The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-04-26
HERO In CLAY.
T.

this CHAPTER 7.
1. !, WAS the luckiest hit old Bannis-
A. had ever made. How he did it
- . ~. Echo1y knew. He didn't even know
ward b~lnself.
,emed "lDc t"'"I | -.
,sa, Lnnd | had no idea it was anything
aMd otter than my usual work, until l
an,o. bad finished it and came pack to look
ad { as a whole: then"
~ There was no doubt about it, he
A.. hal never before lone anything to
,,o toual It. 1t was rather a large
- ~ ~ktatuctte of an ancient warrior, deli
cately modelled in clay-a slender.
, snpwy.loOking figure, the head
/. rho thrown gracefully back, one foot
onI slightlyi advanced, a short sword
Nh - cspci in the uplifted right hand,
Soma and a round shield poised firmly be-
nIaca l0c his trcast.
MD There was a subtle ease, a quiet
grace in the carriage and attitude; a
DAYS keen. calm eagernesS expressed in the
had fine features Of the figure, that one
xiv. w1ald have thought none buc a man
bor Of real genius could have accom-
pashed And yet old Fob Bannister
tho had no gcnius-not a bit. All his
ybeo friends knew that. and he freely ac-
with kugwledged il himself.
ins B0bs chief ambition was to be a
great >culptor-tO do some great
,und work that should bring him wealth
, o- iOi the present. and fame for all
fen, time. But, by degrees, he narrowed
al his ambition down until at last he
med camc to look for nothing from art
bat the means of living in reasonable
couIort from day to day.
, NJ, lie had done much that was good,
bat nothing that was great; until
now. when he was nearly fifty, and
ing his dark hair was sprinkled with
IN grey, much TO his W establishment
fore he created his Hero" and woke up
me 10 the fact that he had done some
thing at last that might make a lit
ent tie noise III the world, and yield him
ING some drops Of that fame he had
rec. hoped to I'LL his cup with when he set
die olt upon his career.
ind H0bs particular crOny and brother
red II art, Alfred Maiden, was a man
!. some five years older than himself.
md The two men had met rather more
ae. IMAM twenty years before, and had
been the closest Of friends ever since.
ion Ihey rented a small studio be-
Ter, tween them on the highest floor Of a
oN laIl building in the vicinity Of Ok
loId Street. They had even shared
The thc same apartments together in a
raj respectable boarding house on Neck
he 'ehtUfg square, until Maiden was
mel married and became the owner of Il
he small residence at %PaddingtOn.
1t was . o'clock at night, and the
Of t"0 men sat by the tireSide of their
er "VtIe studio, smoking a last pipe
N1 apiece before going home. Grouped
~ aoO1t them in groteSque confusion
a. were numerous half-inishcd and
al finished clay models, busts of all
a manner Of real and ideal men and
women, and all the miscellaneous lit
ter VI Il $ ulptor's wOrk-rOom; on the
walls hung medallions and base-re-
d HcI> OF all shapes and sizes, crayOn
>hetches. and a number of pictures in
OBS and water colOrs. But the most
conspicuous object Of alI-standing
vi an imposing pedestal in the center
oi the roOm-was BOb's latest work,
aN masterpiece, his Hero in clay.
certainly" said Bob, regarding
MS work complac emily, and speaking
"ltha slow, meditative drawl be-
tween the dreamy whiffs at his pipe,
quay hiuk We ONCl OOhS
'ndt feel tempted to be proud Of,
snu' as you say, goodness only knows
low managed to do it so we'll. But
mere 1t is, l done it, and l really
10 mink Pm entitled to be a little
proud of it, eh:"
course,'' responded Maiden,
noodliy: especially when you con-
suer that a rumOr of it has caused a
ieai nve Marquis to come up and
'ooN at 1t, and to be so taken with it
q 10 say he will even buy it,"
Now, ALI, Alt" cited Bannister,
n%ayfully.
'fact"' said Maiden, shortly. mo
n,an gives money for a thing unless
~ tnlnks it's worth his money"
vel, OF course, In pleased to
nase a purchaser in prospect Any.
one would be-"
Undoubtedly" grumbled Maiden;
'utit isn't ANYONE who is lucky