Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1893-06-08
THE ART STUDENT.


whole, but at first it used to be very an
noying in some ways. To begin with,
they planted me down in such draft
and in the worst light possible. so that
could not sec anything, nor could any
one see me, and then they would not
give me new pedestal-they tried to
palm off on me one that belonged to a
discarded Nereid, which made me look
top heavy, as it was much too small.
However, one day waiter, who was
rushing past with a soup tureen (it was
when I stood close to the door of the re-
freshment room in the gallery, you
know, tumbled up against me and
smashed a great pieco Of tho pedestal.
Afterward, when every one had gone AID
the place was quiet. just leaned over to
one side bit and slid down Hurt my
self? Oh, dear, mol l chipped my Tyre
rather. There was fuss next morning
when the curator came round. That
waiter got into no end Of row and had
to pay for my new pedestal and Tyre. It
was a pity couldn't explain. but be was
a poor fool, and wasn't sorry to see him
sacked for his disrespectful clulnsiness.
There was little student who came
to draw here, a little bit of thing, with
sallow face and slight limp. She was
always shabby. Her gloves Zone button
blno.b Iii Sz-nra wary 11,r1cll ss-.1 ! f1l--
wore battered black straw hat which
had outlived the picturesque stage, with
o wreath of limp, streaky roses round
the crown, even in midwintcr. Her
n live
and her poor little square toed boots
were patched and repatchcd. The only
points about her were her clean collar
and her big, hungry eyes. She worked
for the gallery, and l heard her say she
gives lessons. know the pay is very
small, because she doesn't have half
enough to eat, and she certainly cannot
afford to ride or drive, because on rainy
days her feet are SO muddy She has
very little talent. 1t is on.y by dint Of
sheer obstinaey she manages to draw de-
Gently.
Some time ago young man came here
pretty frequently for several months.
He's q fine, handsome fellow, very like
that sturdy Discobulus you see straight
in front Of you. By Jupiter! that boy
can drawi | could tell he had it in him
the first time saw him handle crayon.
The little lame student was passing him
one day, looking mere tired than ever,
and she tripped over the edge of bar
rier that had been put to screen of the
Laocoon family, who were undergoing
repairs, when down went everything
with clatter, including the poor little
soul herself The other student, whom
I will call 1.-The Boy" for distinction,
was up in q moment, had put her on her
feet again, and picked up all the dis
pefsed articles with rcassuring "All
right" before you could calculate ''Mur-
curry" She pulled herself together enough
to whisper Thank you" and limped
away.
Next day she came early and worked
assiduously. The Boy was there too. He
did not notice her, he was so busy. Pres
emily he felt tiInid pull at his sleeve
and looked up. "Hullo," he sai6s with
that sunny smile Of his; II beg your
pardon, can do anything for your
"W-would you l-l-let me look at your
drawingY' she faltered.
/ AGTLd1lllyt DQL LucIC u lOOHlllR W bt6,
Well, they chatted bit after that and
compared notes till the ice Yves fairly
broken, SO the time few and the little
gray student found she had forgotten all
about that tiresome foot of the Hermes
which would MT come right. After that
day they conversed pretty freely, Mean
while noticed great change in her
though she still looked pincied and tired
her eyes began to have a new light in
them, the white collar was discarded for
black lace rufde, the poor tired roses
disappeared too, and i'll their place no-
ticed d large black feather, which, it il
true, soon lost its curl and had certainly
seen better days, but still she thought it
looked smart, and that cheered her, poor
little soul The gloves, too, We're new,
or else she had managed to ink over the
purple cracks.
Some days she was there alone, and
then she would look wistfully from time
to time toward the door. Once, when a
step came swinging down the corridor,
she gave little start, but it was only an
attendant, who was conceited ass with
nothing to do, and he came in and bull
lied her and made himself perfectly obi
GUS would have set my dog at him,
only fortunately the Boy turned up at
the right moment and sent the wretch
flying. | couldn't resist whispering to
my Venus whas smart fellow he was,
and she nodded approvingly.
When these two got tired Of work the
4 Boy would sit and talk to her by the
hour together Sometimes it was art,
shop" sometimes poetry or scraps Of
science wonders and often odds and ends
of If thology, over which last he got
considerably mixed at times, till one day
was in such fits that Venus thought
v they would hear and snubbed me fear
fully.
+. This went on for couple Of months or
SO, and then the Boy left off drawing
here Tho LITTLE gray figure plodded in
and out bravely, but could see her bite
her lips to keep back the tears of disap-
pointment and longing for human inter-
course and sympathy. At last one day
n she drorDed the pencil and snranr m