paris. Oh, the joy of contemplating it!
The picture YVES begun at once. All her
leisure moments were spent on it, and the
little aunts found time hanging rather
heavily when Sarah Jane was shut I'D in
her studio transferring bits of Meadow
Brook to canvas But at last the painting
was almost completed, only few finishing
touches, and it would be ready for iude-
ment. Already Sarah felt the critical ewes
upon it. She uttered half prayer as She
bent over it that May evening with her
brush in hand that it might be successful.
So much depended upon it. What vista