Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-03-01
their failure and saying it served them

right.
The two brothers were working to-
gether over a country scene one doing
the landscape and the other putting in
the animals. jacques Jamain was
painting Psyche, and declared HIM
self desperately i'm love with his model
and well he might be- for she was "a
beautiful creature bun not 80 fair i'm my
eye, "a, my doyeike Lucic
Have ! told YOU how | had painted
my Lucie? painted her just a. | had
seen her last beside great tree in the
quaint o.d garden looking after me
with mourniut Wi-tiGl eyes. while ~
she waved me an adicu "a snowy pigeon
which | had given hcr futtered upon
her shoulder
The cooling Of the pigeon the soft fra
GRANGE OF the air, and her parting
words. "Dieu te heni,e; adieu. mon
amour had painted into my l.ictme.
it seemed to me for | had only to look
nj il standing there. where the light
from the little dormcr window fell best,
To see The scene, smell the perfume of
the flowers. and hear the words 50 dear
10 me again.
The time for the Salon was drawing
near, and my friends ceased chatting
me about my picture for they were too
busy with their own, And then, one
by one they were pa ked up % their
wooden cases and sent ~. and the OWE
er, lounged around with their hands in
their pockets and did nothing but wait.
Did | never think of sending my
picture? Not L. couldn't i~.ar the
81 Z 4 "a l..4 ROT Il
and what chance would my work have
among the thousands of competitors
No loved my picture first, because
ii looked like my sweet model, and, Sec
ond. bccaUse | had worked into it 50
many of my thoughts and hopes and
dreams about her. and because it was
the child OF my brain, the work of my
hands.
How longed for the time when |
could have her with me. and how
chafed at the delay. had sold several
small pictures, but they only helped to
make out a living with the pittance
from the school. And how | grew to
loathe the school, with its simpering
schoolgirls and its fault-tnding mis-
tross,
was uluE IOlllt bllt tNtuluR
from giving my lessons my work had
been unusually irritating and the day
was chill and drear. A cold mist, such
as in my sunny South | had never
known, pierced me to the heart and
numbed my very soul But while |
shivered and buttoned up my coat tight
under my chin, my head was burning
with fever, and blood-red light SEEM
ed to burn the mist.
Il am going to be i'll, fear said
to myself, but this must not be-" |
hurried on, stumbling through the
binding mist, and reaching home at
last. climbed my five flight, of stairs
which seemed long and weary, indeed
and shutting myself in my little room
tried to make the cup of coffee which !
hoped would make me feel myself
again 1t was weary. weary work. |
dragged myself around my room. from
fire TO table. until at last when the cot
fee was made and had taken cupful
undressed myself and went to bed.
All that night | tossed from side to
side, burning with the fever that ragged
through my veins and agonized with the
certainty that | was ill-very i'll. How
could | make money? How could |
study or save? Ii were i'll who would
write the letters to my poor Lucie
which every day took to the post office
at the corner OF 1T. Sulpice?
Alas, How would she know what
had befaIen me? might die alone
and far from her loved, and
she never know | lit a candle and
tried is scraw "A few lines to her. but
the paper seemed miles away and nv
pen danced over the sheet like mad or
fell heavy As lead by my side. With a
groan gave it up and returned to my
bed of misery.
In the morning Karl came in before
going out to see about some commits
sion | had promised to do for him. and
through sort of haze | heard his eX-
clamation: "Hmmel. Du Dist sehr
krank, mein freund Paul. Then |
knew nothing more. save at intervals,
for weeks. Every now and then |
would Ice conscious of some one being
near me. doctor. or some one of my
fellow artists Now it would be- George
or Jean. and again | would dmly see
Jacques painting away in one corner
with his pretty model. a quiet a a
mouse, while now and again he would
come and lean over me TO give me med
jcine or moi,teu my burning lips. Karl
would come in toward evening, and |
think Pierre wa, AWAY, ucar me dur
me- the ioug watches OF the night But
IF all this ! was only dimly cou>cious,
for my body wa, racked with pain. my
head wa, on tire and my heart ached
tor my sweet Lucie lar away. Would
! never sec her again. and was | to die
without one word and among strangers?
No. could not call them strangers, for
they were kind and gentle nurses and
loyal friends
One day heard the doctor say
would get well and was glad at heart,
although too weak to feel much $y.aud
then FOR some days | thought of Moth
ing just slept and rested after the long
pain one morning | awoke refreshed
and strengthened as the dim dawn
came stealing in at my window and fell
upon the draped easel where was my
Lucie's picture. Suddenly felt great
desire To see again the counterpart of
her dear face and. slipping out of bed