The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-03-09
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UEdCc, SalA ne, II 1OQnQ little 4lS
down herethe other.day dat HdaIks &
toshayes you8ketch- SoESepl. heineSsSu
know: You'll do it, won't you?''
F !. s: siff'" sel s. sPIcf " !!
''oh, hang Mr.: Fleming" Woodson
broke in. "Fleming's ali right in his
way, but ] want you--your sketch, you
know"
The place was quite q distance away,
over the mesa. They set out for it the
next day.
Here it is" Woodson exclaimed,
after quite tramp, pointing over the
burning plain to where . row of cot
tonwoods were banked against the sky,
tremulous in the vibranteair..~ -~-----------
There, do, that; call 1T. "A Hundred
in the Shade or something like that. !"
1T doesn't seem to compose very
WE'LL" Grace murmured, holding the
tips Of her fingers together and inclos:'
ing the picture in q rosy frame through
which she gazed, half shutting her
eyes il truly artistic inteptness. a,z.,,,sss,
aSll, never ma INT; 80 shs
character of it. You know Elem.
ing says the characters the thing.
That's what I want-thes character
the true character of this beastly coun.
try"
So Grace donned her big blue apron
and set to work with her biggest
brushes: .!s%f = =
~ But mehows she had trouble. The
quality Of that Shy. burning with light
and yet deep in hue, did 2 not seem to
reside in cobalt however; fresh from
the tube. The value of the stretch Of
plain. tremulous under the, faring
heavens, disturbed her, too, and when
she came to put in the airy wall of cot
tonwoods along the horizon the whole
thing ended in a panty middle. 3
"Oh. can't do anything to-day"
Grace exclaimed petulantly, wiping
her troubled brow with the back OF
her hand and leaving a streak of blue
on her forehead that intensified her
puzzled look.
"Why don't you put those trees in
green?' Woodson asked with serious
concern, as Grace renewed her strug.
gle with the regulation blues and
puppies.
''But don't see them So" she muir.
INJURED, in a moment of absorbed
effort.
Grace" he blurted out almost be.
fore he knew it, II don't believe you
see anything: Excuse me, but don't
believe you ever did. l don't believe
in your art; l don't believe in your
career; l don't believe in your indie.
pendence. You're simply spelling the
incest girl in the world with it. You
see things blue and purple because he
does; and newell. he sees things that
way because some fellows over in Pari,
do, and l don't believe in it. There,
now. I've said it; come"
But it was not arranged that he
should finish what he had to say. HI
had looked down to the ground where
he sat as he spoke of Fleming. When
he looked up Grace was several feet
away from him, hurrying down thu
hill with her head bowed.
"1'm brute-a miserab BILE brute!"
Woodson remarked to himself with
considerable force as he watched he,
striding toward the half-dry creek.
but some one ought to have tolc
her. Her art is all foolishness. Look al
Fleming, even. He's forty and Ii
like to know where he'd be if it was't
for his teaching. But Pm a brute, Jus,
the same-a heartless brute!'
There was a plum thicket along the
creek, and after watching Grace dis.
appear within it Woodson set abou,
picking up her sketching kit. Thi.
done, it occurred to him that it would
be proper pennance on his part tc
wash her brnshes-he had always hated
dirty brushes so. Gathering them up,
he started toward the creek.
When he got there he could see no
signs of Grace. Could it be that any.
thing had happened to her? The
thought made him catch his breath for
a moment. He knew she was i'm.
pulsive-capable of any rash move in
moment OF excitement Then he
heard stirring in the plum thicket
and came face to face upon her in q
little opening, crying softly to herself.
''Grace!" he called. "Why, what's
the matter? know I'm a brute, but ]
didn't think you'd take it So"
'Oh, can't you help me?" she pleaded,
and began cropping about and feeling
aimlessly with her hands.
He saw that her hair was looseped
and that her wrists and face were
scratched and bleeding in dozen
places.
'Why, what's the matter?'' he
queried again, a. she came gropinQ
toward him and stumbled against him.
Cant you help me at all?"
;"Of course, can, small girl; you're
all right. Nothing shall touch YOU
he reiterated as his arms closed around
her.
"Oh,, silly. can't you SEQ I've lost my
glasses? she exclaimed, pulling away
from him and flushing red among the
greenery. But he held her tight.
( "You don't want them; you see bet.
ter without them, blue eyes:" Confess
now, You never really ssaw.obefore.
Give up trusting lin those wretched
glasses and trying to be independent.
Come, see your career through my
eyes," = ,-s~e.
But still, she held back" 1T arms
length, reahy~ defiant. She, seemed
ready tocrys and then smiled instead.
*''Yon'hs get my glasses il ! promise?'
He nodded. ss.asggs=.,s1 =
Suddenly throwing her arms about
his neck, she said:
= II always liked your eyes, and
pressed q kiss on either lid. May be
you were right about my art" she add.
ed, seriously. "But-this needn't in
terfere, need it?' s.
Interfere! Why, I'll tell that man
that I've decided not to take his cattle
and we'll turn the whole herd into
paint"
Then he reached over and carefully
disengaged her glasses from tho twig
where he had seen them hanging
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