The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-27

lifted up with many ingenious devices
that bis wonderful Imagination would in
vent, he painted. On the evening from
which our story dates De MerlincOurt
was possessed of a feverish excitement
il was only natural. For on the morrow
his rooms would be filed with artists,
critics. masters and many notables. His
own creation, new theory of technique.
would then become discussed.
The painting which he was about to ex-
hibit as the first illustration of his art rep.
resented lovely nymph of physical per-
lection. Just going TO step into the cool,
green waters that washed the entrance to
her grotto. In his large studio the frame
was hung, properly dTaped and lighted.
As one approached closely TO the canvas
the eye was arrested by the myriads of
small pigments of color that spotted both
figure and background. De Merincourt's
theory did not permit the mixing of colors,
and so each was put on in little specks,
varying in size, to attain the desired re-
suit In blending. At a certain distance the
harmony OF the pigments was perfect, and
| the effect was both startling and wonder
tul. About the whole this technique pre-
duced an air of life and nature that as yet
no other school had achieved.
Down on the dIVan, directly opposite to
his work, De MerlincOurt contemplated.
On, the many thoughts. the many am
btlnns that surged through his magma
toni His mental wanderngs grew more
intense and he fell into reverie. A door
in the further end OF the apartment opened
and IN stole female figure wrapped in a
travelling cloak. Stealthily, on tiptoes
she approached the divan. and Tor a mo-
mPnt Looked lOngingly in the face of De
MeTincnurt. She was his model He was
I n lon IN xsi har nd nat
Paris. to the Quarter Latin. 1t was only
| Tor an instant she gazed at the painters
face. Then, with tie action of a strong
and sudden impulse, she threw her arms
around his neck aDd sObbed aloud. Thus
roughly torn from his world of dreams, De
Merlincourt became quite netIled.
Come now, little one." he cried, Sc
verely, this sort of. thing won't do
| You're going away, and there's the end
| OF 1t. Don't make fuss; 1t annoys me.
/ Come, If you GOn't run along you'll miss
youf train. l dare say the carriage is
waiting for you now. Gond-by."
| She clung to him and he pushed her
away. Then she fell on her knees midway
between De Merlncourt and the painting
| Her bonnet had fallen. The light from
above came down in a beam upon her
head, and her likeness to The Nymph"
became at once apparent.
"Oh, Jules. she pleaded sadly, her arms
Ou'obANhShCN III ouppliCdtlUu, ~ leave you
now Is like tearing the infant from its
mothers breast. Jules" and she began to
sob. Il love you deary-very dearly. |
can't go away now. You said you were
| going to America-I may never see you
again. OIL will only die" All tho pain
of heart agony was written on her face.
"Come-cOmel | said [ would have no
scenes. You'll forget III about this by to-
morrow. At any rate, I've had enough.
Good-by."
She looked at him wildly, gave a pro-
louged sob and fell in a heap upon the
| floor. De MerllncOurt rang the bell aud
ordered the attendant to carry the girl 20
the carriage, revive her on the way TO the
station, aud on no account let her miss the
train. The Door girl realized the situation
when she recovered her eqGanImity. On
10 Paris she sped. Aud late that night
from her gayety. none OF her companions
In the Cafe dHaTcouTt could have sur
missed that earlier in the evening she had
been in the exactly opposite mood. In
fact, she herself became so much preOccu-
pied with her surroundings that the past
was almost forgotten. But in the Quarter
Latin every one knew Lucille TouTgois as
a woman who could never forget an injury
Up aud down the floor of his studio
paced De Merlincourt Now his thoughts
troubled him. His mind would not return
10 the bright, happy dreaming which en-
gagged him before Lucille gave vent to her
lttIlURS. lie SOlllOQulL6u.
Just like the rest of them. Confouud
it all! What is there in the nature of
woman that continually prompts her to
fall in love? That Lucille is the most
abominable model for that sort of thing.
She is always falling in love with the chap
who makes good likeness of her. l pre-
sumo it tickles her vanity. | warned her,
too, that | would have lone of 1t. After
ALL" he sighed, lit wasn't all Der fault.
had no business telling her l was going to
America. That made her cry, and
wanted her expression for nay Hood of
HalcyOne.' II was cruel. l know, but art
must have her sacrifices" This logic sat-
isfird his conscience and he sat down to en-
JOY cigarette. II he could only have lore
seen what sacrifices his art was yet to
bring, perhaps he might have been more
lenient TO Lucille. True, she was only a
model, only an artists tool; still, models
are human and have human passions. IT'S
true, alas, sometimes too true!
The next day people came and went,
and the house of De Merlincourt was
taxed to its utmost capacity for accommo-
datiOn. Many and loud were the praises
poured out on the genius of the painter.
This art would live! They prophesIed it.
OF course il would take time to teach the
masses to understand the theory; in the
end thev would comprehend and his fame
would be established. His audience was
an apDTeciative one, but Justly so. De
MerilncOuTt was happy. What man in his
position at that time would not have been
Possibly, amid all that was said in his IA
vor, no lauGatjnn affected him so much as
that of his old friend. PlancOn. They had
studied together at the university; had
Travelled together and knew each other
well. Their friendship was most sincere
and bOundless. During the hubbub of eX-
element, at a time when the Assem- blage
was more interested in examining the
painting than in the painter, PlancOn came
over TO his friend, grasped his hand with
true pressure. held him at arms length
and spoke in strong, admirug tones.
"My dear friend" he said, this day l
have the pleasure of shaking hands with
genius at home. Some day l hope 10 have
the honor TO assist in carrying that genius
on my shoulders before the admiring
public"
De MerlincOurt was not given an oppor-
tunity to reply, for, as soon as Plane on had
ceased. little group completely sur
rounded the artist and separated the friends.
But De MerlincOurt managed to whisper
loud enough for Plancon 10 hear: stay
thing to tell you"
No man who has not experienced the
sense of true friendship can form any idea
of the qualification one friend feels in the
attainment of success by the other. Had
the success of the day been PlancOn'S he
could not have fel; greater happiness.
And he loDged to be alone with De Mer-
lincOurt. He desired the crowd to 90. so
he SUNK away from the chatteriug of
compliments, and took seat in the cor
ner. He could not keep his eyes away
from the picture; what was more be did
not even try to. The longer he gazed the
-, =.