The morning call., 1894-10-14

She was tall and statuesQue, with a fig
ure that was a marvel of indolent grace
and face that might have been modelled
from that of the tabled Queen of Beauty.
Masses Of goId-brown hair curling softly
over low Grecian brow, features that
were faultless in their chiseled regularity !;
a white. transparent skin, veined deli
cately like the petal of rose, and great
gray eyes under straight dark brows, and
long sweeping lashes. Absolute perfec-
ton; Dothing less; and yet-and yeti
was perfection that chilled and saddened
you. She was so serene. and white, and
still. She was like a snow-maiden 1T a
marble sculpture-lovely to the eye, but
icy cold to the touch. She had no warmth,
no glow, no tenderness. She looked as
Galatea might have looked before Pyg-
nations ardent kisses awoke her to pas
sionate life and the knowledge of
woman's soul.
Men raved about her beauty, but her
hmm oblity froZe them and they dared rot
approach her. When she was IS she had
never had lover. No man had ever told
kissed her or even touched her hand, save
IN the ordinary friendly greeting.
Then when she was % she met Dick
Vandeleur. Fare threw hm across her
path, just by the merest accident, and
forgot. to take him away again. So he
stayed.
Dick was %. too; man in years, but
boy In everything else. Ardent, impetu-
Gus, careless, sanguinr; with all boys
happy hone I'll belief in himself aud the
| unknown future-a boys trusting heart
| and boys sunny smile.
1t was wonderful thing, that smile of
| his. No one could resist it. Men invari-
| ably thawed before its genial warmth,
while womeu-weli, no woman ever said
mo" to Dick Vandeleur. He was not
the sort of man that woman said M "
| to. be always put one in mind Of those
llnes of Owen Meredlth's:
Some happy souls there are that wear their
nature lightly: these rejoice
The world by living. and receive from all men
| more than what they give.
| One handful of their buoyant chaff exces our
| hoards Of careful grain.
Justly: for. one mans joyous laugh augments
| earth's Joy is all mems gain.
| Scorn not the gift OF giadness given to those
bright souls 1t is from heaven.
! Dick wore his nature lightly. He was
| by inclination and profession an artist. AS
yet he only stood on the lowest rung of the
| ladder OF success, but he had keen desire
to climb to the very top. and he saw no
reason why he should not. HIS vocabu-
larry held no such word as fail. He be-
lieved in himself, he believed in his art
and he believed in the future. Happy
| Dick!
Well, as l said before, fate threw him
across Patricia Campbeli's path and left
him there. 1t suited him very well to be
| left there, and he had no wish for fate to
rem. MI Der him and take him away, for he
found Patricia the most interesting and
| fascinating wOman-from certain points o (
view-that he had ever met. The very
qualities in her that repealed other men at
| tracted him. Perhaps it was the force of
contrast, perhaps it was an undercurren t
| of sympathy. perhaps-Dut what is the use
of specializing? In this tangled skein o
! life there are so manv cross threads that,
| to all appearance, start nowhere and go
nowhere; so many effects to which we can
assign no cause.
! Patricia's beautiful, impassive face set
him thinking, and the second tins he saw
her he SAID, in his casual way:
IL say, Miss Campbell, l want you to do
something for me. I've get bright idea {;
will you help me to carry it out?'
| Patricia looked al him doubtfulIy. In
all her life no man had come to her for
| help before, and the novelty of the stua-
ton impressed her. She did not quite
know what to say.
Help you" she repeated. In a dubious
| tone; and then she added: "Can IP''
'RatherW cried Dick. II should just
| think you can-if you only will"
She was still looking at him In that
wondering way. TELL me how" she
said.
He went step nearer. and looked down
at her with his winning smile.
ny on can sit for me-" he answered, "and
you will, won't you? You don't mind my
asking you, do you?"
Patricia shook her head and the mysti-
fed expression deepened in her uncon-
scinus eyes.
''No. don't mind. But why-why?"
Dick hesitated. If be had been talking
m n fha. Ia
have SAID, Because you are the most per-
1ectly beautiful woman L have ever seen.
Because you have 4 figure to send q sculp-
tor mad and face like painters day.
dream. and must paint you or de-"
But some subtle instinct warned him
that 1t would be wiser not to talk like th at
to Patr ella. so he thought for a moment.
WELL he said. at last, the fact is I've
got good thing in Cly minds eye, but I'm
hard up for model. That's often the
way, you know. Ideals and realities are
such avfully different things. But your
face is just what | want. and-and-well,.
you would be doing me the greatest pos
sible service If you would sit for me-
Patricia was silent, and Dick awaited
her answer with breathless impatience
lie felt as II his whole future fate was
trembling in the balance. Presently she
sighsed-a iong-drawn. quivering sigh.
Are you sure. she asked. a little visit
am not used to helping people. No one
ever asks me to"
'Quite, quite sure" Dick returned, with
eager emphasis. "and you are the only
person who can"
''Then WILL" said Patricia.
so the bargain was struck and the oddly
assorted pair proceeded to carry ir out.
He painted her as Gaiatea, and the
work took long time and necessitated a
great number of sitiings. Dick spoiled q
good many canvases, but that was his way
through Lille. He was always throwing
aside his old canvases and starting on new
ones. 1t was habit he had.
Patricia displayed patience that seemed
inexhaustible. She never fidgeted, never
complained. When once Dick had posed
her she would remain in the same position
for any length of time. and if she grew
tired. or cold, or cramped she kept her
secret. and he was none the wiser.
AT last the great work began to progress,
and Dick spoiled no more cauvases. He
had got fairly under way, and the success
full realization of his ideal was only q
| question of time.
I've never come anywhere near this
| before" he said to Patricia one morning,
Il always hoped that some day I should
| paint picture that would make me ia
NOUS. and now / am doing it. This will
make ne famous-and ! shall owe my
| fame to you"
He looked at kher and esmiled and the
smile was on her face. Sh had taken to
smiling more often of late.
Alter that every thing went with remark
| aDie Sm0Otnn6sS, and before very long the