Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-07-19
A PAINTERS MODEL.

"A L AIN IEh > MOUEL.
Madame Xavier kept shop at the end
OF the street. Such tiny shop, with
only one window 10 it, and a bit OF
counter piled high with punches of
gay yarn and boxes of cheap tlnsels!
| There was a bird in cage ia ma
dams window. He always sang furi-
| ously in the early morning and a pot
Of mignonette in blossom adorned Che
| sill.
Just across the road lived the Salls-
age vender, a little old man, who wore
wig and dressed in snuff color. He
was early at his post every morning,
frying. sausages, but being cruelty af-.
hicteu with asthma, he could only
speak in a loud, hoarse voice; so his
daughter, Annette, a very dream, Of
health and beauty, would stand be.
side him in her neat stuff gown and
call in voice as lusty as q chanti-
cleer, Hot sausages! hot sausages.'
Now, diagonally across on the next
street was a tall brick building used
as storehouse. Its lower rooms
were piled Noth dusty white bags flll
of gram. over which thel satin-coated
mice frolicked and grew fat the live
long day: but up the peak of the
building was large garnet, rented to
poverty-stricken artist. Here were
pictures strewn all about the room,
while in the middle of the floor stood
stout easel supporting a bare can
vas. Every morning the artist crept
down from his lofty quarters to buy
hot sausages of Monsieur Laubeau,
and to cast sly glances OF intense re-
gard at Annette, who, for her part,
kept on at her calling as If there
were no young men in the world.
But when he turned to go back to his
garnet, then would Annette smile and
toss her head, with its white cap. in
coquettish nod to the little madam
across he road, saying as much-'See.
have an admirerr' and madam would
smile back, for she dearly loved a
romance. Sometimes she would beck
on to Annette, and when the girl ran
lightly across the street the old wom-
an would say:
when shall the wedding be-"
"Ugh.' Annette would answer,
could | eat paint? | thrive now aud
am comfortable Monsieur must make
his fortune ere Annette weds him."
And he shall do it," returned the
little madam; Il win myself speak to
monsieur"
a In r6nf ficf
passed her shop with a canvas well
wrapped in paper under his arm, the
little Frenchwoman called to him.
"Come in" said she; show me the
picture"
Reluctantly he undid it, and dis
closed a pensiye-faced Madonna
Fl done! monsieur" exclaimed ma
dam. But she has a sickly look. l
do not wonder you may not sell her;
we have enough like her. Monsieur
must paint different-so something gay
and cheerful, fresh you know"
Il am 100 poor to hire model"
said the artist gloomily
''Ah, true" replied madam; but
suppose ! could find model. Would
monsieur paint?'
Perhaps"
Come then"
She led the way through the tiny
shop to a timer living room. There,
In one croner, looking very big and
clumsy, stood an oaken chest with
lilies Of France carved upon it. The
old woman unfastened key from her
chatelaine and knelt before the chest
Monsieur must know" she said
gravely, "long way back in France my
people were not poor, but rich. That
was before the revolution, monsieur;
before their names were knitted into
the cruel madam's stocking. They
fell. We have always been poor
enough since. &c coffre contains my
great grandmere's ball gown. Mon
sieur shall see. !"
she unlocked the chest and lifting
a covering of tissue paper shook out a
rich white satin gown heavily en-
broidered with pale blue forget-me-
nots. The stomacher was thickly
sown with seed pearls, and wide ruff
fies OF rare old lace edged the neck.
The artist gave a cry Of admiration:
"A costume Of the time of Louis XVI.
How exquisitew
Here are her slippers" continued
madam, holding up pair Of white
satin slippers, adorned with furnished
gold buckles; and these are the
gloves she wore. To think ! have
them yet, monsieur, and my great
grandmere's dust three hundred years!
We might have sold her toilet over
and over again, when we were hungry
and cold. but we always preferred to